Mad about Madder Root e-Class

Available June 1st, 2011 a self directed e-Class dedicated to dyeing with Madder Root. Cost $30 USD





In this class students will learn how to use a traditional madder root vat to create a range of colors on silk and wool fabrics, ranging from deep scarlet to brilliant orange and everything in between. This class is self directed which allows students to work at their own pace.

Membership at the Natural Surface "IS" required and pre-payment is required before accessing class information.

Class will formally open June 1st, 2011 (12:00am CST that's Iowa)

Mad About Madder Root e-Class

Available June 1st, 2011 a self directed e-Class dedicated to dyeing with Madder Root. Cost $30 USD

In this class students will learn how to use a traditional madder root vat to create a range of colors on silk and wool fabrics, ranging from deep scarlet to brilliant orange and everything in between. This class is self directed which allows students to work at their own pace.

Membership at the Natural Surface "IS" required and pre-payment is required before accessing class information.  Class will formally open June 1st, 2011 (12:00am CST that's Iowa)








Front Porch

All I have to do now is wash the porch and the furniture later this evening, sometime this summer the ceiling will be scraped, sanded, and then painted sky blue.  Then I'll paint the south facing wall, the wall with the oval window, Copper Pot (Sherwin Williams) and then finally the porch floor. I'll paint the columns a ruby red color and the porch rails, after they are repaired, will be various shades of sage green.

It all sounds weird I know but when all is said and done the house will be about 16 different colors, it already has 12 colors on it, and will look like classic Painted Lady.

Porch Clean Up

We spent some time cleaning the front porch this afternoon and now it looks pretty nice, well as nice as a 105 year old porch can look.  John hung my cupboard out there, an old primitive I've had hanging out, and then we put a table under it so now I have a potting table and a place to put pots.  I planted some smaller pots with marigolds, will have to purchase more marigold seeds, and will plant some petunia's tomorrow.  Pictures coming soon.

To Thine Own Self Be True

And I haven't been.  Last year I was approached by a big publishing house to write a book about natural dyeing.  They laid out what they wanted and as much as I try I just cannot produce a book for their formula. 

Don't get me wrong their formula is most excellent, it's just not me and when it comes to dyeing fabric, fibers, and yarns I put a ton of me into the work.  I guess that's the epiphany when writing a book about dyeing with natural dyes I'm writing about me and if you were to ask me what IS wrong with my first three books is they exclude me! 

The end result was I quit producing, I floundered, I quit producing cloth, finished works, and I quite writing about what I was doing.  Why I felt shame and guilt about this is beyond me, it was after all their formula and they didn't want to know about me they wanted me to fit into their forumla.

So with that in mind the books, the DVD's, etc. will soon change and you will be seeing less mind numbing instruction and a whole lot more of "me".  It's the effort of shutting out the other voices that tell you who you are and what you should be, that is the hard part.  I've come to the conclusion that those who insist, no demand, on telling you who you are and what you should be really don't care two whits about who/what you are or will be.

Coming soon, "the real me", get ready world because here I come!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Lost and Found???

Or simply neglected?  I found this piece hiding in a corner, I started it back around 2004ish and it went AWOL.  This is what happens when you dig into the deep recesses of your studio closet, goodies are to be had back there, oh and spiders.

Silk crinkle crepe top fabric, wool batting, cotton backing.
Natural Dyed with Cochineal and then compost dyed as an overdye.
36 x 60 inches, an approximation.
Soon to be machine stitched.