Bindweed and binding

I never thought I would appreciate having so much bindweed in my garden! It's long flexible stems proved such an exciting element to play with. 

I started by removing the side shoots and leaves and twisting the main stems around a tube and kept in a poly bag for a couple of days to set a regular spiraling effect in the stems. 

Then I used them to make rings, wrapped around my fingers and left to dry. Others I wrapped around previously made bindweed rings and started to make a construction that grew and grew as the rings were linked together in different ways - a sort of playful 'sample'.

Other rings were stitched into open weave scrim, forming outlines to holes as the weave was pulled apart - forming a sort of lacy structure, echoing part of a garden drawing beneath.