A loose coil of dried iris leaves in pale peach and straw, flat ribbon-like blades looping over one another with a single blade folded into a sharp angle at the centre.
  • A close view of the leaf blades, long and flat in graded ambers and olive green, their tips curling and splitting.
  • The leaves cut into short lengths and scattered loosely, their flat blades ranging from coral through to pale green.

Siberian iris (Iris siberica) has grass-like foliage with upright, yellow-green, narrow, fairly rigid, blade-shaped leaves. The leaves were harvested in Western North Carolina during late summer/early fall and then dried.

Composition

Siberian iris leaf

Handling Notes

  • Leaves can be used to create pulp for papermaking
  • Harvest them in late summer when fully developed for maximum fiber content
  • After retting, soften the leaves and beat them into pulp for textured sheets
  • Soak dried leaves in warm water for basketry, weaving, and coiling

Applications in Craft

Keywords

Provenance

Alyssa Sacora, The Patchwork Underground, Fairview, North Carolina. Acquired 2024.

In Use

Have you used this material?

Please contact Mellanee Goodman, Program Director, Curator, and Materials Specialist, to start a conversation about submitting your work for inclusion on this site.

mgoodman@centerforcraft.org