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The Nettle Dress
Over the course of seven years Allan Brown makes a dress by hand from foraged
nettles. In the process, as he experiences the loss of two loved ones, he weaves
his love into the fabric that he is creating. He spends seven summers harvesting
the nettle and seven winters spinning it into fabric to make a dress for his
daughter. The thread he creates carries his grief and his love, so that the
cloth represents all of the love he has put into it. The nettles are free,
foragable and renewable. As Allan transforms the nettles he himself is
transformed by the healing power of nature and slow crafting.
