Twig Crafts

Got Twigs? Use them for building arts and crafts!

In the early days of the huge lodges built for escaping from city life in the late 1800’s, twig crafts were built by itinerant artisans who gathered wild things and crafted them into unique and treasured (and these days, valuable) furnishings.

Using natural (and free) materials in unusual ways was essential - these traveling artists worked for a meal, or a place to stay for a few days before moving on, carrying little more than a bedroll and a folding knife.

Twig furniture such as twig chairs and rustic benches, highly decorated armoires and tables, as well as light fixtures and lamps decorated the guest accommodations of western hunting cabins.

At the beginning of the 20th century in the early 1900's, it was a long lived fad to have your picture taken with a twig chair or other twig craft as a backdrop, and many wedding pictures and other family portraits from the time show this trend.

In the intervening decades, twig crafts became passé, and faded from popular fashion.

Today, the interest in producing art from nature’s bounty is growing in leaps and bounds.

There are farms which grow willows, or Salix twigs and other shrubs that thrive on coppicing for use in baskets and fencing.

Artisans are everywhere, even in and around major centers and cities.

Craft fairs and farmers markets usually have a few people making unique and different twig crafts.

Christmas trees made from twig pieces, a picture frame to display your favorite pen and ink drawing or some rustic twig stars can be exactly the right garden decor for your home.

Get rid of the ordinary planters; make some twig projects instead. During the holiday season, there are many festive decorations made from pine cones and other natural elements give even a modern home a rustic look.

During the holiday season, there are many festive decorations made from pine cones and other natural elements give even a modern home a rustic look.

Other awesome crafts are twig wreaths, like maybe a starburst twig wreath made from birch twigs - add a little bit of color with beads or fake flowers attached with the help of a hot glue gun.

Get out there on a nature walk and pick up some thinner twigs and thicker branches to make your own decorations. There are so many interesting ways to make different designs for your living room.

A good project idea can occur to you at any time; having a great supply of twigs on hand is the perfect way to have as much fun as possible.

Native aboriginal people have re-learned some of the old ways, and produce incredible native art - this link opens in a new window - enjoy!

Some of the twig crafts you can make yourself with only a few simple twig craft techniques are twig obelisks, a twig ball or two and twig tuteurs as well as many other simple and useful crafts such as willow baskets.

Fruit wood twigs can be made into fruit wood tool handles and hair sticks, Amelanchier twigs into spectacular and unique twig walking sticks - keep your eyes open for twigs to use in your next twig craft.

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Want some more inspiration?  Check out the video;

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