A loose tangle of tulip poplar inner bark in pale apricot, flat ribbons looping over one another with fine threads splitting from their edges.
  • A single loop of the fibre lying alone, a thin pale ribbon twisted into a small open circle.
  • A longer length coiled loosely, its flat golden ribbons splitting into fine threads at the cut ends.

These tulip poplar fiber (Liriodendron tulipifera) saplings were harvested in Western North Carolina in June 2023. The saplings were submerged in water to ferment. The outer bark was cleaned off, and the inner bark was removed from the wood. After fermentation, the tulip poplar was rinsed and dried.

Composition

Tulip poplar wood

Handling Notes

  • Tulip poplar is often used to make pulp for papermaking
  • Its sapling bark is softer and more pliable than the inner bark of a mature tree

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