Coreopsis
Coreopsis
Coreopsis
Coreopsis
Here's a pic of some Coreopsis that is currently blooming in my front garden. I think I'll pick a bunch of it tomorrow and dye some wool with it, it gives a beautiful reddish orange color with alum mordant.
Heat Wave
It's been warm here, really warm. I turned the AC back on today, I'm so grateful we even have AC.
So I posted a picture of snow, to remind myself of January, it was really cold that day, well below zero. Thinking I'll be so glad when summer is here. Right now that snow is looking quite refreshing.
I wanted to go to the Neil Smith Wild Life Refuge this evening, but it really didn't work out, which is good since we had this land hurricane this evening. I was wanting to take pictures of the buffalo at sunset, hubby even changed his mind and said he'd go with me, but I was just too hesitant. Good thing, or we would have been driving back in one hair raisin hum dinger of a storm. We spent a good part of the evening in the basement instead.
Snow, it sure makes me miss winter, it'll be here soon enough again. Winter is my favorite time of the year need I say more.
So I posted a picture of snow, to remind myself of January, it was really cold that day, well below zero. Thinking I'll be so glad when summer is here. Right now that snow is looking quite refreshing.
I wanted to go to the Neil Smith Wild Life Refuge this evening, but it really didn't work out, which is good since we had this land hurricane this evening. I was wanting to take pictures of the buffalo at sunset, hubby even changed his mind and said he'd go with me, but I was just too hesitant. Good thing, or we would have been driving back in one hair raisin hum dinger of a storm. We spent a good part of the evening in the basement instead.
Snow, it sure makes me miss winter, it'll be here soon enough again. Winter is my favorite time of the year need I say more.
Snow
Wet Studios
Well it's not wet, or at least it'd better not be anyway! I'm really referring to my surface design studio, I've been cleaning and organizing, you can actually walk through it now w/o getting caught on something. I'll take pics tomorrow, I'll really try. It's great to have a table to work on again.
Tonight, while waiting for the severe thunderstorm to pass, I worked on a piece of fabric that I had stamped about a month ago - my wet studio is in the basement. I applied Shiva Paintstiks in Meadow Green onto the stamped fabric. The stamp color, called Bamboo, is the same olive color green as the paintstik, I'm going for a tone on tone look. Once I heat set the fabric I will wash it and then apply some more inks and dyes to the surface, it needs to be richer.
Tonight, while waiting for the severe thunderstorm to pass, I worked on a piece of fabric that I had stamped about a month ago - my wet studio is in the basement. I applied Shiva Paintstiks in Meadow Green onto the stamped fabric. The stamp color, called Bamboo, is the same olive color green as the paintstik, I'm going for a tone on tone look. Once I heat set the fabric I will wash it and then apply some more inks and dyes to the surface, it needs to be richer.
Navajo Looms
Below is a pic of a Navajo loom, or Navajo style loom. This loom was given to me by a prolic weaver named Marty. She had been out to New Mexico or Arizona and had taken a Navajo weaving class, her husband bought the plans for building the loom and presented her one made of apple.
But alas Marty loved her floor loom far more and she presented me with the Navajo loom, several years after his passing. Somewhere around here I have the dowel rods, I hope, and the shed sticks. It's not very big, about 45" tall and about 28"wide. I've woven a couple of small tapestries, also floating around here somewhere, on the loom.
I'm now in the process of building myself a much larger loom, try 7 feet tall by 5 or more feet wide. Hubby has a big oak board that's been sitting outside for awhile now that I can have for the uprights, and I have some southern yellow ash for the cross pieces. I need to find those dowel rods though! And shed sticks would be nice as well.
But alas Marty loved her floor loom far more and she presented me with the Navajo loom, several years after his passing. Somewhere around here I have the dowel rods, I hope, and the shed sticks. It's not very big, about 45" tall and about 28"wide. I've woven a couple of small tapestries, also floating around here somewhere, on the loom.
I'm now in the process of building myself a much larger loom, try 7 feet tall by 5 or more feet wide. Hubby has a big oak board that's been sitting outside for awhile now that I can have for the uprights, and I have some southern yellow ash for the cross pieces. I need to find those dowel rods though! And shed sticks would be nice as well.
