Weaving Overshot With Tree Bark

Updated 2/21/16

Yes, I said tree bark. To see how I harvest and prepare the fiber for weaving, see my old post on making cordage with tree bark. The fiber I used came from a Tulip Tree sometimes called a Tulip Poplar. I have NEVER cut down a tree for its bark; Mother Nature knocks them down for me. This is how I usually find the bark.....

So, let's get started. 1st, you will need the tree bark. In this case it is the inner tree bark, not the hard outer bark.

 In order to weave with this fiber, it needs to be wet. I soaked mine in water and squeezed out the excess.

Now, to the loom. I used 8/2 linen for the warp and tabby weft. The tree bark was my pattern weft. 

I wove a few inches in plain weave and then began the overshot. I used the same pattern as my previous post; Periwinkle.

I chose a few pieces of bark that were roughly the same size and began laying the weft with the help of a stick shuttle.

I left the selvedge in its natural state to illustrate that I used individual pieces of bark. I made sure to use floating selvedges and took care that the tabby weft locked in the bark pattern weft, as shown above. 

Here is a closeup of the weaving on the loom (still damp at this stage)

Here it is off the loom and dry...

This was my 1st attempt at using bark for  weaving. My brain is spinning from the possibilities. You could use cordage made from the bark as weft for a sturdy rug. I've spun the bark on a drop spindle before so you could go that route as well. I think there may be a handwoven tree bark rug in my future ;)

Happy Weaving!