Ancestral Crafts & Skills

Hide Tanning & Leathercraft

From a skin that was about to decompose, I transform it into a skin that can live again for many years to come. It can clothe us, protect us from the weather, keep us warm, hold our belongings, and so much more. And it’s biodegradable. Truly biodegradable. It leaves no trace. And it honours our Ancestors.

Learn more about my natural tanning methods here.

Check out my hide tanning and leathercraft portfolio here or click on the images bellow:

 

Handtanned Skins

Leather Bags

Leather Clothing

Wild Foods

I love learning about wild plants and learn how to make delicious, nutritious and medicinal meals with them. Bellow you can find some of my favourite wild berries, nuts, flowers, plants and trees as well as some magical drinks and meals I have had the pleasure of creating thanks to them.

Handmade Winter Clothes
Making elderflower cordial
Handmade sheepskin and felt boots
Handmade Sheepskin coat
woman in stone age clothing
elderflower cordial
elderflower cordial
Fire hearth inside stone age house

Felting & Wool Crafts

Felting is an ancient skill that has been used for thousands of years (at least since 6500 B.C.) to create felt, a non-woven textile that originates from the pressing and rubbing of fibers together.  Felt is the oldest known form of fabric. In order to make felt, animal wool/hair is used. Sheep’s wool is probably the most used material to make felt. You can learn more about felting here.

Besides felting, I have been dabbling with other kinds of wool witchery, such as learning how to card wool, how to spin yarn by hand, how to crochet, and other similar things! I feel very humbled by the teachings I receive from practising these ancient skills, and have been increasingly more thankful to Sheep, who has given and still gives us so much.

Sheepskin stretched in rack
Handmade felt trousers
felt boots on snow and ice
handmade felt shirt

Plant Weaving & Basketry

I am passionate about learning how to weave with plants. Willow was my first love, but soon enough I discovered I could weave with other plants too, such as esparto, broom, retama, pine needles, chestnut, and even with the leaves of our house plant!

I started weaving by trial and error, making what I call “bird’s nest” baskets, very easy to make and beautiful too. Then, my friend Rose Nomade introduced me to some actual willow basketry techniques, as well as to the basics of coiling and plaiting. Then, in 2021, I finally had the chance to attend my first basketry course with the amazing Spanish weaver, Carlos Fontales, who taught me more than I could ever imagine! I learned the basics of willow, chestnut and esparto weaving, and I can’t wait to continue to delve deeper and hopefully attend more of his courses in the future.

Below, you can find a selection of baskets and other small projects I worked on during the last years.

Handmade Winter Clothes
Handmade Winter Clothes

Other Crafts & Skills

I am a lover of many other crafts and am always happy when learning new ancient skills, such as how to make musical instruments out of bone and raw skin, bowls and water canteens out of gourds, buttons out of leather  and reindeer antler, and prehistoric jewelry replicas out of soapstone. I also really enjoy making percussion fire with marcasite and flint.

Handmade Sheepskin coat
Handmade sheepskin and felt boots
Bone flute
elderflower cordial
water gourd, ceramic bowl and basket
water gourd, ceramic bowl and basket

se gostares de receitas com plantas e frutos silvestres, artes manuais e prehistória ♥

☼ Blog ☼

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This