Fibre Heart

Hearts and Flowers

2012-02-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

I like how there is such a value contrast within the folds of the hem of this faded table cloth material and I had been anticipating using some of it. Some areas have a softer fade. The heart is silk satin I dyed. Palace of the Soul is now covered with fabrics and three quarters basted together. I am eager to remove those last pins so that I can add detail.

I like the 3D fringe of this part and I may add other colours of frayed fabric to enhance that.

I have cleared my table and will focus next on completing organizing my old basement studio, which is going to be where I will do more dyeing experimentation.

Last week I had an opportunity to learn a new stitch - only I decided not to count and just to eyeball it and see what happened. Even though it's not a correct interlaced double herringbone, I enjoyed myself and like the results and can see how I could alter it in many possible ways.

And I received year three of my blog in book form in the mail - I like having a hard copy for quick reference and to remember where my muse has gone over the course of a year.

Hand Made

2012-02-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

I like to make most of the cards I give - and I had been longing to use my pink snow dyed fabric. When I was a child, my mother made some of my clothes, including some shorts with straps and a bib and although most of my life I have not been a sewer, I have saved items of clothing that held special meaning for me. Mom had severe rheumatoid arthritus, which makes the embroidered butterflies she put on the front of the bib even more special. As well as transformation, butterflies remind me of her. And they seem joyful to me - so light, beautiful and free. So I will add them to Palace of the Soul to honour nurturance and these other qualities.

The wonderfully curling bark I pictured in the last blog post, gave hardly any colour to some silk I wrapped with it and steamed, so I used some onion skins to add a little more colour and will keep over dyeing it until I am pleased with its markings.

I also had a little drawing fun and while I may not stitch these, they would be very simple to do.

The track lighting is now up in my studio, as it was quite dark and not really useable after dusk. I've also expanded out into my old studio, moving paints and dyes, stamps and stencils and all kinds of things to the drawers and shelves vacated by my fabrics, which are now upstairs. Still lots more to do before it's complete, but when it is, I'll be feeling like this:

Unicorn Dreaming

2012-02-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

I came across this peeling bark yesterday, with it's intriguing texture revealing successive layers beneath. This was my mother's trunk, which was locked when I first received it, until the day my son came to ask me what was inside it as I sat making a major decision about my life direction - which track to take for my Master's degree. After telling him I did not know, I suddenly pictured the key to it being inside my mother's old sewing box of buttons. I went and checked, and indeed there was a key which did open the trunk to reveal alot of my childhood art work. I decided I would choose the creative expression track for my studies in Transpersonal Psychology.

Earlier in the day, I had been thinking about the symbols on Palace of the Soul - how my unicorn is made of old thin jean material I used to wear and how nearly all the other fabric in the cloth is new - scraps and bits of different materials, but the only used cloth is a piece of old linen tablecloth I snow dyed and handkerchief I natural dyed - both without any personal history for me. I cleared my various stitched cloths from the top of the chest to hang about my studio and looked inside at some of the art, noting this painting of a unicorn I did when I was a child and remembering I also wrote a unicorn poem when I was twelve:

And there was this copper etched print I made in highschool, with its rainbow horn like the one on the unicorn on Palace of the Soul.

And here is the portfolio I stitched back then, to hold the work I made:

At one time, I imagined I would breed race horses and had a page of names all beginning with 'Unicorn' ready for my future foals! So the use of the old jean fabric for my unicorn on Palace of the Soul 'fits' right in as it's a symbol that has been with me for a long time.

Extending Reach

2012-02-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Just a wave today from this hand I've added to the bottom of Palace of the Soul. There will be another one at the top of the cloth. I've woven largely lower contrast fabrics into the dark base because the reaching hand speaks to form rising out of formlessness, images out of the unconscious and the mystery of making. I have also added shelves to the new studio area - and moved more fabrics into it, as well as my threads - and the design walls are up and covered with flannel. I'm so pleased to have Palace of the Soul out on my big table to work on, now.

