Blog entry
November 2
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.
October 30 2018
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.
Clearing out the boxes
For the last couple weeks I've been slowly emptying and sorting through boxes and baskets and stacks of fabrics. Many of them are leftovers from other projects. A lot are pieces that I didn't love at the time and put away, thinking I'd "fix" them someday...
Gathering linen
In the moments between visitors, phone calls and household chores, I sorted, washed, and ironed some odds and ends of indigo dyed linen fabric.
These are some of the leftovers from experiments and bits of fabrics I dyed and put away thinking I might use them in the future. They add up quickly.
Yellow and indigo moon.
None of these are "perfect", but they're still pretty good.
Id like to be able to mimic these patterns!
Greens
I often receive customer requests for more green silks. This is always a welcome excuse to experiment with shades of yellow and indigo
Sometimes the yellow comes from coreopsis flowers. Even the red ones give yellow dye.
Reaching naturally dyed green is intersting and challenging
It's so rewarding to see the different, (un-repeatable) shades!
So far, July has been packed with projects and flowers
More Naturally dyed embroidery silks
June 16
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
Back to normal...(cold!)
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.
Warmth and inspiration!
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Bloodroot (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
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Indigo
Warm morning sky
I'm very grateful for this rare, lovely and warm Spring day.
Spring green
Snowdrops
Daffodils
Silk, indigo and weld
Elsewhere