Can I use old lomandra for cordage ?

[Aussie123]

I had a bunch of lomandra which I has collected and split several years ago.
(I'm cleaning up the shed ... a bit)

I tried to twist some leaves, but they broke fairly readily

So I soaked the bunch for a couple of hours .... then I was able to twist them to make cordage.
Nice !

 

[Chigger]

Freely admit I know zilch about making cordage but the example shown looks good.

 

[Le Loup]

I had a bunch of lomandra which I has collected and split several years ago.
(I'm cleaning up the shed ... a bit)
View attachment 28895
I tried to twist some leaves, but they broke fairly readily

So I soaked the bunch for a couple of hours .... then I was able to twist them to make cordage.
Nice !
View attachment 28896

Looks good Aussie, well done. I have never used Lomandra (Basket Grass), but I suspect it may be better corded & actually used for basket making rather than using as a cordage, but I don't know. I was wondering how it would perform once dry.
Keith.

 

[Wentworth]

Nice one Aussie.
I'll have to give it a go. In the past lomandra fibres had always seemed too brittle to twist into cord. Maybe soaking is the answer.

 

[Aussie123]

The leaves were split, dried, then soaked.
Splitting is an essential step.

I've seen people scraping the leaves to extract the fibers, but I've never had much success doing that.