Blog

Lots of rain lately. The columbines are blooming.

It's fun to plant a packet of mived color columbine seeds. These were planted last year  and the blooms are a lovely suprise.I love their color and shape.

Sunlight between storms. (Yes, the garage has seen better days.)

Muddy path

Dry land!

I've been gathering amd sorting some madder dyed silks .

Organza

Raw silk

 Woad in bloom. Simple and sweetly scented.

It looks a little weedy next to the fancy tulips, but it's just as precious to me.

I dyed some hemp silk fabrics with madder roots and indigo. This is one of my very favorite,most intersting kinds of fabric.

 This piece of hemp/silk  dyed with madder seems to echo the tulip shades.

 The madder patch is thriving

 April is the change-iest month! This is how things looked last Sunday.

Cold woad plant

Poor daffodils

Chilly scilla

T    Today the serviceberry is about to bloom.

And the daffodils are fine!

Bloodroot  ( Sanguiria canadensis)

After such a long winter, the garden in  April is a thrill!

 May apples  (Podophyllum peltatum)

The May apples begin like little umbrellas

 Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)

These trilliums will have gorgeous garnet-red blooms

Scilla

 This patch of blue began as a dozen little bulbs many years ago..

Woad (Isatis tinctoria)

Testing the germination of some woad seeds. Despite cold, wet and windy weather, so far, so good.

It's time to sort through the heaps again.....

Most of these are pieces leftover from other projects and experiments.. Some have imperfections. I was waiting to find a way to use them or fix them. I'm pretty sure I won't after all.

This one isn't so bad really.

Vintage silk pieces dyed with cochineal, weld, indigo and madder roots.

Fancy vintage Japanese silk and fresh indigo leaves.

Silk organza indigo and snow

I'm so fortunate to be able to work with color every day. Off to fill up the baskets again!

November has arrived suddenly!  It's been gorgeous - chilly and fresh, and tonight there may be a little snow. I've been rushing to plant hundreds of tulip and daffodil bulbs before it gets really cold.

There's so much to be done that I can hardly begin. One thing I have gotten done is to sort through some of the giant collections of silk scraps. Above is a little of the walnut dyed vintage silk.

Scraps of indigo dyed silk

Inspiration on the ground.

Several limbs of the beautiful old Kwanzan cherry had to be removed. The backyard is very different now.  The light is harsher and when I go outdoors I feel more exposed.

At least the hickory tree out front is still full. A pair of downy woodpeckers visited yesterday. I don't know who made this giant nest = maybe squirrels?

Some of the day's work. Handspun wool and indigo.

Every instantt here are a thousand tiny changes in the garden, the sky and the world.

It's a gift to be able to notice a few of them.  These morning glory vines have climbed up to the back porch window. I love to see these first, even before I step outside.

Brugmansia flower buds  look a bit like baby bananas

Very brief rainbow.