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I had a chance to do some fresh-leaf indigo dyeing yesterday. Sadly, my camera is misbehaving and I couldn't take pictures of the whole process. 

I don't know any other way to get these colors without fresh indigo leaves

It's a real summer treat!

Selenicereus grandiflorus

After several years, the selenicereus plant has bloomed!.

The buds are quite interesting.  They start out as a fuzzy white spot on the stem, then grow to look like a rabbits' foot.

 The flower bud pushes through the fuzz and elongates. To the immature mind, this can be a great source of silly laughter...:)

A little more dignified...

Some white showing through

Almost ready

Like fireworks! 

 So far, July has been packed with projects and flowers

 Indigo and cochineal shibori scarves

Hand-spun silk yarn dyed with  woad

More Naturally dyed embroidery silks

Inspiration!

June 29 is my younger brothers' birthday. 

Climbing Westerland rose

The garden is celebrating with me!

Plenty of rain

Wild campanula

First sweet pea flower

 Happy harvest

Thank You.

Rose  Henrys' Gold

Portulaca

It's very hot with temperatures in the 90's and high humidity.. Outdoors really smells like summer.. The scent is both sharp and sweet. It reminds me of summers past.

The heat makes it hard for me to work on anything besides spinning hemp fiber into yarn. and dyeing it with indigo.

I've also kept up dyeing the silk thread.

Silk threads dyed with indigo, coreopsis flowers,walnut hulls and madder

Redbud  (Cercis Canadensis)

How quickly the days, weeks and months rush along!  Every day there are new amazements. I like to spend my time in the garden and pay close attention. The only trouble is that I don't get much done indoors.

 Milkweed (Asclepius syriaca)

As I was emptying the old potting soil from  a flowerpot, I discovered several pods of milkweed that had dropped into the soil and been covered up.These seed pods had overwintered here and are now sprouting.

After two days of sunshine and warmth, the cold winds and gray skies have returned. I'm trying to keep the sweet pea youngsters from getting too cold while still giving them light.

I know they don't mind cool temperatures, but surely they don't like freezing. I've been carrying them outdoors in the daytime and back in at night. This morning  I made a little tent for the containers with clear plastic to let in the light and keep out the very cold wind.

Happily, the scilla doesn't mind at all. Patience, endurance, gratitude and cheerfulness live in the garden.

bBloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

 Suddenly it's warm! The garden is joyful and beautiful. The back-yard colors inspire natural dyeing.

These silks were dyed with walnut hulls, coreopsis flowers, weld and indigo

Crocus

Violet shades from madder, lac and indigo

King Alfred Daffodils

Greens, yellow and blues from weld, coreopsis flowers and indigo

The very brave Scilla

Indigo

Warm morning sky

I'm very grateful for this rare, lovely and warm Spring day.