One of our groups was tasked to help prep the Three Sisters bed next to the shed. We began by weeding the bed area and clearing many of the dried leaves that accumulated on top, but trying to leave the planted tulips in. We then loosened up the soil and mixed in some Biochar, a type of soil amendment that will improve its health as it begins to facilitate growing. Once the soil was prepped, we created several mounds in each corner, measuring about a foot high. Finally, we planted 3 rows of bodacious corn with a little prayer in hopes that the upcoming weather conditions will help them thrive! Knowing that growing can be unpredictable though, we also started some corn seeds in our greenhouse tent as a backup option.
Following up from the cutting of the alder tree yesterday, a few of us helped clear its surrounding area to create a beautiful planting bed, ready for new opportunities! We put in lots of hard work to clear many of the weeds and straight edging its borders. In the end, we even fittingly added some of the larger logs from the freshly cut alder tree for the border.
After our lunch break, we took a long walk over to the Scarfe building to move some materials from our storage closet, in preparation for our upcoming Saturday workshop. In discovering and decluttering some of the older collected materials, it was fascinating to see some of the past Orchard Garden workshops, such as a past woad dyeing activity which we learned was similar to the process of indigo dyeing.
In the last bit of our day, we explored two activities centered around the practice of fibre arts. As you may have seen from yesterday's sneak peek with the wooden templates, the first activity was weaving twigs in a pentagonal direction to create an almost basket-like shape. While there are 5 holes in the wooden board, we learned that you actually needed 6 twigs, where 1 is shorter and acts to support the foundation. Additionally, we had hoped to use the alder twigs from yesterday's freshly cut tree, but found that they were still not flexible enough and pivoted to using a thinner twig found in the garden. The most difficult stage for this is definitely at the beginning, where twigs end up falling out the holes in the wooden frame. Admittedly, many of us actually didn't finish this project today, so we're hoping to revisit this weaving soon!
For the second fibre arts activity, we learned about twining using various natural materials with long, smooth fibres. Susan demonstrated how to harvest fresh blackberry bark, which involved snapping off the thorns and gently peeling its outer layers, trying to not to break the bark. There was something oddly satisfying about this, as if we were kids at recess peeling our cheesestrings or celery snacks!
One method that we learned with twining was where you would thoroughly dry materials like day lily leaves and corn husks, then quickly rehydrate them in water before using. This makes them not only extra pliable for all the twisting that's involved, but also surprisingly durable once it's fully twined!
When it comes to teaching textiles, the topic of fibre arts feels fundamentally crucial in connecting learners back to the source of many of the materials that we take for granted in our everyday lives. It feels powerful and accessible that something like a dried leaf or corn husk, which we would otherwise throw away or leave on the ground, could be repurposed into something so strong and useful. In other cases, this resourceful consumption of natural materials could even be beneficial to nature itself, such as pruning twigs to let in more light behind a tree. The key, as with all things, is the balance of taking only what we need for now and leaving lots more for the future.
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