hot hot hot
at last the rain has stopped for a while so i can get on with some dye brewing on the outdoor stove ........ but now it's soooo hot! at least i can sit out in the garden for some of the day instead of shivering indoors, last week i had autumn clothes on
never mind, i just wait until the evening to get the stove going, by then i've had a bit of time to sort out what i'm going to brew up - well that's the plan but the heat addles my brain and mixes up all my ideas so i end up throwing stuff together
so far i've done a few bundles, a mixture of experiments with flora i haven't tried before and using up some old eucalyptus leaves which i froze after they had been soaked for colour extraction - i also did a batch of contact dyed red onion skin on silks which have come out quite strong but more maroon than i would have liked, i think i was too generous with them, i'll be more sparing next time
started a couple of rust dyeing samples too, they will need a few days to show some results - i did some rust dyieng to add accents to a beige-ish linen skirt last week: tacked some rusty nails into the bottom third at varying heights, steamed it then dumped into apple bark vat for at least 24 hrs, boiled and left to cool - it's looking good, now i will wear it a while before i decide whether or not to add any stitching detail to highlight the rust marks (so they don't just look like a load of grubby stains!)
i've signed up for another online class, in september - this time with karen ruane, 'an embroiderer's ledger' - it looks very interesting and sounds like a good way to get me thinking and working in a more structured way
looking back over the online classes i've taken so far, i feel i've got a lot out of them, i like the way i can work at my own pace and interact online with other class members - each one has either led to a different way of working or a fresh take on an ongoing project:
Holey Moley - i still refer back to this and will continue to do so, it is full of starting points, explorations and ways of looking which i have and will continue to draw on - i know that i can go back to it at any time and find something useful - it also opened a door to the world of blogging and creative support which i soooo appreciate now - it was and continues to be very good value in every sense
through that i somehow found Jude Hill who has been a revelation, inspiration and 'virtual mentor' - how she manages to make so many of us feel so welcome and special is amazing, i feel that i am part of a very exclusive yet inclusive 'fans of jude' community , it's only exclusive in that not everyone has heard of her ......
but she makes everyone welcome and there is a sense of 'fellowship'
india flint also popped up at some point and her approach felt right to me - she doesn't do online classes (yet?) but i found her there along with Arlee Barr who's Frankenstitch class which has reinforced my "knickers to neat" approach - i am now certain that it is ok to ignore 'the rules' ..... i really don't have to do neat and regular ..... wonky, wobbly, knobbly, irregular is good
so now i feel (almost) free from my grandmother's rules about neatness and regularity and use of colour and i can make my own way ..... with a little help from my (online) friends
never mind, i just wait until the evening to get the stove going, by then i've had a bit of time to sort out what i'm going to brew up - well that's the plan but the heat addles my brain and mixes up all my ideas so i end up throwing stuff together
so far i've done a few bundles, a mixture of experiments with flora i haven't tried before and using up some old eucalyptus leaves which i froze after they had been soaked for colour extraction - i also did a batch of contact dyed red onion skin on silks which have come out quite strong but more maroon than i would have liked, i think i was too generous with them, i'll be more sparing next time
started a couple of rust dyeing samples too, they will need a few days to show some results - i did some rust dyieng to add accents to a beige-ish linen skirt last week: tacked some rusty nails into the bottom third at varying heights, steamed it then dumped into apple bark vat for at least 24 hrs, boiled and left to cool - it's looking good, now i will wear it a while before i decide whether or not to add any stitching detail to highlight the rust marks (so they don't just look like a load of grubby stains!)
i've signed up for another online class, in september - this time with karen ruane, 'an embroiderer's ledger' - it looks very interesting and sounds like a good way to get me thinking and working in a more structured way
looking back over the online classes i've taken so far, i feel i've got a lot out of them, i like the way i can work at my own pace and interact online with other class members - each one has either led to a different way of working or a fresh take on an ongoing project:
Holey Moley - i still refer back to this and will continue to do so, it is full of starting points, explorations and ways of looking which i have and will continue to draw on - i know that i can go back to it at any time and find something useful - it also opened a door to the world of blogging and creative support which i soooo appreciate now - it was and continues to be very good value in every sense
through that i somehow found Jude Hill who has been a revelation, inspiration and 'virtual mentor' - how she manages to make so many of us feel so welcome and special is amazing, i feel that i am part of a very exclusive yet inclusive 'fans of jude' community , it's only exclusive in that not everyone has heard of her ......
but she makes everyone welcome and there is a sense of 'fellowship'
india flint also popped up at some point and her approach felt right to me - she doesn't do online classes (yet?) but i found her there along with Arlee Barr who's Frankenstitch class which has reinforced my "knickers to neat" approach - i am now certain that it is ok to ignore 'the rules' ..... i really don't have to do neat and regular ..... wonky, wobbly, knobbly, irregular is good
so now i feel (almost) free from my grandmother's rules about neatness and regularity and use of colour and i can make my own way ..... with a little help from my (online) friends
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