Blog

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.

The colors are intense. I've been working indoors, clearing out ancient heaps of fabric, papers and projects that will never be complete. I dash outdoors now and then to refresh my eyes and brain!

Seeds are getting ripe

I've been collecting these annual coreopsis flowers all summer. They're small but they pack a punch in the dye pot. These plants are getting a little ragged but are still popping out the blossoms.

 The brew has a nice, fresh medicinal smell

Silk embroidery threads dyed with coreopsis flowers. The one on the right was dyed with coreopsis and madder roots.

A spider has been attaching her web  to the clothesline each night. Each morning it's bigger and fuller of no- longer- flying things. If I see a bee or butterfly caught in it, I let it out.

Mom's Birthday

Every day I remember Mom. It's deeper than a habit.

The morning glories are really getting good. I planted a lot of different types this year. I don't remember all of their names - I wrote them down somewhere. I'm pretty sure this dusty pink one is "Chocolate Silk".

the blue speckled one is smaller, but I love the starry points. I also love the color of the larger blue one, but the slash in the side makes these seem sort of incomplete.

This type is very tough - the first to start blooming and each morning new blooms appear on these vines.