Tuesday 12 April 2011

Thatching with Heather







8 comments:

The Cranky Crone, she lives alone! said...

Very interesting, I hoped you would post some pictures of the process.

Im wondering if the heather will soak up rain?

Look forward to seeing the finished project.

Caio Fern said...

lovely lovely post !!
and lots of hard work too !!!

Valerianna said...

That's so cool! I wish I could do a thatch roof on my new studio, but, alas, doesn't work here in New England!

Jasmine said...

Hi Cranky. Thhank you. Heather thatch is a traditional thatching method from the Scotish Islands. The thatch is suppused to be very good quality and if done properly will last 100 years as opposed to the usual 20 years of a staw thatch. It may soak up the rain as if thatched for roof quality of a residence it would be very thick and needstone walls like those on a traditional country cottage to support the weight. On the gazebo however it is purely aesthetic as the roof has already been felted. I will post more pictures as the project progresses and explain the method so others can do this too. It is very time consuming though and unkind on the hands. It may take me a few weeks to finish x

Caio - Thank you dear. Yes, very hard work! Hugs.

Valerianna - I am lucky here as gorse grows everywhere so i am able to collect in abundance without damaging the heather or upsetting habitats of wildlife. I only collect a little from each bush and area so as not to be too greedy and upset the wildlife. Has got me wondering what else I could use as thatch. Saw a lovely weblink using willow staffs (not living) and a bullrush thatch. We have lots of wild grasses here that dye back each autumn. . .

Martine said...

this is so interesting Jasmine. Never saw a thatched roof before. Yes please show pics as the work goes on.............
XXXm

Ruthie Redden said...

Hello treasure, eek i cant believe it is so long since i stopped by your blog!! Lots of catching up to do. Your Aunts gasebo is going to look stunning with its new heather thatch.x There is something so rewarding about gathering & using natures materials isn't there. Whenever we are out walking and i see bunches of sheepswool caught here & there it reminds me of you ;-) x x ps: i ahve worn my beautiful scarf lots this winter and loved it sooo much.

Jasmine said...

Hello Martine. Thank you. I hope you are well? xxx

Hi Ruthie. Don't worry about it. I've been a terrible blogger these past months. I'm just getting back into the swing of it and catching up on blogs now. I'm glad you liked the scarf. I had you in mind when I made it with the gypsy like curls. Yes, I love being able to use natures harvest, today i have been pickling alexanders buds :) xxx

Anonymous said...

so cool! :)