Erek Vaehne has been exploring the textile options for islanders. Clearly, salvaging fabric from shipwrecks was never going to provide enough material to keep everyone comfortable and decent. So, where does cloth come from on the island?

Erek suggests stinging nettles (which are native to Maine) as a possibility.

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STINGING NETTLES:  The stinging nettle is a plant that most children avoid at all costs because brushing up against the underside of the leaves causes a nasty rash. However, the fabric made from stinging nettles is perfectly safe to wear and has similar advantages to hemp without hemp’s associated legal issues. Despite its protective armored exterior, the fibers inside a stinging nettle plant are surprisingly ideal for textile production. The fibers are pliable and a good length to be spun into yarn. The final woven fabric is similar to linen but much stronger. Its strength even increases when wet, making it ideal for more structured garments. It blends nicely with other fibers, which can help to add softness and increase longevity when needed. Kenya-based Green Nettle Textiles was a winner of the 2019 Global Change Award sponsored by the H&M Foundation. Stinging nettles are easy to grow and conserve biodiversity, maintain mountain slopes and provide habitat for insects and animals. Green Nettle’s product range supports plans to offer work for more than 200,000 small farmers across Kenya.”

Nettle textiles were primarily the work of orphanage children back when Reverend Witherspoon was in charge. He firmly believed that the soul benefited when the flesh suffered, so sending small, unhappy children out to pick nettles suited his purposes well. 

However, over the years it became apparent that members of the Chevin family often develop immunity to nettles over time. This has led to the Chevins taking on the fabrication of nettle fabric. So far, the Hopeless, Maine Scientific Society has come to no definite conclusion about what else Chevins may be naturally immune to. While not considered to be the wisest of families, there have been no volunteers for poison testing at this time.