Five in the Nest
a blog about natural crafts and a simple life.
Now all my FREE tutorials are in one place…
Basketry & Natural Crafts
Using Rhubarb and White Clover for Basketry
Rhubarb grows very well in the Orkney Islands and as you drive around the islands in late spring and summer, you will see it growing in gardens, on the roadside and even on the cliff edge. In the little courtyard between our house and its collection of outbuildings,...
An Old Treasure and Weaving a Shoe
The discovery of an old treasure in one of our outbuildings, prompted me to realise an ambition, a couple of weeks ago. I found an old, wooden shoe last in the threshing barn, amongst a lot of other wooden bit's and pieces. It was obviously made for a child's foot,...
A Simple Life
Hello Autumn!
The changing of seasons is always a special time. Each season brings with it memories from childhood, traditions, celebrations, things that you look forward to and sometimes things that you don't. Whatever the seasons mean to you, they are such an important part of...
Slowly But Surely, Progress on Our Home and Garden
The past couple of months have sped by. We finally got the necessary planning permission to reinstate our derelict farmhouse and outbuildings into a home. With autumn and winter fast approaching, we have been trying to fit in as much work on the house and cabin as we...
Family Crafts
How To Make a T-Shirt Jersey Basket
Today, I thought that I would show you how to make a coil basket from old t-shirts, as part of my Making Hard Times Good Times project. The cost of living crisis is going to have a huge impact on families like mine, who struggle to get by at the best of times. I think...
Wren’s Ammonite Ribbon Twirler Tutorial
aWren is always interested in what I'm making. The other day, she was looking at some samples of coil work that I had made for a tutorial and started swishing one of them about, like a ribbon twirler. We both decided that it would be fun to make one with proper...
Orkney Islands
Moving On – Big Dreams and a New Island
I haven't been writing here much, over the past few months. The stress of selling our old home and finding ourselves temporarily homeless, relying once again on self-catering holiday accommodation to put a roof over our heads, has made it difficult to settle to...
A Walk to Sacquoy Head
We took a walk to Sacquoy Head, Rousay at the weekend, to celebrate our oldest daughter's birthday. Some spring warmth and sunshine returned to us, just in time and the stunning scenery made it a birthday to remember. We haven't rushed to explore every inch of Rousay,...
