Cordage as Adornment by Saoirse Byrne
“Humans have been making cordage for at least fifty thousand years- shaping the world around us with its strength, versatility and beauty. It is a process that is indigenous to all cultures- as is the impulse to adorn ourselves.
Cordage is everywhere – in the fibers of our clothing, in the rigging of ships, in the cables of suspension bridges. What was once a universal skill is now hiding in plain sight.
Textile historian Elizabeth Wayland Barber called the development of cordage as the String Revolution. The ability to string a bow for hunting, make a net for fishing, lash together materials for transport or shelter, ease in fire making, and the development of plaiting and weaving, all allowed humans to thrive in ways and environments that would otherwise be unavailable.
In this workshop you will learn the basics of this ancient technique, creating cordage from silk and cotton fabrics that would otherwise be thrown away – essentially turning the materials back into the threads from which they were made.
It is a gift to share this process with you – to pass on the fundamental skills and awareness to turn the fibers in your life – old clothing, sentimental fabrics from people you love, or the dried grasses along your path – into cordage that can be worn as a necklace or hatband, a unique length of cord to ornament and celebrate.
‘I encourage you to explore. You might find that your hands hold the memory of generations.’”
-Saoirse
All materials will be provided.
Cordage is accessible to folks who wouldn’t consider themselves artistic or crafty. Simple, meditative, and intuitive – cordage offers a chance to connect with thousands of years of human creativity.
“Humans have been making cordage for at least fifty thousand years- shaping the world around us with its strength, versatility and beauty. It is a process that is indigenous to all cultures- as is the impulse to adorn ourselves.
Cordage is everywhere – in the fibers of our clothing, in the rigging of ships, in the cables of suspension bridges. What was once a universal skill is now hiding in plain sight.
Textile historian Elizabeth Wayland Barber called the development of cordage as the String Revolution. The ability to string a bow for hunting, make a net for fishing, lash together materials for transport or shelter, ease in fire making, and the development of plaiting and weaving, all allowed humans to thrive in ways and environments that would otherwise be unavailable.
In this workshop you will learn the basics of this ancient technique, creating cordage from silk and cotton fabrics that would otherwise be thrown away – essentially turning the materials back into the threads from which they were made.
It is a gift to share this process with you – to pass on the fundamental skills and awareness to turn the fibers in your life – old clothing, sentimental fabrics from people you love, or the dried grasses along your path – into cordage that can be worn as a necklace or hatband, a unique length of cord to ornament and celebrate.
‘I encourage you to explore. You might find that your hands hold the memory of generations.’”
-Saoirse
All materials will be provided.
Cordage is accessible to folks who wouldn’t consider themselves artistic or crafty. Simple, meditative, and intuitive – cordage offers a chance to connect with thousands of years of human creativity.
About Saoirse Byrne.
“Saoirse Byrne is fascinated with cordage – the most ancient form of working with fibers. It is how humans first made rope, twine, string, and thread. Enabling us to bind, tie, pull, gather, hunt, hoist, weave – cordage shapes and transforms our world. This transformation is both functional and metaphorical.
Since 2019 Saoirse has focused on cordage jewelry from heirloom fabrics and textile waste and teaching others to do the same, using sentimental or discarded materials. She has a BFA in Apparel Design from Rhode Island School of Design and an MBA in Sustainable Business Development from Presidio School of Management in San Francisco. Her work is available at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco.
Saoirse’s home for the past twenty years has been the redwoods and oak woodlands of the Northern California coast where she has maintained a studio and raised her children. She has worked as an artist, designer, and craftsperson making diverse custom garments and soft furnishings, including an airplane cover, ceremonial attire, and reproducing a beloved bomber jacket in locally tanned deer hide.
Saoirse first learned to turn wild harvested plants into twine thirteen years ago at the Buckeye ancestral skills gathering. Curious, she turned to the abundance of materials in her own studio and life. Her great grandmother’s handkerchief, threadbare and altogether unusable, but too precious to throw away became, as cordage, a strong and loving reminder of family – a necklace that could be worn and a process that could be shared.
In its simplest form, cordage is a line – a boundary or a life line – connecting us to where we have come from and drawing us forward. For Saoirse, teaching and making are intertwined – cordage belongs to everyone. It is a timeless skill, kept alive by generations of makers and the joy of sharing. Saoirse is grateful to be able to carry on the tradition.”
-Saoirse