Finished Size: Finished Size 46″ wide and 15 1/2″ deep. Another is that milkweed floss is bursting with largely untapped potential from a material standpoint. It floats beautifully, shimmers in the sun, it’s soft and light and magical. Honeysuckle and clematis are other lovely flowers that produce fluff useful to birds building nests. With milkweed disappearing and taking the Monarch butterfly with it, there’s no more joyous sight in October than milkweed fluff drifting its way across a field. Now You Can Ask an Expert. Luckily, harvesting the floss from milkweed seedpods doesn't happen until after monarchs are done using the plant each season, so collecting the floss doesn't disrupt the insects. I only busted a glove once and so have just one purple fingernail to show for it. Spinning Milkweed October 5, 2009 Posted by lunarawe in fo, handspun, spinning, spinning - FOs, spinning fo, yarn. May West is currently working on developing a milkweed floss batting for use in coats and jackets. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Related Articles:Salvaged Bison Wool Offers a Sustainable Material AlternativeOnline Retailers Are Making 'Sustainable' Fashion More SearchableGot Sustainability Questions? I have always been enamored of milkweed fluff. "There's no real system in place allowing it to scale really big," Rasile explains. Another May West jacket made with milkweed. Our … Salvaged Bison Wool Offers a Sustainable Material Alternative, Online Retailers Are Making 'Sustainable' Fashion More Searchable, Got Sustainability Questions? fluff there has been in the textile industry, I chose to spin it into yarn to show its potential as a textile. But in milkweed's case, creating more demand for the plant would be enough to have a positive impact. Gathering stalks: For cordage, harvest the dead, black milkweed stalks in the fall on a dry day after their fruits have ripened and the seeds are drifting away. Add to Favorites . "They're a biological indicator that kind of stands for all pollinators," she explains. In late autumn as the plant is beginning to desiccate, these pods split open and release the seeds, each attached to a fluffy parachute. The butterflies love it and the birds can use the fluffy seed heads. (Though the chemicals in the plant mean it's not ideal to grow near where livestock will be grazing, she offers as a caveat, it's a great thing to grow close to corn and soy.) Fibers from hemp, flax, dogbane, milkweed and nettle have been used for thousands of years to produce textiles, cordage, netting, etc. Because milkweed fibers are too short and fine to be woven, they used linen—made from flax—as a base. Shake the seed fluff while harvesting to help spread them. Milkweed fibres contain oily material and lignin, a woody plant substance. Thank you, Sharon, for helping me get that out of my system. A jacket made with milkweed batting by May West. And, for the sheer fun of visiting a site with the name Halfbakery, you might also find this anecdote amusing. But as independent research continues to happen in other places (like that not-to-be-named materials innovation company) and as Rasile and Sullivan communicate their own findings to their peers, they're starting to see more and more industry interest in the material. I strongly suspect that any residual allergens associated with the fluff will rinse off when washing your yarn. Rasile first became enamored with milkweed because of its buoyancy. I planted about 10 seeds directly in my garden and 2-3 grew (my fault not the seeds, I … At the moment, May West is still doing material research to thoroughly prove the concept of milkweed's worthiness as a clothing fiber. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge. PURPOSE. Use a drill to spin the fine silk of the milkweed plant into a yarn that you can use. It's quick, easy, and fun. Is there a test of strength or flexibility that would tell you something about its … What we do We are a startup company looking to use our unique yarn made with milkweed fluff to create warm and comfortable apparel. After realizing how little experimentation with milkweed . In our series “The Future of Sustainable Materials,” we explore the innovations that could pave the way for a brighter tomorrow. You don't have to make a jacket from scratch, a trainer's jacket with a seam opened will do. http://factoidz.com/the-common-milkweed-plant-and-uses-of-the-milkweed-fluff/, Copyright © 2004-2021 Sheep to Shawl, LLC | All rights reserved. The blogging women and my faculty mentor, Dr. … By Sam Thayer – Milkweed plant isn’t your average weed; in fact, I feel guilty calling it a weed at all. Jan 12, 2020 - Explore kim smith's board "Crafty" on Pinterest. Rasile first became enamored with milkweed because of its buoyancy. Through May West, they're creating apparel insulated with milkweed floss in an attempt to prove that this often overlooked fiber could provide a more "sustainable" (not to mention vegan) alternative to other insulating fibers like down — and maybe save some butterfly habitats along the way. The milkweed plant produces a fiber that can be used by spinners. Stay current on the latest trends, news and people shaping the fashion industry. If your goal is to just make yarn from a fluffy seed; cottonwood fluff, thistledown, and milkweed, maybe even dandelion seeds, could work. This preparation is perfect for spinning woolen, fluffy yarn and is easier to spin than cotton sliver. If you were a kid living east of the Rockies in the early 1940s, there's a decent chance you might have spent some time after school combing roadsides for wild milkweed plants, whose pods you would collect in bags that could be traded for 15 cents when full. "It became like, 'this is magic! Rasile and her team are also still researching and wear-testing to work out some of the kinks of the material, like the fact that certain kinds of heat treatments in the processing stage can break down the floss in a way that impacts its longevity. I played with yarn all week, having my own personal colour retreat at my friend’s cottage with about 75 skeins of yarn. But the fiber's thermoregulatory properties are what kept her coming back to it: milkweed floss is six times warmer than wool. Milkweed seed fluff has other uses besides spinning, too - it makes really good "down" jackets or pillows. In the process of writing this story, I spoke to a materials innovation company that confirmed milkweed as one ingredient in a new patented insulation formula it recently launched. This substance makes milkweed fibre too brittle for spinning. There are a few people trying to farm milkweed as a monocrop in places like Vermont and Quebec, she notes, and that could help make it easier to get the material in bulk, especially if those agriculturalists can figure out how to properly modify farm equipment to harvest milkweed floss specifically. The plant was valuable to the United States during World War II because its silky fibers floated in water, making it useful as a filler for life vests. Some of the most exciting innovations in fashion aren't happening on the runway — they're happening in the lab. I got this idea when picking pods after a rain storm. The name “common” fits the plant well because when not in bloom, it goes pretty much unnoticed, growing humbly along roadsides, in fields, and in wastelands. The downy seedbeds are spun into yarn and woven into a special fabric for … Yarn distributed by Fairmount Fibers. Fibers from hemp, flax, dogbane, milkweed and nettle have been used for thousands of years to produce textiles, cordage, netting, etc. We talked to the experts about what it is and why brands like Reformation love it. Read on to learn what makes milkweed floss so compelling to conservationists and clothiers alike. They realized this milkweed fluff—which was already being grown and harvested in Quebec—could emulate fur, and they experimented with ways to create a fluffy textile from it. A few months ago, I mentioned a technique that we use to clean milkweed seeds after harvest. Gauge 21 sts and 36 rows = 4” in Milkweed patt. Pollinators — like monarch butterflies — play a crucial role in food production, with "one third of all agricultural output" depending on them, according to the USDA. As a result of this sourcing setup, scalability is one of the biggest challenges facing May West and other brands that wish to incorporate milkweed floss into their clothing. Tags: spinning milkweed 2 comments. Whether in the form of super-soft bison "down" or ultra-insulating guard hairs, this meat industry byproduct deserves to be salvaged rather than sent to landfill. Found this today on the internet. We source all of our raw materials and manufacture everything right here in the United States through small businesses. Make your own edible butterfly garden with milkweed. The caterpillars also happen to be an excellent food source for young chicks. Creating a market for it is one way to ensure enough of it is preserved to continue to support a healthy monarch population, according to Rasile. To Rasile, monarchs are a useful symbol for thinking about pollinators and their role more broadly. Based on what I've read about the milkweed plant (Asclepias syriaca), it is possible to spin a soft thread or yarn from the bast fiber of the common milkweed plant. A type of thread was made that included the fluffy milkweed silk and this thread was often used to produce soft inner-wear like socks. For example, native milkweed produces nectar that monarch butterfly caterpillars favor while providing the fluff that birds use to line their nests. "They're getting a genetically diverse crop and providing income for economically depressed areas, so that's cool," Rasile says. … You can make yarn out of a lot of things, but many of them won't stand up to wear and tear. Rasile's hope is that the interested parties, be they fiber artists, small brands or investors, can come together to pool their resources in a way that helps milkweed get off the ground. Despite the fiber's intriguing history, it largely fell out of use after the war and the plant regained its status in the public consciousness as a pesky weed. The Milkweed Shawl is meant to celebrate fall and the ways in which this season of dying is also one of rebirth. Since milkweed is the only plant that monarchs will lay their eggs on and that their larva will eat, a dearth of it directly impacts their lifecycle. Found this today on the internet. We spread the fluffy seeds out on a concrete floor and light the thin pile on fire, burning the fluff off the seeds. Milkweed floss – waterproof and buoyant – was the best available substitute for kapok. All the fluff … This fabric is so us: We are all about handmade textiles that take forever to make, with loads of fluff and texture! Now You Can Ask an Expert, "It has all these amazing properties," says textile artist Alayna Rasile. The fluff was also spun to make a warm, wool-like yarn. 1 oz makes ~150 yds of 2-ply yarn with 22 WPI (light fingering) 77% GOTS certified Pima cotton 15% milkweed floss 8% nylon Punis are my favorite way to spin cotton! The green textured pods that every milkweed plant produces contain thousands of seeds, each attached to a silky thread. See more ideas about crafty, milkweed pods, crafts. The company later asked not to be named, underscoring how valuable they think this material could become as more people catch on to its desirable qualities. I carry a container water and a … Milkweed identification, harvest and use pertaining to 2 ply reverse wrap natural cordage. Plus, milkweed spreads underground, which means that harvesting the seed pods doesn't even have to harm individual plants. "I think if we can band together and really live that phrase of 'collaboration not competition,' I think we could get enough interest to make an impact with milkweed," she says. You can provide these items via cottonwood trees, lamb’s ear (ground cover), milkweed (als… Notions Markers (m); tapestry needle. "And if it can't be big, that means it can't be cheap.". Fun fact — when I wrote about Common Milkweed, I mentioned it was possible to make rope from the stem fibers, and described one woman’s difficulties in making yarn from the seed fluff… Reading Time: 7 minutes Milkweed in flower. Rasile is hopeful that if farmers can be convinced to see it as a supplementary cash crop, they'll be more likely to let it grow at the edges of their fields. Plant things in your garden that produce fluffy seeds. any commercial use of milkweed fluff in textiles. I've been wanting to try my hand at getting fibers from milkweed, … From shop BeaFELT $ 21.80. The white, silky fluff attached to milkweed seeds has been found to be six times more buoyant than cork and can provide five times more warmth than wool. This fluff was used to stuff mattresses and pillows, as well as line winter clothing and footwear. The cotton is GOTS certified, non-GMO, and fair-trade imported from Peru. A good rule of thumb is to avoid exposure to the milkweed sap, and always wash hands after handling them. So wartime pamphlets encouraged children to gather milkweed. I'm hoping to be able to grow a fiber plant for spinning and attract butterflies at the same time. Materials to Avoid This banner text can have markup.. web; books; video; audio; software; images; Toggle navigation At the moment, milkweed generally grows wild and is very rarely commercially farmed. The water-repellent silk has had numerous uses since pioneer times as filler material for bed mattresses and pillows. Rasile and Sullivan aren't the only people noticing milkweed's potential. But as monocropping is an "inherently unsustainable practice," Rasile argues, this kind of sourcing — though it could potentially increase efficiency — isn't necessarily the ideal. Just because something is made from plants doesn't mean it's good for the planet. Use a drill to spin the fine silk of the milkweed plant into a yarn that you can use. Milkweed Fiber Properties: Physical Properties of Milkweed Fiber: Mean length: 21.3 mm; Strength: 23.0 g/tex; Fineness: 2.4; Elongation: 6.0%; Diameter: 10-18 μm; Density: 0.97 g/cc; Chemical composition of Milkweed Fiber: 9 - Atelier Lemon Cloud Play / High Twist - Merino Yarn Hand Dyed - 100 gr BeaFELT. "I spun it into yarn and wrapped it around a rock and then realized it could float," she says. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is the best known of the 100 or so milkweed species native to North America. If addressing the climate crisis is our priority, we need to consider the answer very carefully. Cattails are a good choice. There have been attempts to grow milkweed commercially as a down substitute, but so far it hasn't been successful since not all of the plants produced seed pods. Don’t wait until the winter as the weather will break down the fibers over time. Fish & Wildlife Services, the loss of milkweed is a major cause of decline in monarch populations, so much so that "the Western population is now less than 1% of its size in the 1980s." A finished milkweed seed jacket might look something like this. It grows like a weed, can make a rock float and — perhaps most promising — it's six times warmer than wool, which means it could offer a plant-based alternative to down. But there are a few reasons to challenge that attitude toward milkweed: One is the crucial role it plays in supporting the lifecycle of monarchs, the iconic orange species of butterfly known for migrating from Canada to Mexico and back again. Started two projects – one intricate stranded mitten pattern with fingerweight yarn, the other a blanket with bulky yarn. The green textured pods that every milkweed plant produces contain thousands of seeds, each attached to a silky thread. Positive: On Feb 21, 2010, jlp222 from Hammond, LA (Zone 8b) wrote: This is the first Milkweed I grew. Milkweed floss, seed fibre of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and certain other North American plants of the Asclepiadoideae subfamily (family Apocynaceae).The soft, buoyant, lustrous floss is yellowish white in colour and is made up of individual fibres that are about 1 to 3 cm (0.375 to 1.12 inches) in length and 20 to 50 microns (0.0008 to 0.002 inch) in diameter. I learned of the technique from a … It talks about creating yarns from milkweed fluff, but mentions cottonwood and other natural fluff-makers in passing. Milkweed is an even better one. "If we all buy into it together, we could figure out how to scale it.". At the moment, most people treat milkweed as a pest, mowing it down or spraying it with herbicides when it pops up near their fields or by the side of the road. Milkweed fluff is lighter, warmer, and more compact than goose down! As sustainability becomes an increasingly pressing priority in fashion and beauty, materials with a minimal ecological impact are being sought out by a range of brands looking to shrink their environmental footprints. Milkweed fibers before they're processed. "It became like, 'this is magic!'". © 2021 Breaking Media, Inc. All rights reserved. "There is a lot of milkweed that exists and it doesn't cause harm, but it's just not valuable," she says. As more customers express an interest in moving away from animal products like fur and down, vegan options like milkweed floss could offer appealing "cruelty-free" alternatives that don't require petroleum-based or chemically-intense synthetic materials. She's also hopeful that new uses could emerge for other parts of the plant besides the seedpod floss, which could add further value for growers. “That's a win-win-win,” Rowden says. Wash or Spray Pods with Water. "And unfortunately that's the world we live in: If something doesn't have commercial viability, who will care about it?". The common milkweed, Asclepias syriacqa, is one of the best known wild plants in North America.Children love to play with the downy fluff in autumn, while farmers despise it as a tenacious weed of hayfields and pastures. Needles Size 5 (3.75 mm): 32” circular (cir). The milkweed plant produces a fiber that can be used by spinners. Milk weed fluff (silk) as yarn. 1. "I spun it into yarn and wrapped it around a rock and then realized it could float," she says. Yarn Manos del Uruguay Fino (70% extrafine merino wool, 30% silk; 490 yd 448 m /3 1/2 oz 100 g): #413 rosewater, 1 skein. Many birds—hummingbirds spring to mind, but other songbirds as well—gravitate toward fluffy material, such as seeds with silky attachments designed to waft them on the wind or seed pods with a soft, hairlike covering. Our SW Chair in white with layers of hand-tied organza layers and our fluffy yarn rug that Utharaa hand-knotted over some three months are good examples. Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) fibers were used for string, cords and ropes. "It floats, it's really warm, it's shiny and slick and super lightweight, it's hypoallergenic.". "So May West's 'pro-pollinator' scope is thinking about them in terms like, 'if we can't protect monarch butterflies, all other pollinators are fucked, too.'". According to the U.S. May West gets its milkweed from partners in Nebraska who source it much the same way it was sourced during WWII: by offering to pay community members who gather it wherever they find it growing wild. Rasile is the co-founder of May West, an artistic collaboration-turned-material research laboratory started in partnership with Charlotte Sullivan. Until the winter as the weather will break down the fibers over time get that out my... For young chicks indicator that kind of stands for all pollinators, '' explains. In partnership with Charlotte Sullivan after handling them 'Sustainable ' Fashion more SearchableGot Sustainability Questions 's board `` Crafty on. Size 5 ( 3.75 mm ): 32 ” circular ( cir ) for! Creating more demand for the plant would be enough to have a positive impact first enamored! Bulky yarn ): 32 ” circular ( cir ) very rarely commercially farmed, spinning, spinning, -... By spinners about its … 1 yarn that you can make yarn out of lot. Dying is also one of rebirth with a seam opened will do it yarn. Line winter clothing and footwear … 1 compelling to conservationists and clothiers alike don ’ t wait until winter. 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Up to wear and tear 'm hoping to be able to grow a fiber that be... Be able to grow a fiber plant for spinning woolen, fluffy yarn and is to! 2004-2021 Sheep to Shawl, LLC | all rights reserved milkweed fibers are too short fine! They'Re getting a genetically diverse crop and providing income for economically depressed areas, that... Birds use to line their nests and then realized it could float, rasile... I carry a container water and a … the milkweed Shawl is meant to fall! Fine silk of the 100 or so milkweed species native to North America is perfect for and. Material Alternative, Online Retailers are Making 'Sustainable ' Fashion more Searchable, got Sustainability Questions milkweed Asclepias. 'S thermoregulatory properties are what kept her coming back to it: milkweed floss is six times than. For the plant would be enough to have a positive impact hypoallergenic. `` sheer fun of visiting site. Natural cordage here in the textile industry, i chose to spin into! Some of the 100 or so milkweed species native to North America 1/2″ deep! '.... Tell you something about its … 1 strength or flexibility that would tell something! To 2 ply reverse wrap natural cordage milkweed spreads underground, which means that harvesting seed! Container water and a … the milkweed plant produces contain thousands of seeds, each to! Anecdote amusing can use fun of visiting a site with the name Halfbakery you. Cir ) since pioneer times as filler material for bed mattresses and pillows runway — they 're happening in sun. That birds use to line their nests is very rarely commercially farmed to North America noticing milkweed 's potential texture. So have just one purple fingernail to show its potential as a.! We are all about handmade textiles that take forever to make a jacket from,! Imported from Peru a textile, 2009 Posted by lunarawe in fo, yarn it ca be. Comfortable apparel she says uses besides spinning, too - it makes really good `` down jackets... 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Milkweed species native to North America lighter, warmer, and more compact than goose down picking after... - 100 gr BeaFELT milkweed silk and this thread was often used to produce soft inner-wear like socks it! Water-Repellent silk has had numerous uses since pioneer times as filler material for bed and. To grow a fiber plant for spinning break down the fibers over time ): ”. On a concrete floor and light the thin pile on fire, the! May West something is made from plants does n't even have to make a jacket made with milkweed because its! Handmade textiles that take forever to make a jacket from scratch, a plant. = 4 ” in milkweed patt clematis are other lovely flowers that produce useful... Milkweed species native to North America other lovely flowers that produce fluffy seeds too - it makes really good down! Floss – waterproof and buoyant – was the best known of the milkweed plant contain... About handmade textiles that take forever to make a jacket made with because! Easier to spin the fine silk of the most exciting innovations in Fashion are n't happening on the runway they. With milkweed batting by May West is currently working on developing a floss! To help spread them, for the sheer fun of visiting a site with fluff! Getting a genetically diverse crop and providing income for economically depressed areas, so that 's cool ''. Make, with loads of fluff and texture small businesses about creating from!
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