Nettle - Urtica Dioica
‘What right have you, O passer-by-the-way
To call any flower a weed?
Do you know its merits, its virtues, its healing qualities?
Because a thing is common
Shall you despise it?’ - Joy Griffith-Jones
I have been drawn in by the nettle this year. Known to most as a weed, a nuisance, a purveyor of pain!
I have met and worked with one of her family members before, the Dead-Nettle in my Everything is Connected project, but this year the Stinging Nettle has been asking me to check out her virtues and qualities.
I have been volunteering at a community garden since last Autumn, a derelict site, home to briar and debris when we first began to push our human selves onto the space.
Having cleared a path nature began to push her way back, to remind us that she still has a place here. One of her allies was the Nettle, heavy rain and daylight feeding the Nettles need to grow and fill the space we had cleared.
Where some would call for the strimmers, and the compost heap, I could see soup, textiles, caterpillars, moths and potential.
I’ve been making my own inks, and dabbling with natural dyeing for a few years and had never used Nettles before.
Nettles sting, and it hurts! But it's strange when you work with them how you begin to get used to the feeling. To understand the plants need for protection.
I gathered, and got stung, studied, sketched and got stung, processed and got stung. I saw how the structure of the leaves changed whilst heating, and how a smell of iron was released.
Dipping fabric into the essence of Nettle, I saw a beautiful delicate, soft green infuse itself to the fibres. Watching the ink slowly spread itself across a piece of watercolour paper, Nettles virtues began to release from that prickly exterior.
I learnt about the insects and animals that rely on this plant to survive, and found there were countless fairytales and folklore with Nettles as one of the characters. Stories of protection, freedom and transformation. Known as poor mans linen, Nettles fed and clothed our ancestors.
We don’t need to rely on Nettles for our food or clothing anymore, but we can still learn about her virtues, qualities and let her grow to provide for nature. Maybe one day we may have that need again, but for now we can connect with her properties and qualities and feel the magic and protection that nettle holds.
I learn with my hands and eyes, by doing I learn more. Using both observation, and my hands to feel my way into a subject. My journey with nettles has turned into a new project that I want to share.
I have created a ‘Limited Edtion’ set to showcase the magic of Nettles. Which includes a fabric patch naturally dyed with Nettles from the Community Garden, stamped with a hand carved image of a Nettle plant. A mini print painted with handmade Nettle ink and stamped with the same image. The set also includes a mini zine with lots of information and insight into wonderful Nettles.
Hand dyed, hand printed fabric patch.
Mini print painted with handmade Nettle ink, hand stamped with a Nettle plant.
Zine full of information about Nettles.
Use your patch to add some Nettle magic to your clothing, blanket or bag, or use it to mend a hole and give a favourite piece a new lease of life.
This product is fully sustainable, made with paper, natural dye and printed onto undyed Oeko-Tex calico fabric.
*the font used on the set is my own writing in calligraphy, written with handmade shaggy ink cap ink.
Nature journaling taken to the next level? :-)
I will be adding more hand dyed sets as we move through the seasons, as plants and trees inspire me and take me on their own journey of discovery.
You can also find a patch related to the story of the Wild Swans, one of the stories with Nettle as a character.
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