weaving with plant materials

on the 27th of july 2010 i attended a weaving workshop at ewma, an arts & crafts group to which i belong.  expecting to see table looms, yarns, etc. it was a bit of a surprise to see the plant material on the ground. 

the surprise quickly turned to interest as sharon kallis, the charming woman conducting the workshop explained the project and demonstrated the steps.  the materials are in no danger of extinction, the woven orbs will be for use by the local bird population.  the project is a collaboration by 2 local organizations and sharon kallis, is located at our very own crab park, and is in harmony with nature, and is called, i believe, "nest at crab park".

for me it was exciting to learn a new skill, and though making orbs the size of those we completed at the workshop i attended are not a cottage industry type of thing the process is very usable, and is within the chindi needlework design area of interest.

at an event on 29th august there will be a walking tour, tea party, music, starting at 1 pm and up to 4 pm.  hope to see you there.

                                                 

on the 18th i went to the park, and under my umbrella, in the hot august sun, helped with the enclosure around the women's memorial.  sharon was there and also travis, "the plant guy".  the watermelon was a welcome treat, the work was very relaxing, and the dogs, jd and cashew great fun.

                                                                                      

on the 29th i forgot to take my camera, so there are no photos of that event.  the tent was a beautiful piece of textile art, netting to which had been attached a number of crocheted and embroidered, half of which were sharon's family heirlooms, i guess would be the right word.

the nature walk, conducted by sharon and jd, very interesting and informative - and an eye and mind opener for me because i had never explored crab park, and there are all sorts of lovely clumps of trees and bushes and plants.

 

               

so this evening, 3rd september, my friend terri and myself walked over to the park and took some photos of the various structures that will provide perching and hopefully, nesting sites for urban wildlife.