I often ask myself how I got to where I am in my life. I certainly didn’t expect to find myself wading thigh-deep in mud and spiders cutting down plants at a botanical garden.
LOTUS
I recently had the pleasure of reading The Long Thread special issue. Check out my review here. It inspired me to contact Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden. I was introduced to Mark Sharp, the Education Programs Coordinator for the garden, who arranged for me to come out to the garden.
I spent a good amount of time reviewing the research that was available to me. Unsurprisingly, the truth is, the body of Western research about lotus textiles is very small
I’ll be sharing a video in the next week which goes more in-depth into the process of spinning the fiber. Let me just say, this has been one of the most labor-intensive fiber projects I’ve taken on.
As a fiber artist, I often find myself working with textile traditions, many of which are not my own. While I love sharing what I discover, if you are really interested in lotus textiles, please look beyond what you find here. Look into companies like Samatoa Lotus Textiles, which are working with Cambodian weavers to revive this art.