What am I going to do with this??

 I had a lovely day with a  couple of friends earlier this week. We did some eco-dyeing. 

I didn't really have an idea that I desperately wanted to do. So I took along some silk and cotton - no synthetics for me! I did take some foliage but it didn't make much of a difference to what we ended up with. 

On our arrival, our host had prepared two pots that were already boiling. We wrapped our fabrics in various ways and put them in the pot. 

  

One pot was eucalyptus-based and the other was also, but, somehow, some iron got into the vat! So we ended up with quite lovely greys from that pot. The other pot gave us some beautiful browns - golden browns.

As I hadn't done any natural dyeing lately, apart from my experiment with the hollyhocks, I didn't have any particular expectations. 

Now I have some lovely fabrics that seem to want to go together - the darker fabrics from the pot with the iron (and eucalyptus) have a slight purple sheen, especially when in the sunshine. 

i now have a small, collection of fabrics that I will have to wait for some inspiration about how to use them.

We had fun though and I can feel a developing interest in more eco-dyeing growing. 

This is the fabrics that I have from the iron pot and the hollyhock dyeing. I will do something with them one day in the not-too-distant future. 

Another Month!! Time is definitely flying!!

It is almost a month since my last post. Not a lot has happened  but I have found some old works to put into a show called the Art of Again. It is about recycling and using that in our art. 

I have not made new pieces, I have used ones that I have made previously but that I think will fit the bill - they use scraps of fabric to make something new. 

The exhibition will be at Strathdon House, 449-465 Springvale Rd, Forest Hill. 

I'm not certain of the open days, it may only be Thursday to Sunday and be for two weeks. I don't have to help with sitting in the exhibition so I am not certain of the times. But I will definitely visit it. 

I am not sure that there will be room for all that I have put in so I'll have to wait and see. 

I have done my horse fabric collage, my Making Waves one and a couple of small experimental pieces as well as my Ro Bruhn fabric book that I recently finished.  (I just looked it up and when I did the workshop, it was 2021!! I have worked on it recently to complete the book.)

I could only find a picture of it in progress - but it gives you the idea. The sky is made using an old blouse of mine that has been used in other works too. 

By the way - it is 22/3/25. My inspiration for posting today!

Well, time is flying!!

 I was reminded that today is 25/2/25. I looked at my last post and it was early January! 

I have been doing some textile stuff, obviously not enough to inspire me to post. 

However ...  I went to the Handspinners and Weavers Guild today and gave them our Witch tapestry. It was done over a period of time that coincided with Covid lockdowns but we somehow managed to get it to enough people to finish it. The guild has recently had an exhibition up of works from their collection. It inspired me to contact the people who participated in the challenge. We have been wondering what to do with our group piece - no-one was especially keen to have it to themselves, so I proposed giving it to the guild for their collection. They accepted!! The guild accepted! Very pleasing. 

On another note, I am currently trying to finish a fabric book that I started in a workshop with Ro Bruhn. It has been lying in a box for a while (since 2021). I am trying, very slowly, to downsize and get rid of bits and pieces - it is very hard!! The Alcove Art shop is going to take part in an exhibition that is about repurposing textiles and this seemed like a great way to progress. I can, hopefully, finish the book and have something in the exhibition. 

So I am going through some old experiments and am trying to put them together to go in the book. It is satisfying, in one way, but also makes me see that I have a lot of stuff that I should/could get rid of.

I am also continuing to go to the small group that meets fortnightly to do some paper collage. I am trying to keep up but am finding my inspiration is not that high at the moment. 

I am also trying to do some more Zentangle/doodling and took a photo recently in the hopes that it will inspire me! It was of the sun shining through glass bricks - I was at the dental specialist so was happy to see something good to distract me!! (Nothing to worry about, at the moment, with the teeth!)

I almost forgot!

A week or so ago, I just had to do some eco-dyeing - our hollyhocks have been flowering and dropping beautifully dark flowers. I collected them over a couple of weeks and put them in the freezer. Some were left to dry and then put in the freezer. It wasn't intentional to let them dry, it just happened with the very warm days. 

I used India Flint's book - ECO DYEING - especially her bit about freezing the organic material because it gives good colour. 

I actually had some flowers in the freezer from last summer, possibly the one previous too. 

I decided to use some bits of silk that I have had in the cupboard, some scraps and some complete scarves. I used vinegar as my mordant. 

Following the instructions (which I can do sometimes) I made a dye bath.                                                       

I put the fabric in and got some pale pink results. I had put the flowers into an old pair of pantyhose. 

I squeezed the colour out as much as I could. When I had finished with it, I put it aside. It still had colour in the flowers, which surprised me. 

I put the fabric in the dye bath and left it for a day or so. 

