Weaving Cattail Mats

After gathering and preparing the cattails in late summer remove and discard the brittle tip and the thick very end.

Weaving cattail mats.

The native americans and early settlers used the cattail fluff as stuffing for pillows and sleeping mats. Sewn cattail mats were often used as exterior coverings of wigwams. Today weavers use cattails to make a variety of additional items such as hats place mats and chair seats. A broad leaf cattail and a narrow leaf cattail.

Steps to weaving a cattail mat 1. Sep 16 2013 today i show you how to make a woven cattail mat that i am going to use for sun drying wild cherries. Native americans wove cattails into items such as mats baskets bags shoes military apparatus and toys using both finger weaving and braiding. Video featuring and produced by liz schultz.

Liz s original research a detailed study of sewn cattail mat construction and issues concerning the use of such. The catkins were also substituted for goose down in jackets and coats. When the cattail explodes to scatter its seeds there is a mass of fluffy white down that blows around in the wind. Two types of cattail grow in the u s.