The Windmill Knot: Traditional Techniques, Experimental Materials Research, and New Perspectives for Waste Materials
As part of SYMCRAFT, the IAGF spoke with textile designer Magdalena Orland about her work, her creative use of materials, and her summer course, “The Windmill Knot,” at the Textile Center in Haslach.
The conversation focused on a textile technique that appears simple at first glance but, upon closer inspection, reveals great creative and material potential: the windmill knot. In her artistic and design practice, Magdalena Orland focuses intensively on traditional handicraft techniques, experimental material research, and their contemporary development.
Her training began at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Schneeberg at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau, where the focus was on craft techniques such as weaving, dyeing, embroidery, and even bobbin lace-making. She then deepened her experimental and conceptual approach while pursuing a master’s degree in Conceptual Textile Design at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle. It is precisely this combination of artisanal precision and free experimentation that continues to shape her work to this day.
“My work is definitely based on experimenting with materials and exploring traditional techniques, which I find absolutely fascinating and enjoy learning—but I also like to take them a step further,” Orland says, describing her approach.
A technology with many possibilities
Magdalena Orland first became aware of the windmill knot as part of a project on natural materials and braiding techniques. What particularly appealed to her was that there is relatively little documented knowledge about this technique, hardly any instructions, and very little historical information. That was precisely where she saw her starting point: to explore and understand the technique and then develop it further creatively.
The windmill knot differs from traditional weaving techniques in that the material is not simply woven together, but rather formed into larger loops, which are then connected to one another. This creates multi-layered, stable structures. These can be used as flat surfaces, but can also be developed into three-dimensional forms—such as baskets, vessels, or experimental material samples.
The course is therefore not just about creating a finished object. Rather, the focus is on exploring the technique in a playful way: How does the material behave? What shapes emerge? Where can surfaces be joined or developed further in three dimensions?
Waste Materials as a Starting Point for Design
The choice of materials is particularly relevant to SYMCRAFT. Flat strips that are flexible yet sturdy enough to hold the structure in place are ideal for the windmill knot. In addition to paper strips, webbing, or thin leather straps, you can also use leftover packaging materials, Tetra Pak strips, or plastic strapping.
According to Orland, it is precisely these strapping bands—which often end up as packaging waste—that offer great potential. They are sturdy and durable, and can be transformed into robust baskets or other containers using the windmill knot technique. This allows a material that would otherwise be discarded to be repurposed for a new use.
During the conversation, Orland emphasized that the design process changes when an existing scrap material is used rather than a deliberately selected new material. In this case, the material itself dictates new possibilities:
“But as soon as I take a piece of material that happens to fall into my hands—perhaps because it’s trash, or because I didn’t actively seek it out but simply had it handed to me—then the material itself becomes the protagonist, as it were, and tells me, ‘Here’s what I bring to the table, and now you can try out what to do with me.’”
In doing so, she describes an approach that is also central to SYMCRAFT: Residual materials are not merely viewed as waste, but as a starting point for new products, new forms of collaboration, and new value chains.
Relation to SYMCRAFT
SYMCRAFT explores how industrial waste materials can be repurposed through collaboration between industry, the skilled trades, and creative professionals. The Windmill Knot serves as an example of how traditional craftsmanship, an understanding of materials, and experimental design can work together.
The course highlights that the circular economy is not merely a technical or organizational challenge. It also requires people who closely observe materials, understand their properties, and are willing to develop new applications. It is precisely through the interplay of craftsmanship, design, and experimentation with materials that practical approaches can emerge, transforming industrial waste into new products or objects.
Class at the Haslach Textile Center
The workshop “The Windmill Knot—An Experimental Exploration of the Technique & Creating Your Own Baskets” will take place from Monday, July 20, through Friday, July 24, 2026, at the Textile Center in Haslach. It is open to anyone aged 14 and older. No prior experience is required; however, a love of working with your hands and a little patience are helpful.
To begin with, participants will explore the techniques of the windmill knot using strips of paper in various colors. Next, they will be shown ways to further develop these shapes and connect them in three dimensions. Participants can aim to create their own basket or develop various shapes and samples for their own projects.
The course is part of the 2026 Haslach Summer Symposium on Textile Culture, themed “Rethinking Textile Waste.”
For more information and to register:
https://www.textilkurse.at/der-windmuehlenknoten/