An Ancient Craft Utilizing Old Fabrics and Locally Available Plants

by Lisa Ludwigsen

If you have ever been fortunate enough to handle a strand of handmade string or rope, you may have recognized the uniqueness of it, the special way that the uniform tightness of the twist perpetually holds the fibers of the raw material. Somehow, individual fibers join to create something exponentially stronger, illustrating the powerful idea of “stronger together.” The craft is known as cordage, and humans have made and used it for 50,000 years.

Cordage has allowed humans to create items as durable as fishing nets, and to craft a strand of string both thin and strong enough to hold the tension of an arrow set into a hunting bow. Multi-ply ropes, made entirely by hand from plants, were used to rig seagoing ships.

Artist Saoirse Byrne explained that, at its core, “Cordage is the process of taking relatively weak and short fibers and twisting them into a new, strong length.” Local wilderness skills teacher Tamara Wilder and workshops at the annual Buckeye Gathering helped Saoirse hone her skills and better understand the importance and flexibility of cordage. Traditionally, making cordage from plants is both labor- and time-intensive. Like baskets made by native people, plants are gathered or harvested at the right time of year, then processed and stored properly in order to render strong and pliable material.

Traditionally, dogbane was the cordage fiber plant of choice. It has been called Indian Hemp and praised for its strength and luster. From thinner twines to larger ropes, dogbane and other plants including nettle, wild iris, and tulle, have been tended, harvested, and processed into nets, bags, mats, and lengths for tying or carrying. Many plants that are abundant in our gardens and roadsides will readily make cordage. The leftover dried leaves of narcissus when moistened can be a fun place to start experimenting.

Saoirse explained, “Cordage is essentially taking two lengths of fibers and twisting them independently in one direction and then twisting them together in the opposite direction. It is this initial twist and reverse that locks the fibers into place.” She added, “Applying this principle to materials that we have in abundance around us such as the plastic bags, the worn clothes, the garden trimmings can yield interesting, useful, and potentially beautiful results.”

Saoirse sees deep beauty in those utilitarian lengths of intertwined plants. She also sees art. And storytelling. And healing.

Based in Anderson Valley, Saoirse has combined her study of traditional uses of plants with a BFA in Fashion Design from Rhode Island School of Design and an MBA in Sustainability from Presidio World College to create an art practice and to nourish a passion for teaching all ages how to make cordage from various materials. Old t-shirts, cast-off fabrics, and special heirloom fabrics that are ready for a new purpose can all be transformed into something new.

“I love sharing a process that is tens of thousands of years old and using it to transform the materials that we have in abundance around us,” Saoirse confided. “There is a magic in taking something that has been used in one form and transforming it into something else entirely.”

There are ways to create useful and practical cordage that hold their own story or memory. “I take fabrics that hold memory and meaning and transform them into objects that can be used and worn—a decades-old sweatshirt from a first summer job turned into a dopp kit, or a great-grandmother’s handkerchief turned into a cordage necklace. It is a process of honoring continuation and story.” Saoirse also ventures into unusual plants for cordage—seaweed and even apple peels are fair game for cordage experiments.

The process is soothing, like other types of handiwork such as knitting, spinning, or sewing, and can be accomplished at any age. Even small children can appreciate the ability to make something utilitarian with their own hands. In fact, Saoirse has taught children as young as four how to make cordage from materials like baling twine or plastic bags.

Saoirse’s Instagram page, @linneage_of, covers the range of uses of cordage. From ancient Egyptian carvings featuring multi-ply rope to a new dog leash fashioned from an old blue t-shirt, Saoirse’s collection of photos illustrates that cordage is abundantly around us every day. On her website, Saoirse explains, “Transforming an existing item like a t-shirt into cordage starts with the tearing apart. I am exploring what we hold onto, what I hold onto, and how to let go. Then the old form is transformed into something new. I try my best to listen. I create time for the making. It is in the detail and quality of fine craftsmanship and the wildness of raw material that I seek the balance.”

Working with plants in any form is rewarding, and delving into the skill and art of cordage can enhance our connection to nature in new and inspiring ways. Look around and you’ll find a plentitude of potential cordage materials. Dive in and you may be surprised where the new skill leads you.

Photo of Saoirse Byrne by Sean Foley. Photo of leash by Saoirse Byrne. Photo of kids’ activity by Seasha Robb.

Saoirse will be offering classes for children and adults this fall. Check her website, www.SaoirseByrne.com, for details.