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I found these old shoes this morning....over 12 years old.  Since I was going to paint I needed something comfy but I wouldn't mind if they got paint on them.  Unfortunately where the sole meet the top at the stitching it gave way and pretty soon my toes were hanging out the end.  So what is a girl's best friend (besides fiber, I mean)

It worked, too!  I could call these my 'PreFelt' shoes as they were used in the studio before felting began.  Sorry, I just couldn't resist.  Oh, there I go again.  

I'm going to whine a bit now.  It was absolutely stunning outside today....the sun, the breeze, the temp..I only took a lunch break and a short walk with the dogs. 

These are cinnamon ferns on the edge of the swamp.  I also noticed lots of these. 

Can it be possible?  It is only August....well, almost September.  When I woke up this morning it was 47degreesF outside! The Season's Change is upon us.  I love the colors of Fall.  It inspired me to try a little experiment....Felt background and a little color on the top. 

I have several ideas as to where this can go and I leave tomorrow for a Felting Retreat in New York.  I'll be back in a week.  But...I'll be taking the camera and the computer...so I may have some pictures from the project.

Now, I'm off for a dose of ibuprofen after all that painting of the ceiling ooooooohhh, my neck.  I may have to have a glass (or two) of wine to relax those painting shoulders.

Still Stuck in the Dye Pot

I returned from Vermont with Diane after a wonderful trip to attend the Guild's Meeting.  Jennifer Hoag of Northeast Fiber Arts Center gave our workshop.   If you want to see much better pictures and a synopsis of our trip skip over to Diane's blog.  She did a great job.

We had a wonderful time and returned safely.  We went for a walk and picked several different leaves and a few berries.  I put the berries and flowers into the freezer and let the leaves sit over the week.   

Yesterday I started 5 pots for dyeing.

One to soak silk in alum.

One to soak silk in tin (pot).

One to simmer wrapped sticks and a wrapped iron pipe (courtesy of Diane's Dad, Dean).

One to soak rhododendrons in water.

And One refurbished indigo vat. 

  This vat was the same I used in February.  It had sat in the basement, undisturbed for 6 months.  I checked the pH which was 10 and when I added more indigo crystals and thiox it's smell was definitely of fermentation.  

Results...oh, yes, the results. 

This was a piece of brown silk I dyed that would wash out with felting leaving a pale beige.  Even if the brown washes out now (which it didn't with soap and hot water in the indigo final rinse) I'm sure it will be a lovely blue.  

The wrapped pieces came out of the dye pot and sat on the deck to cool. 

The pipe wrapping gave this wonderful grey and orange piece. 

 

Sumac buds gave me this lovely pink.  Next it needs to be light and wash tested....but I'm letting it cure right now.  Sumac leaves make lovely marks, too.  I have hopes for sumac...it grows wild and in abundance here. 

Onion skins with St John's wort, daylilies and sumac leaves gave me this.  The actual color is really more orange than peach. 

While the Rhododendron leaves have simmered for about 3 hours.  The liquid has been divided in half and part placed in a tin pot and the other with the alum and tannin soaked silks.  These were simmered for a while and now are left to cool overnight.  

Tomorrow is the Brit Jam...a motorcycle show and we plan on riding most of the day through Southern Connecticut.  I won't be able to rinse my silks until later Sunday evening. 

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.