Gifts From the Snow

2012-01-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the threads, doilies and trims that the melted snow washed up on my shore: I prepared three different snow dye baths with the same items in each. The results are unpredictable - the same fabric in one bath absorbed alot of colour, while in another bath it came out virtually undyed and some fabrics are just one overall colour while others in the same bath are many. I have far too many samples to post but a few of my favourites will give you an idea of the range from one of the baths. This silk velvet is my favourite:

I prepared this fabric itajime shibori style, and interestingly, this one was meant to be snow moons but became moon butterflies:

And here are some fantasy mountains on linen - you may have to enlarge the photo to see what I mean:

I have other fabrics that are largely pink and some that are turquoise, avocado and reddish brown. The snow outside is all gone - but I do have a small bucket left in my freezer :) I also have partially sewn the ancient vesica piscis symbol onto Palace of the Soul, now.

To me, the snow dyed fabric it is on has the feel of an unfolding universe - a place of continuous birthing and emerging of the Divine Feminine. It is threshold, passage and chalice and maiden, mother and crone.

Pot Luck

2012-01-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

I've added a few more bits to Palace of the Soul, keeping it growing little by little.

And I overdyed some wet felted wool I had previously dyed with maple leaves, this time using resists and a eucalyptus bath.

And I did a few pieces of silk, too.

Last night after being occupied with the felted book, I suddenly was shocked to realize there is that rare thing here, now - snow - and I had not even thought to do some snow dyeing! So I was determined to make that happen today and good thing, as the temperature has risen, rain is falling and the snow is rapidly disappearing.

Stay tuned for results - I've got three or four different colours of dye in each bucket and all kinds of fabrics, trims and threads prepared in a variety of ways.

Reorientation

2012-01-19T14:53:00.000-08:00

Snow changes the landscape, covering what's familiar and bringing potential navigation challenges. I have been puzzled over how difficult the studio move is proving to be. I had expected it to interrupt my work and to take awhile, but I had not expected to feel so lost. My old space in the basement, while tight, was densely packed and very organized - and - had developed over the course of a few years. I could find anything I thought of and not interrupt my creative flow for long. Now, between studios, I'm not sure where things are anymore, as it's too much to track and items aren't yet settled, and while I am content to allow how it will come together to unfold as I continue to work at it, I feel disoriented. And then I read a snippet of information that really hit home. In Canada's far north, where unbroken deep snow can make it nearly impossible to navigate - even with a map and GPS - the native people rely on internal mapping - a sense of the whole developed through their experience with the land, stories and descriptive landmarks passed along, and awareness of seasons and weather shifts. And - these cognitive maps are different for men and women. Men were the navigators across the land on the journey, but once complete, the women took over because they knew where to best place dwellings for safety and proximity to food sources. I realized that my internal map of the old studio has deep roads from frequent travel within and an accompanying comfortability with knowing the lay of its land. Somehow that mapping metaphor helped me understand and accept my lost feeling and also gave me renewed energy to create a new map. So with stacks of mess around all shouting to be put away and a tiny clear space on the cutting board, I rummaged up and down through my studios to find supplies and make more mess to do what I love. I used some of my dyed wet felted wool to stitch a book cover that I lined with a scrap of real suede and braided cords of hand dyed perle cotton to stitch pages into it.

It took me two days to figure out how to make it work, find the supplies and to complete.

I've learned along the way, having other ideas I might try next time and figuring out what not to repeat in future.

A small journal but a big step because I made a path in the open space of the map of my new studio.

One piece wrapped up, with lots more to come.

Undaunted

2012-01-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

A cold day out today and the robins were eating berries off the holly tree. These sketches I did are based on wolverine cave art.

When I heard Douglas Chadwick was giving a presentation on wolverines last year, I was eager to go, as I have been curious to learn more about them. I came away amazed at the amount and type of terrain they move through with such great speed, their courage and ability to overcome adversity and their enduring family ties. Here is a youtube that will give you the gist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Bkh-P54ws I have added one to Palace of the Soul,

along with a word my Finnish Grandmother told me about that encompasses the extraordinary endurance and tenacity I think characterizes wolverines and that aspect of soul drive to express itself no matter what.

