Eve Malster, from Future Threads, writes about her work with organicARTS.
“The project I am leading for organicARTS aims to develop a fibre craft ‘arm’ to the charities work.
I feel so lucky to have won a place with the World of Difference programme. It’s been quite manic in this first phase as I knew I’d have to get certain fibre crops into the ground for spring, like flax and cotton ….ground that hadn’t been prepared the previous winter by volunteers who didn’t exist yet….you see the challenge ?!
So, first things first, WHO would come and work with me? Should I work with anyone willing to take part or a focussed group? I opted for anyone, for the sake of timing. Marketing material was written and circulated to all of OrganicARTS connections and mine.
The feed back was good; I envisaged the ideal being two small groups of 4 or 5. There are between 2 and 5 volunteers per session so far. They have come from a variety of backgrounds: science, textiles, home schooling and looking for employment ideas. All our volunteers are hard working and fun!
The project happens on Wednesday and Friday, with a morning and afternoon session. In the mornings it’s hard graft; digging, weeding, raking and sowing. Then we break for a hearty soup and bread lunch before getting together to discuss our interests in the project. In our research we have been exploring the cellular structure of bast fibre plants and dissecting them to see where the fibres come from. Bast fibre plants produce fibres from their stem; like flax, hemp, nettles and brambles. Volunteers have gone away to look at the bug life around flax, others the history of production. The model I’m using encourages us all to take a proactive role in decision making and work, research and discussion. I am not the teacher, I merely facilitate. So far it’s been a positive way to work.
Out in the growing space, next to the willow garden, there are five beds 1.5m x 4m which we have dug and raked. That sounds simple doesn’t it? Yet it was frozen or compacted from the rain on most days and it took forever! And I have to admit I panicked a little about timings, becoming only too aware of the pressures a gardener must feel when the weather isn’t playing fair.
Now, four weeks in we have cotton seedlings bursting to life under cover and the flax is hopefully about to spring up too. This means we are officially into the second phase of the plan; weed control and workshops to build processing/weaving/ spinning equipment for organicARTS.
This week I’m gathering scrap wood for the loom making day.”