Madrone Berry Necklaces

One of my favorite things to do, while walking in the woods around Tipi Village, is taking a moment with the Madrone trees. The thin bark peels off leaving a smooth layer exposed and I am in constant awe of its twisting and gnarled branches.  One of the older Madrones, called Grandma by the kids and I, has swallowed a barb-wire fence. Nature does not care about our imaginary boundaries.

 

 

It is one of the many sacred trees of the Pacific Northwest.

In the legend of the great flood, the Salish First Nation describe how the Madrona tree provided an anchor for their canoes to hold steady and not drift away. It is known as a Tree of Knowledge because it knows how to find the sun. It twists and turns, growing new branches where the sun can reach them. Poet Richard Olafson shares another Native legend, writing, "The tree's webbed roots hold the splintered earth together." If it should disappear, the myth warns, the planet would fly apart and be utterly destroyed. The Madrone is also known as the Tree of Depth and Integrity, and is symbolic of protection and versatility.

One of our fellow villagers found Madrone berry necklaces at a primitive skills gathering and I couldn't wait to make some the following year.  Waiting is one aspect of wildcrafting that makes things more exciting and cherished, you usually only have a short window of opportunity to gather materials!

I spent a good amount of my time, while driving to Missouri, stringing the berries and after a month of slow drying they are ready to become necklaces. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am honored to adorn my body with these berries and hope those of you that get your own will appreciate this trees beauty.

 

 

 

Adventures in Eco-printing Part One

I jumped into my first eco-printing session yesterday, after reading up on the many ways to achieve the color imprints.  I was given a huge amount of organic wool scraps and figured this was the best use for them.  Eco-printing is really simple, but it takes a lot of experimenting to fully understand how one can achieve clear images and get a range of colors.  I already had an iron solution, from dyeing with sumac berries earlier in the day, so I bundled the wool with rubber bands and placed them in a steam bath of the iron solution.  Everything was going well until one of my kids spooked me and while checking on one of the bundles dropped them into the solution... oops!!! Normally I think this would be fine, except the solution had turned dark grey from the sumac.  After a little profanity I remembered how mishaps can create beauty in art making... So to my pleasant surprise they still turned out beautifully.  I am full of ideas on how to use these little pieces of art.  Maybe journal covers, holiday cards, wall hangings, patches, there are so many possibilities!!!!   My next batch, which is soaking as I type this, will be unrolled after tonight.  I am going to try the steaming technique again to see if it produces the subtle details better.



Lay leaves and flowers on pre-alumed wet wool

Eco-print of leaves on wool