The Weekend's Results

So little time....so many things to try.  But I did try some more experiments with the iron/rust dyed cloth and some garden leaves and eucalyptus.  I also used some rust dust that was in the corner of a cast iron skillet and sprinkled it on some of the squares. 

 Here they are steaming from the pot.

 Drying on the felting table

There are 12 silk and prefelt squares and 2 felted only squares.  They stayed within the color scheme of the previous group....a little Daylily here and there for a bit of purple...some green from Dandelion...and a little Ragweed. 

Lots of lovelies for the landskin quilts' extension

Complex cloth...for sure.

But these leaves on the rust are my favorite. 

A few Pictures of Natural Dyeing

Have felt pretty time pressured lately.  Grooming dogs, trying to plant and water the garden, working on finishing the studio and just doing the general errands, laundry, shopping....you know.  I did do some dyeing last weekend...here are some of the results.

These were all done with paj on the back side and then pieces of silk (various weights) and some sheer cottons on the front.  Some pieces were previously dyed with rust and turned dark with various responses from the leaves...especially the eucalyptus.  Below is one of my favorites.  The veins in the tiny leaves....and the silly dog in the corner.

Some had small sections of weaving ... a technique from Jude's cloth to cloth class...that I also like very much. 

One interesting bit I learned....well, two....

First...sometimes the backside is just as yummy as the front...

And the wool takes all the dyes (but especially the eucalyptus) deeper.

I'd really like to do more of these...but tomorrow is Sunday and I promised DH I would do a long ride with him through CT starting down in Mystic and ending almost in Mass.  I'm always torn...leaving the studio with so many ideas swimming around *and* next week will be the Guild Meeting in Vermont.  I can't believe how fast the time flies.  Can it really be 3 months since the last one?  We will be learning tips and techniques on how to blend wool...and I just *happen* to have a small drum carder that I would love to learn more about.  

Now I'm off to make an art card of nuno to trade at the meeting. 

It's Too Hot To Do Much

I've been busy... doing those summer things...riding my bike...and trying to stay cool.  Seems that working with wool doesn't have as much appeal for me during the summer.  I have made a little progress on the quilt...but not too much.  Seems that working in the garden or trying to organize the studio has been more of a priority.  It now looks like this with the studio helper:

The air conditioning has been installed and we all find it much cooler to work here...if not actually optimum 

I had to put this picture up as I really want to remember where I tried to sew...Ha!

I have been working on more natural dyeing on prefelt squares that I plan on felting together and adding to the quilt I made in India's class.  

Lots of soft colors and wonderful textures.  

Today I found out about different types of Eucalyptus...and how they react to rust dyed silk....

Wonderful!!

The Quilt Continues

Before I rushed off to NC then TN I did a little work on the quilt.  Having finished the squares I laid them out on the floor in the living room.  (The studio floor being very dusty yet....but more on that later)

The color is not good....but the idea is emerging.  The gray spaces are actually my carpet of soft teal green.  They will be filled in with felt of green with leaves both nuno and stitched.  

The glare is from the skylight shinning and try as I might I couldn't get a complete picture without it.  I've trimmed off the curly bits of the sides (thinking Jude Hill weaving with silk strips I've saved them all) and re arranged the composition again.  

It is now pinned and ready to baste.  Whew...I have my first Friday off today (I decreased the time at my Day Job to Mon thru Thur....life is short don't you know!) but have several irons in the fire.  Not the least is the Studio.  The floor has been covered again with plywood to make it more rigid, sanded and now has it's primer coat of paint.  DH has been working steadily to move it forward.  We hope to get the waterproof flooring down this long weekend.  Wish me luck.  And enjoy your 4th of July if you celebrate.

A Class with India

I have returned from my journey to Tennessee.  In a small rural town 90 miles outside of Nashville I attended a 5 day long class with India Flint. (My piece is featured on her mosaic of the class...upper left).  We learned to felt her way and dye with local plants.  She speaks so softly this tall woman with browned tattooed hands.  But she freely gives of her extensive knowledge that includes Latin names and chemical reactions.  Mostly she encourages you to find your own way while stepping softly on the earth. 

We made a simple scarf from a tube that was felted after sewing bits and bobs of silk and some cotton. 

They were dried but not dyed. 

We then made a sample piece of botanical dyed silk. She has us lay them out on the floor....they were wonderful. 

We went on a walk with a naturalist and India to discuss local flora and how to identify plants and those most likely to give colors.  Oak leaves were the primary source for the silk strips above.

The class then embroidered and sewed pieces that were dyed then felted together.  

Our dye pots were always full with everyone waiting excitedly to open their bundles.  

Many of us worked until the wee hours of the night.....arranging and piecing our landskin quilt. 

India cobbled a piece together for us to follow her process.  I think overall we did well.  

Thank you India.  It truly was an amazing experience. 

Here and There

I had a most wonderful vacation.  I drove through States I'd not seen before and arrived at Sylva North Carolina with smiles and excitement.  We had the Great Smokey Mountains off the deck and watched the sun spread it's rays through the leaves and spaces of the trees every morning. 

We had great meals, thanks to our companion, Jimmy, who likes to cook and the wonderful hospitality of the people in the small but great restaurants where we ate. 

We hiked to waterfalls and scenic views.  We even rode under a waterfall.  The wild flowers bloomed so the butterflies had places to rest and the birds sang everyday ... even in the rain.

The sun shone most of the time and when the torrential rains came we were having lunch viewing a lake and the owner encouraged us to stay until the storm passed. 

I took lots of pictures...but I have none to show. Sigh...I left my camera in a non-waterproof pocket of my jacket and when we returned after our longest ride in the rain it took it's revenge by peeing on my foot.  It hasn't been the same since.

So now I wait for a new camera ... hoping it arrives tomorrow before I leave for my next summer adventure.  My friend Diane and I will be flying to Tennessee to attend a class with India Flint.  Boy, are we excited!  Walking in the woods with India, then dyeing with our found treasures.  I'll have pictures then.  I leave you with a snap of a hydrangea ... they grew wild along the roads in NC .. but this is from my yard. 

Short Post Before I Go

I'll be leaving for vacation tomorrow... early.... very early...like before the sun gets up.  But we are headed to North Carolina and the Smokey Mountains and want to find the house before dark.  We are headed down with 2 other couples and the bikes.  We plan on riding around for several days and lazing around on the deck telling stories.  I may even drink a few glasses of wine.  I hope to sneak in some project time but not felting. I have been taking Jude Hill's class on Cloth to Cloth.  This is a What If class and my first experiments were following her simple ideas of weaving scraps of cloth into squares.  

These are mostly scraps of left over hand dyed silks with some old curtains and cross stitch fabric left overs from years ago.  

She also talked about weaving within the weave.  

After trying the scraps I went on to use silk on prefelt then did my own thing. 

The two yellow colored squares are my hand dyed paj.  The green colored squares are some polyester sheer left over from a long ago project.  I was pretty happy with the results and have several other What Ifs in my head.  

That's it for now.  I'm off to work then On Vacation.  I will be without internet (unless I find a cafe) for two whole weeks!  HA!  I'm pretty sure I'll survive but will have to catch up on everyone's blogs later.