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- Apr 14, 2006
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A little while ago, I posted a picture of part of a branch of a Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) showing the thorns.
I mentioned that among other things, the thorn could be used as a needle for emergency sewing repairs. The more
I thought about it, the more I realized that for some people the information goes in one eye and out the other (????).
In other words, unless they see the application in person, so to speak, it doesn't remain with them. So, I decided to
do a step by step.
In this first picture, you can see the split in the thorn because another thorn is holding the split open. In practice,
you split the thorn up from the base (the wider end) to the point about 1/2 to 1/3 of the way.
In order to 'thread' this 'needle', you hold the split apart and insert the fibre, in this case some Indian Hemp
(Apocynum cannibinum) fibre. I didn't refine the fibres as I felt a better visual was presented this way. Note that
this is a lot easier to thread than the eye of a conventional needle, especially for us older guys.
In this picture you see the needle and thread part of the way through some material. The thing that keeps the
fibre from coming out of the thorn is that, first of all, because of the taper of the thorn, as the thorn is forced
through the material, the material squeezes the thorn together, trapping the fibre. Secondly, you squeeze the
two halves together as you push the thorn through with your fingers, as well.
In this picture, the needle is almost all the way through showing that the fibre came through with the thorn.
In this picture, 1 stitch, or 1/2 a stitch, depending how you look at it.
At this point, I switched to some darker material, thinking that the fibre would show up better. You can see
the rip opened up (darn Buck 271). If this happened in some crucial winter gear, and perhaps was quite a bit
bigger, or some buttons came off, preventing you from closing up your parka, etc., this could possibly be life
threatening in a very cold environment, thus the importance of learning this technique.
And here is the repair. Note that this is not supposed to be a how-to on proper sewing techniques but rather
to show the capability of the thorn and fibre.
So, I hope this is clear. If you have any questions feel free. BTW, you will notice the tip of the needle was a
little blunt. I didn't notice this at first, so since it presented a bit of a problem, I made the hole through the
fabric, with a more intact thorn first, then ran the 'needle' through. This is not always necessary, but will work
if needed.
Oh, and by the way, while I'm on the topic of Hawthorn thorns, here is the business end of a little fish gaff
that I made with Hawthorn and Teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) as the main stalk. I have never tried it out, but
see no reason it would not work on small fish.
Anyway, thanks for looking,
Doc
I mentioned that among other things, the thorn could be used as a needle for emergency sewing repairs. The more
I thought about it, the more I realized that for some people the information goes in one eye and out the other (????).
In other words, unless they see the application in person, so to speak, it doesn't remain with them. So, I decided to
do a step by step.
In this first picture, you can see the split in the thorn because another thorn is holding the split open. In practice,
you split the thorn up from the base (the wider end) to the point about 1/2 to 1/3 of the way.
In order to 'thread' this 'needle', you hold the split apart and insert the fibre, in this case some Indian Hemp
(Apocynum cannibinum) fibre. I didn't refine the fibres as I felt a better visual was presented this way. Note that
this is a lot easier to thread than the eye of a conventional needle, especially for us older guys.
In this picture you see the needle and thread part of the way through some material. The thing that keeps the
fibre from coming out of the thorn is that, first of all, because of the taper of the thorn, as the thorn is forced
through the material, the material squeezes the thorn together, trapping the fibre. Secondly, you squeeze the
two halves together as you push the thorn through with your fingers, as well.
In this picture, the needle is almost all the way through showing that the fibre came through with the thorn.
In this picture, 1 stitch, or 1/2 a stitch, depending how you look at it.
At this point, I switched to some darker material, thinking that the fibre would show up better. You can see
the rip opened up (darn Buck 271). If this happened in some crucial winter gear, and perhaps was quite a bit
bigger, or some buttons came off, preventing you from closing up your parka, etc., this could possibly be life
threatening in a very cold environment, thus the importance of learning this technique.
And here is the repair. Note that this is not supposed to be a how-to on proper sewing techniques but rather
to show the capability of the thorn and fibre.
So, I hope this is clear. If you have any questions feel free. BTW, you will notice the tip of the needle was a
little blunt. I didn't notice this at first, so since it presented a bit of a problem, I made the hole through the
fabric, with a more intact thorn first, then ran the 'needle' through. This is not always necessary, but will work
if needed.
Oh, and by the way, while I'm on the topic of Hawthorn thorns, here is the business end of a little fish gaff
that I made with Hawthorn and Teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) as the main stalk. I have never tried it out, but
see no reason it would not work on small fish.
Anyway, thanks for looking,
Doc
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