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A #NoPipelines Collaborative Community Art and Story Project
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Upcoming social braid tying events:
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Also: Check out this podcast about The Ties That Bind on "Home Grown: Your Show About Local Art" that aired on 94.7 in Charlottesville and is now available on the cville podcast network. | ||
Instructions
Get your group or community together (or do it yourself with a buddy - it is helpful for one person to hold the knot end while one person braids -- or use clamps) & braid, knot, & twist your fabrics together, following the basic instructions below. You can sew decorative items onto your strand if you like. Eventually we will link all these strands together to form a protective weaving that can be used in different #NoACP (or #NoMVP) protests, gatherings, & art exhibits . Note that a VERY IMPORTANT part of the project is completing the Story Form (download at the icon above) to say why you picked the fabrics and your ties to the #NoACP protest movement, and sending that description, along with the braids, to Amelia.
- Download the My Ties That Bind Story form (above).
- Gather lengths of fabric, ideally 4 to 5 feet, but short pieces from old shirts etc. tied together work fine too, at least 3 pieces to braid.
- Braid, twist, add knots, sew on special objects (bells, beads, a pocket to hold your message), write on your braid if you like. Watch the video about how to make the braids.
- Use fabric that comes from your life, that has a story, or that is linked to your pipeline resistance. Here are some examples:
- I love winter on the farm and this old scarf has seen me through some cold ones. May it help protect our land from the pipeline.
- I live in a city so the pipeline won’t be in my backyard, but I have learned how pipelines leak methane and make climate change worse, so I have brought 3 different green fabrics to show my care for the earth.
- I love hiking in the National Forest and brought some old jeans and t-shirts I used to wear hiking.
- My fabric is my son’s old childhood twin bed set. The compressor station could affect childrens’ health and increase rates of asthma so I want to protect the children.
- Perhaps you will choose something you had put away in the attic -– grandpa’s old ties or a christening gown. I used my mother’s wool scarf!
- Use a shirt pocket and add your story or message. Cut so that you will braid the arms of the long-sleeved shirt into your braid and let the pocket hang down. Or write on your fabric, or tuck ribbons with your words through the braid so they hang down like a fringe!
- You can add knots if you like. When you are finished, leave room to tie a knot at the end and leave some fabric dangling - we will put grommets (also called eyelets) in these ends so the braids can all be joined together. Individual braids will then be braided and twisted together to make a "rope" about 12" in diameter. We need a LOT of braids.
- When you are done, contact the artist and she will arrange to pick up your strands(s) and Story Forms.
- Other ideas for fabrics:
- A worn out flannel shirt
- Jeans that someone has outgrown
- A tablecloth with a stain – cut around it!
- An old baby blanket
Decorative knots
Finish off a braid with a 3-strand Matthew Walker knot. I think this is the best video - makes it seem easy. But this alternative video is good too!
Add a wall knot to finish, or for decoration in the middle:
Wall knot how-to
Join 2 braids or strands with a “bend” (the name of knots that join two ropes or strands):
Carrick Bend – is good for heavy ropes. Here's a good video too.
A Zeppelin bend (also Rosendahl bend) is a general-purpose bend knot. It is a secure, easily tied, and jam-resistant. Other bends can be simple and secure but this one is also easily untied.
