“A weed is just a plant in the wrong place.” I don’t know where that quote comes from, but I think it depends on the eye of the beholder. Take bindweed. My Ever Supportive Partner (ESP) would say yes, please take it all – and burn it! But I, with a basketmaker’s eye ever on the lookout for potential weaving material, take a very different view.
It started last year during lockdown, when we were pretty much confined to home and garden. I’ve always been keen on reusing and recycling, and after a weekend of ESP cursing as he disentangled great clumps of bindweed, I decided to try weaving with it.
I started by making a random weave dish, using a hoop of the chunkier stems and weaving with the thinner material. As it dried out the loops around the hoop loosened as the bindweed shrank, and I wasn’t sure how strong it would be.
So I decided to make something more decorative – a small spherical pod around a mould made from a bag of rice, which could be removed easily afterwards. I also let it dry out first to shrink and then soaked it to make it pliable. Finally, I gave it a light coat of varnish to make it more robust before removing the mould.
I was much happier with this, and it gave me an idea for an installation for the next Prism Textiles Group exhibition, which is in October 2021. My submitted idea was accepted, which meant that I was committed to making a total of 50 bindweed vessels!
This was in October 2020. Bindweed dies off over the winter, but I collected as much as I could before the frost got to it. I became an expert in local bindweed hotspots!
In spring of this year I put the word out to family and friends who have gardens and allotments that I was on the lookout for bindweed. They welcomed me with open arms, and I spent many sweaty hours carefully unwinding its tendrils from more valued plants, stripping off the leaves, and winding it in loose coils to dry out.
I’m currently up to 28 bindweed pods – more than halfway!
I’ll post more about the exhibition closer to the time – the hanging mechanism is yet to be worked out! 🙂
I have so much bindweed but I am too far away to drop it off at your door 🙁
Congratulations on your new site!
Thanks Andrew – hope things aren’t too hot for you over there. And congratulations for being the first commenter on my new site! 🙂
I love this project! So inspiring and strangely those pods are very satisfying to look at x
Thanks Laura! They were very satisfying to make too – at least they were at first! I’ll be glad when I’ve finished making them all. 🙂
Thanks for the idea. Who would ever have thought that I would now want to find bindweed. I have spent years trying to eliminate it. Now I can use it. If you have any more ideas and designs for weaving bindweed please let me know.
You can use bindweed to make cordage as well Mary. It’s amazing how plants often thought of as pests may have their uses! 🙂
It’s true – the internet is forever! Here it is almost 2025 and your post is still eye-catching.
Doesn’t time fly!
Huge congratulations Kim, for sharing your experience and story of becoming an expert in such an un expected way. Apparently here in Australia Bindweed is called ‘Morgen Glory’ and yes is also treated as an invasive weed. So tremendous to be taken on a story tour with you to change our attitude to it.
In Far North Queensland / Cairns there existed a basket making (non commercial ) friendship group, that I belonged to when we loved in nearby Aterthon Tablelands. We used to let the branches of whatever wild plants we found useful too.Then soaked them in warm or cold Water, drained the H2O and had large flattish plastic floor buckets next to our veranda chairs and kept a wet towel over them to keep tehm moist. Great friendship memories, story telling times and the group members came from various parts of the world.
We just met axpr,month and knew the next home veranda venue offered and date ( a regular set per each mont) and had each others phone numbers.No official membership fees etc or/nor insurance etc at the time. Very fond memories. Similar groups would exist here in Sydney. Needto be careful of ‘toxic’ plants and protected ( eg air roots of giant ancient Figtrees),they sould be incredibly handy, but not allowed to be cut or ripped off!! All the best and deep thanks all the way over the ocean. Margret
Thanks Margret – sounds like a great group! Whenever Australian fibre artists post photos of their work made with natural fibres I get huge fibre envy. 🙂 You have so many amazing palms and other interesting vegetation – as well as bindweed!
Sorry Kim and all for the many spelling hic ups.
Yes we let the branches dry out completely before soaking in Water.
Hope you are still busy enjoying basket making crafts, so delightful as a hobby.
Thank you for this post on bindweed (morning glory). I live in Victoria, Australia & this weed has invaded our creek & strangling our native vegetation. It has become a real problem. I am interested in basket weaving so your post has inspired me to tackle removing the bindweed with a new purpose. I love the concept of being able to make something good from something that is a problem. Everything has a purpose! Thank you for sharing-love your work. 😊
Thanks Di – great to have another bindweed fan on board! Good luck with your bindweed weaving! 🙂