Barkcloth

I spent an inspiring few hours at the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate, whilst Gordon went off walking. It was a beautiful sunny day in Yorkshire. I went particularly to see some of the Galleries of art work that there wasn’t time to look at properly when we went to the Show in London. As I went there first, when the Show opened, I more or less had the area to myself and it was nice to be able to talk to some of the artists about their work.
 
I was fascinated by a beautiful display of clothing and artwork created from Barkcloth, from Southern Uganda. This is one of the world’s oldest non-woven textiles and is made from the bark of the Motuba Tree (Ficus Natalensis, the common wild fig) using processes many centuries old. The bark is peeled from the tree very skilfully and then the trunk is protected until it regenerates. A sustainable crop, the Motuba Tree is being grown again in large numbers and the industry of barkcloth is being rejuvenated, after it went into decline.
 

I also went to the Show to attend a workshop on Needle Felting. This was excellent and, for anyone interested, I have put in extras a picture of my efforts, in the shape of a felted toadstool. It isn’t brilliant and needs a bit more work on it, but it is the result of an hour’s workshop, learning the skill from scratch. Now for the penguins.