Recently a friend sent me a link for a video about Allan Brown, who harvests wild stinging nettle to create his own fabric. He makes it look incredibly easy, and I find myself wondering what other plants can be used (I’m based in South Africa so stinging nettles aren’t so common) and whether or not I have the courage to give it a try.
Here’s the video for those who wish to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0SFRIZqkfE
And isn’t it amazing, if we put our minds to it (and managed to find the time) we could really create custom garments from scratch, from the thread up... and can you imagine the money we could save from all that store-bought fabric hoarding – I have at least 15 crates... that’s right CRATES of fabric at any given time. – and of course this process can be used for creating balls of yarn for knitting and crochet projects too.
While looking more into the concept of using plants to create fabric, I came across something else that is completely wonderful – GROW YOUR OWN LEATHER IN YOUR KITCHEN! - Suzanne Lee has come up with a method where you can grow your own leather! It’s a wonderful, magical tea that ends in happiness. Here’s her TedTalk video so you can see more on the subject. https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes
And while a dream of finding the time to create all these wonderful things, I must admit for right now, it’s just a little easier for me to pop online or into the nearest fabric store, but perhaps there’s no time like the present to start a new fabric adventure...
