How to make needle and thread from the Agave americana plant

Forgot your sewing kit and need to make an emergency gear repair in the wild?

Look around you. If you’re in Arizona, Texas or somewhere the Agave americana (aka century plant) grows, you’re in luck.

As Eagle Scout Creek Stewart, host of Fat Guys in the Woods on The Weather Channel, explains in the video below, you can extract a needle and thread from the leaves of the plant.

Of course, Leave No Trace principles would tell us not to go around tearing leaves off plants. But in an emergency situation, your survival should be first priority.

If you need to say goodbye to that tear in your tent or hole in your backpack, say hello to the Agave americana plant. 


About Bryan Wendell 3281 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.