Highlights

2012-01-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

I didn't like the orange red colour of this silk shirt of mine, so I decided to overdye it, and toss a few other scraps into the bath while I was at it. The flower worked out well until I washed it with the other dyed fabrics and it lost its highlights. And the shirt didn't absorb much of the darker colour and ended up a mottled orange red. Oops. But fabrics are settling onto shelves in the studio and the design walls are up and ready to be covered with felt.

Bright Spots

2012-01-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

This morning when I basted another block for Palace of the Soul, I included a bright spot of red, which is not really as bright as in this photo, but echoes the colour of another part of the cloth. And then I went to get the mail and experienced another bright spot in my day: the arrival of a bobbin lace pouch from Deanna that I won last month on her blog at: http://eclectic-meanderings.blogspot.com/. Thank you Deanna! I love the fine lace and the colour

matched the ocean today

where I saw more bright spots like this arbutus bark and a chartreuse golf ball in the sea froth

and then there was this creature buried and emerging from the sand,

which I missed at first, as I walked by, because it was covered with water, but then I went back for a look when several seagulls circled above me and one dived to inspect what it may have thought were crab legs but are actually rope. I was fooled, too.

Walking Between

2012-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

I've added a personal symbol to the cornerstone of 'Palace of the Soul'. You may recognize the image based on a Chauvet cave bear that I stitched on nunofelt last October: http://fibreheart.blogspot.com/2011/10/tracking-time.html Part of the bear is on topside fabric - representing more concrete reality - and part is on the fabric's underside - symbolizing another dimension. I have many meaningful associations with bears and love when I see one by chance in the wilds.

Small Steps

2012-01-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

It's a new year and I am back to taking steps forward with 'Palace of the Soul', as well as with the studio move, after reviewing last year and deciding what's important for me to focus on, now. These unicorn hooves are not uniform in shape and size and all that blue stitching along the sides of the legs was meant to better define but ends up looking messy, up close. And - I am leaving it like that, as this cloth is an expression of soul - which is not about uniformity, conformity or so-called perfection - it's a process of learning. The studio move is at that overwhelming stage, with half my supplies remaining downstairs but not much room left for them in the new studio until I organize further. I probably need to put in some shelving. New ventures can feel like stepping out without knowing where or whether there will be support to land on. I think what's important is to keep moving - to pay attention and do the work.

Year of the Crone

2011-12-31T22:31:00.000-08:00

It's transition time into next year and time to reflect. Tomorrow, I will already be looking back from a new perspective.

I saw these double rings double with their shadow into infinity and the vesica piscis and I really like how the two symbols connect and combine and what they might say about my path this year.

I have only done a very small bit of stitching as I've been focused on visiting family for the past week. I feel excited to return to setting up my new studio and getting back to work.

And my second son is moving out from home across country, so I expect even more space to fly. 2012 seems like it's going to be a year of big change and a new stage of life for me.

Solstice

2011-12-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Reaching, touching,

the return of the light.

Solstice

Lit from within.

Wishing everyone who stops here, a lightened heart.

Slow Steps Forward

2011-12-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

I continue to peck away at the studio move in between Christmas preparations, so right now it's slow going and no stitching is happening. Slow can be good, though, as ideas can take time to incubate - all part of the journey.

I know I'll eventually see the light.

I eagerly anticipate returning to work with colours and design. My creativity has been channelled into other areas for now - like menus and plans.

But I am keeping the star of my desire in sight.

Moving Towards Order

2011-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

It was frosty and dark out when I went to Mt. Tolmie to see the moon eclipse, a few days ago. An eclipse is a good metaphor for the process I have been going through in creating new studio space - a descent into darkness before the turning point and return of the light - or in this case, some order.

I'm past the turning point, now, but felt in the dark about how to proceed at first, once the heavy 8 by 5 foot table had arrived and was awaiting set up. I spent a good part of a day developing more than ten possible plans on paper for how to arrange the furniture before moving anything. I have never done this before and what was interesting was how at first I thought there might be just a couple of ways, but as I persisted, more and more options became apparent. A good lesson for designing anything.

In the end, I still modified the plan I chose - ending up with kind of a 't' formed from my desk and sewing table and shifting the angle of that. Now comes alot of hauling up and down two flights of stairs and thinking about how best to organize my fabrics, books and supplies. