Exploring Natural Fibre Types

[@Glowingportal]

Small correction, Muga silk from Assam is never dyed with color in Assam. It is a prized silk, small quantity is produced each year as such it is very expensive. Naturally golden in color as such also known as the golden silk. After our traditional attire of Muga Mekhala Chador are woven, we wash it with soap nuts to keep it luster. The more we wash the better it gets to wear…Muga very hardy silk, and sometimes woven garments are passed down through generations. There is another silk known as Paat, mulberry silk, that is dyed in different colors. Paat is very fragile, and we try not to wash it unlike Muga. 🙏🏼

[@tinybuilds6116]

This was very informative, thank you!

[@carrierenee]

This healed my soul on some level ❤

[@moxielouise]

I always enjoy and learn from your content. Thank you

[@MaiwaHandprints]

You're most welcome! We love knowing what we share is resonating.

[@katrussell6819]

Wonderful information. Thank you. I have played with natural dyes and want to do more.

[@magdalenas8713]

Fantastic! Clearly presented. ❤

[@SabineHeislinger]

Very valuable information,thanks for the great presentation.Sabine from Austria

[@loismiller7742]

Excellent info - I learned A Lot!!!

[@MaiwaHandprints]

So glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@janetburkett3496]

What a great overview - so much information. Thanks

[@MaiwaHandprints]

You’re welcome!

[@elsik2332]

I learned so much, thank you!

[@salikateryna9725]

Thank you for this great video!

[@ranarakab1689]

Thank you for such an informative video ❤

[@MaiwaHandprints]

You’re welcome! I’m so glad you found it helpful.

[@pamfrank3962]

Interesting and informative

[@AnimeShinigami13]

I've experimented with wild fibers and I can tell you right now this is nowhere near a comprehensive list. Fibers I've experimented with working and had some success... Dogbane Common milkweed Linden Nettle Willow Cotton can be grown in a northern climate but only if the plants are started indoors in time, and they are very vulnerable to the cold. In addition I've found the invasive oriental bittersweet also has bast fibers. They're harder to get at by hand, but if you find an old vine of it dried and crushed with time and trampled feet, the fiber that comes out is very promising. Dogbane is distantly related to oleander, and during the growing season its very poisonous. But at the end of the season when the weather gets cold, the plant pulls its poison into the roots and you can harvest the brown stems that remain behind. These stems will linger into spring or summer of next year, depending on how wet the climate is. Dogbane is very strong and likes woodland edges. It spreads from underground runners as well as seeds. The pods resemble those of milkweed, as do the seeds, but they are much smaller and finer. Milkweed was endorsed by the usda to the textile industry in the 1920s and 30s, and during world war 2 was used in place of some of the flax and cotton. These were the bast fibers, not the floating flosses, which come from the stem of the plant. Flax, Hemp, dogbane, nettle, linden and willow are all bast fibers. Milkweed fiber is at its best quality if the plant is allowed to grow undisturbed the entire growing season, only harvested when the weather kills off the above ground growth. If your neighbors chop milkweed, the stems can be used if it has started to flower or cleared two feet in height before being cut. But these fibers aren't as good. Monarch butterfly caterpillars only eat milkweed. There are chemicals in the latex that are dangerous to birds, and so the caterpillars build up these poisons in their system as protection. The monarch caterpillar's yellow color and adult butterfly's orange color are there to warn predators that they contain poison. Grown in a raised bed, milkweed can top five feet in height. When the Japanese cut off access to kapok floss during world war 2, which was used to stuff life vests, the boyscouts spent hours hunting for milkweed seed pods in fields, roadsides, parks and near rail lines and these vests were stuffed with milkweed. Likewise the germans in world war 1 made their uniforms out of stinging nettle. Angora rabbits require a lot of care, all long haired animals do. Rabbits are very social animals, but don't like being picked up and squeezed or manhandles for too long. But like a cat, they will try to sleep with you if allowed. Rolling one on their back is stressful, and can give them a heart attack. It's called "trancing" and it basically stuns the animal. Rabbits require a lot of room. I have one rabbit in a puppy pen from tractor supply in my apartment. The reason why she has one rather than a spare room is because she bit my cat. Let that sink in. My cat is afraid of a bunny rabbit who, when she was a quarter of his size, bit him. Angora rabbits who have not been shorn have to have their coats brushed daily. And the fur that comes out is what you spin. If you do not brush or comb them, their fur will mat, which raises the odds of skin infection and makes the fleece unusable and unsanitary. They can be litterbox trained, and their area must be bunny proofed. They need more food than a regular rabbit in order to grow their fur. 90% of a rabbit's diet is hay, with the rest a mixture of pellets and whatever fresh goodies you can offer them. I'll even hunt down patches of clean tall grass in summer, shake any bugs off, cut it to about a foot long, bundle it, and give it to her as a treat.Angoras shed like a sunovagun. So have a good vacume and washer and use dryer balls to help remove their sheds. Otherwise any shirt you own could end up with highly visible bunny hairs.

[@gisellel12357]

I e wondered about milkweed. I played with it as a kid. I imagine it would work but wasn’t sure how it would manage washing and dyeing.

[@AnimeShinigami13]

@@gisellel12357 you use the stems. not the floaty things. the floaty things can be stuffing.

[@deekang6244]

Korean mosi (ramie) I find to be quite strong, is there a reason you find it less durable than linen?

[@daudbangla]

Tussah is also available in Rajshahi District- Bangladesh.

[@prettyhomebymariadesousa]

Thank you! Very well put together and so informative 😊❤

[@MaiwaHandprints]

You are so welcome!

[@lauraleecreations3217]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@shyphirenflowerchild4631]

I'm curious about the viability of yak wool. It is interesting that yak wool was not included in this informative video. Is it difficult to acquire or difficult to you?