Christen Jo Stone, of Weeds & Reeds, handcrafts functional and decorative pieces from materials sourced in the beautiful Yarra Valley

Nature provides an abundance of materials which are both beautiful in their natural environment and can also be transformed into an infinite variety of delightful creations when they may otherwise appear to have finished their useful life.

They become lasting mementos of this amazing region.

She has a passion for collecting these fibrous materials that others may consider waste or environmental weeds, from gardens, plantations and public land that needs a clean up, and produces ‘one off’ items, a response to the materials available at the time.

Techniques include weaving, plaiting, spinning, knotting, knitting, crochet, stitching, as well as paper making and dying, all with natural materials from the environment.

Examples of materials used include:

From Gardens: Pine needles, Jonquil Leaves, Palm Inflorescence flower spikes, Bark, Red Hot Poker Leaves, Iris, Jacaranda leaf stalks, Philodendron, NZ Flax, Lavender, Kangaroo Paw, Flax Lily, Grasses, Palm leaves, Jasmine, Corn, Wisteria, Yukka, Clematis, Eucalypts, Gymea Lily, Sedges, Daylilly, Dracena, Wattle, Sheoak. Paperbark, Sweetgrass

From Plantations: Olive Branches, Lavender, Fruit Tree Branches, Vines,

Environmental Weeds: Watsonia, Montbretia, Honeysuckle, Arum Lily stems, Ivy, Chasmanthe, Tortured Willow, Pussy Willow, Cumbungi (Bullrush),

Grasses, Rocks

Preparation of the material includes collecting, drying and storing until needed, sometimes splitting or shredding, usually having to be dampened again before use. Some may be dyed and oiled also.

Paper is made from plants and recycled stock to incorporate into designs that are woven, or to be made into Stationery Items.

Also Recycled materials used might include plastics such as bread bags, string, plastic tubing, electricity wires, fabric, wool, loose fibres, rubber, wood, metals, cardboard and paper.

So next time you see someone loading up their boot with dead Arum Lilies, you won’t have to wonder why, it could just be Jo harvesting another beautiful crop.