When I took it out it was pink but not very strongly coloured. 

However, I had noticed that the flowers still had colour and I didn't want to waste it - so I found some scraps of various types of silk and did a contact dye, rolling the fabrics over the flowers. 

The results were quite different - some were the same pale  pink, others took the colour really strongly! The best piece is an old chemise that was no longer wearable. It was already a brown silk so that must have affected the dye. Now to decide what to do with these pieces. 

There was still a little bit of colour in the dyebath and I couldn't resist seeing if I could get some more colour from it. I had a rather large square scarf and put it in the jar. Then I put it in the glasshouse to keep it warm. Then I forgot about it!

I was reminded today that I had left the scarf soaking in the leftover dye from the hollyhock dyeing. It had been in the glasshouse that has no plants in it at the moment as it gets too hot at this time of the year.

It is going to be very hot in the next few days, so it was good to get it out this evening. 

If I had wanted a grey scarf with some random brown stains, I would say it was a success! 

However, that was not the aim, so I might try some overdyeing. 

I walked the dog a couple of days ago in a park I haven't visited for ages. The eucalyptus trees are throwing off their bark in the summer. I used to collect it when I walked there with our previous dog. The bark can give some gorgeous colours. Eucalyptus leaves also give great colours. AND they don't need mordant! So I might give it a go in the coming days - if I can be bothered going out in the heat to collect the bark and leaves. 

January 2025

 Well, I meant to do a post yesterday, it being 24/1/25 but I didn't. So now I am doing one on 25/1/25. 

I have been working on a small tapestry for a while now. Didn't do any for 5 days last week!! 

Have done a bit more today - now I have an iffy back - I will try to exercise a bit more tomorrow. 

I thought I would be ok with this part of the tapestry but, somehow, I have managed to make this section a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. Not to worry, I will keep working on it. My image allows for some 'creative interpretation' and I am taking advantage of it. 

It is forecast to be 42 degrees on Monday so I anticipate a day at home! Here's hoping I have the energy to do some more weaving. 

2025 already!!

 It's already a week into the new year!! 

We have been having some very hot days plus cooler but still quite warm days - perfect for staying indoors and trying to be creative - which can be very trying!

I am currently working on a small tapestry for the theme The Secret Garden. I have an image that I am using as my inspiration. 

I have cropped it to the 20cm x 20cm size. Then I traced it to be the cartoon. 

This wasn't a great help, especially as I decided to us some green warp that I had the not-so-bright idea of using. It is extremely hard to see the markings. 

I got quite lost in some spots, especially when trying to put in the gate. So now I have yet another cartoon with some colouring-in. 

Also, I am doing is sideways as I thought it would be easier to do the fenceposts straight. It is certainly occupying my mind! No other thoughts come in while I am working on this. 

As I currently have a bit of a sore back, sitting for too long causes delayed discomfort, so I am trying to do little bursts of weaving. 

I am also trying to use stuff that I already have - no buying more yarn at the moment. And ... I am using up a little bit of the novelty yarns I have. I know a couple of people who will hate that I am using it but I like it - it is giving me texture and hiding mistakes! But differentiating between all the different parts of the wisteria is a bit of a challenge. 

Who needs doodling/Zentangle??

Being inspired by random things

 I have recently joined a Zentangle group on Facebook. It is interesting to see what is uploaded - a lot of it is very artistic and beautiful. But there is not a lot of just doing it for relaxation, as I tend to do it (I was going to say 'use it' but that is a bit different, I think). 

There are people there who are just beginning and they are trying to make great art almost from the beginning, It is not how I see Zentangle - which I also call doodling. And I see so much indigenous art that uses the same sort of patterns and techniques that I get a bit annoyed about people trying to claim that they are inventing the patterns - not that that is happening on the group I have joined. Although, some people ask what pattern have you used, suggesting that patterns have a name, and that implies, to me, that some people are claiming the invention of particular designs. 

However, that is not what I was going to post about: I was going to say that I am finding inspiration (or even simple enjoyment) from finding possible designs as I am walking around. 

Today I was walking the dog and walked under an oak tree that juts out over the little laneway that I was using. I looked straight up and was inspired by the patterns of the branches. I may never do a design based exactly on the photos I took but it was very relaxing and pleasant to see. 

I have also discovered some sites about neurograhpica drawings - I think they are to help you meditate or deal with issues that are on your mind at the time. I haven't really got into it yet so am not sure. But it is quite interesting to see. Some of it is quite uncontrolled at first - you use a round object and push it around the paper with you pen, thus not being able to completely control it. Then you draw other lines and go from there.That's my very detailed and knowledgable take on it at the moment. It also has colour, which I tend not to use in my doodling (although a lot of the people on the Facebook group do).