Making cordage from plants

Creating from plants, a ‘fibre age’, if you like, preceded the stone age and iron, as well as coming before working with clay and wood. It would have been our first to-hand material to make from. Because of the naturally biodegradable nature of plants, the full history of this era is unknown, though there is evidence from 50,000 years ago of cordage been used to decorate ceramics, the fibres being pressed into the clay to create patterns.

I have been exploring plants in my local area, enquiring about their fibres and strength for making. Participants on my cordage making courses have also stimulated my curiosity with their questions about what plants can be used to make cordage, string and rope. All the plants in the image above are from a 5 mile radius of Penzance, and most can be found within Penzance.

What plants can you use for cordage making?

Honestly, the list is endless, but the main rule is that fibres need to be long enough and strong enough. These can be wild or cultivated plants in your garden or home. Here are the plants I’ve made cordage from in my local area so far:

Plant materials used in artwork ’20 local plants’: Banana Tree (Musa), Bugle Lily (Watsonia), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis), Cleavers (Galium aparine), Corn husk (Maize), Montbretia (Crocosmia), Daffodil (Narcissus), Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), Dock (Rumex obtusifolius), Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), Lily Palm (Cordyline), Jelly Palm (Butia), Orange Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva), Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), New Zealand Flax (Phormium), Nasturium (Tropaeolum emarginatum), Pendulus sedge (Carex pendula), Pine needles (Pinus), Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia) in hay vessel gathered after harvest, bound with jute string.

Do you have to process plants before using them?

There are several techniques for extracting the fibres from plants, however some plants can be used just as they are. For example, stems of; cleavers, daffodils, dandelions, pine needles and orange day lily can all be used straight away. While fibres from; brambles, dock, Japanese knotweed and stinging nettles all need to extracted.

Images of fibres being extracted from bramble stems and the resulting cordage.

Want to explore plants creatively and learn new skills?

I run cordage making workshops and basket making workshops using local plants with like-minded people.