Blog entry
May, 2024
One rainy morning we discovered this little guy in the kitchen. He was hiding in a corner, surrounded by the cats! Luckily, they seemed pretty puzzled by him. We shooed the cats out of the room, and It was pretty easy to coax him into a cat carrier with nuts and peanut butter on bread.
I put the carrier outside under the cherry tree, but he finished the rest of his trearts before scampering up.
Spring arrived soon this year. Peonies, delphiniums and roses are blooming about 3 weeks early.
Madder silks
I've been gathering amd sorting some madder dyed silks .
Organza
Raw silk
May 11
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.
May
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
May 10, 2018
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.
May color reminders
To celebrate the beautiful rich shades of the May garden, I've started a little purple, pink and indigo dyeing project.Yesterday I mordanted some silk scarves and wool with alum. After soaking overnight, they were ready to drink up the colors. I'm using madder, lac and indigo.
Pansies
This is my favorite weather for gardening and dyeing - fresh and damp without harsh sunlight.
Pink, purple,and indigo in layers of wet color
Lilac
The month of May is filled with promise and beauty. The lilac bushes bloomed early, perfuming the garden. Two grand daughters are expected this month. It seemed right to make their welcoming quilts with fabrics that reflect the purples, whites, cream and pinks of the lovely lilacs.
Basted baby quilt
Almost finished!
Elsewhere