Foraged Containers - Tree Bark

Sessions

The day is split into four sessions with two 30 minute brew breaks and 1 hour for lunch.

1. Tree ID and materials harvest - The day starts with a foraging walk in the bluebell laden woods at Colin Godmans to gather the materials you will need for the remaining sessions. You will be harvesting small diameter timber with use of a folding saw. You will also be harvesting some roots on this walk for use as cordage - what roots will depend on what suitable trees present themselves on the day.
2. Processing - In the second session you'll be removing the bark from the timber you just collected and preparing it for craft use by cutting into strips for weaving or cordage making. As a bonus the 'waste' heart wood you are left with is exceptional for creating a rough and ready spatula within a few minutes which can be very handy when you're camping, the lights drawing in, you've started to cook and realise you've left your cooking utensils at home! 
3. Cordage - After lunch you'll be learning how to make your own string that you can then use to stitch a bark container or make a strap or lash a rim to a basket and so on. You will learn two cordage methods for bark work application. String from the sweet chestnut inner bark and roots from other trees.
4. Bark sheet work - With the stitching material sorted its now time to think about making a container. In the final session you'll be making a berry collector to take home either by cutting, folding and stitching a single piece of bark or by weaving together strips - your choice. 

Skills covered

• Tree ID
• Using small tools in the outdoors (knives & saws)
• How to safely and sustainably harvest small diameter timber
• Outer and inner bark removal
• Safely splitting small diameter timber
• Green woodworking - make a spatula
• Cordage from bark and roots
• Bark containers from sheets or weaves