Small "Navajo" loom made of Apple wood.
The Cost of Vending
I'm cancelling a vending gig this weekend, Ooooooooooo I know the big taboo, too bad!
My father was bitten by a black widow spider last night and is having complications, I'm going home instead. Family comes first over money, no matter the shown o matter the prestige, and if I'm banned because I put family first then it's their loss not mine.
My father was bitten by a black widow spider last night and is having complications, I'm going home instead. Family comes first over money, no matter the shown o matter the prestige, and if I'm banned because I put family first then it's their loss not mine.
Natural Dye Workshops
I taught a natural dye workshop this weekend, and as is typical I forgot my camera. But the class was a hit, I had six students total, and lots of passer-bys asking questions.
Cotswold Silk Noil Blend
Wooly Nap
Woolies
Here's a pic of some goodies I bought this weekend. Now I just need to dye some moss green to go with these colors. They are a Cotswold Silk Noil Blend and weigh 8 ounces each. I think this will be enough to make a knitted shawl for myself.
Constructed Postcard
Just wanted to note that the previously mentioned constructed post card fibers were dyed using only natural dyes, this includes the threads! The blue is from Indigo.
Quilt Orientation
I know you said you liked the horizontal, Teri Springer, but I'm going verticle! :-) I think you need to see it in person to see how dramatic the difference is, even hgubby likes it better verticle.
It, the quilt, is almost done waving, it had a huge wave in the bottom of it, as seen in the verticle image, from being folded. I need to get the lights out now and photograph it under proper light readings, it's no where near being done! This is just the photo document it phase where I now move onto the next step.
I was a gallery opening, a couple of years ago, where someones piece was hung upside down by accident. Everyone liked it better that way, it had soul when it was upside down.
It, the quilt, is almost done waving, it had a huge wave in the bottom of it, as seen in the verticle image, from being folded. I need to get the lights out now and photograph it under proper light readings, it's no where near being done! This is just the photo document it phase where I now move onto the next step.
I was a gallery opening, a couple of years ago, where someones piece was hung upside down by accident. Everyone liked it better that way, it had soul when it was upside down.
Silk Constructed Fabric Purse
Post Card
Swatch Constructed Fabric
Constructed Fabrics
If the picture thingy ever comes back up I'll upload pics of constructed fabrics. The Large white piece is a handbag, that I need to finish stitching and beading by hand. The lining and front are white silk dupoini.
The small white swatch is what the purse fabric looked like before the Aquabond was rinsed out.
The smallish orange piece is a constructed postcard.
The small white swatch is what the purse fabric looked like before the Aquabond was rinsed out.
The smallish orange piece is a constructed postcard.
Almost There
Are we there yet? Well three years later, yes!
Nothing like hanging a piece vertically for visual improvement. Ignore the washed out look in the verticle orientation, the true color is the horizontal piece. This only proves that I really need to drag the lights and the good camera out for this sorta thing.
I was going to do my latest work on canvas I had painted, but decided on this piece instead. I always knew it wasn't finished and just kept it out of site until now.
It's clay painted, pigment painted, and dye painted with fermented dyes. It's machine stitched and hand stitched with threads that are dyed with natural dyes.
The horizontal lines were grasses, when the quilt hung horizontally, but in reality it works better this way, waves of wind flowing across the prairie.
It'll get there, eventually
Nothing like hanging a piece vertically for visual improvement. Ignore the washed out look in the verticle orientation, the true color is the horizontal piece. This only proves that I really need to drag the lights and the good camera out for this sorta thing.
I was going to do my latest work on canvas I had painted, but decided on this piece instead. I always knew it wasn't finished and just kept it out of site until now.
It's clay painted, pigment painted, and dye painted with fermented dyes. It's machine stitched and hand stitched with threads that are dyed with natural dyes.
The horizontal lines were grasses, when the quilt hung horizontally, but in reality it works better this way, waves of wind flowing across the prairie.
It'll get there, eventually
Horizontal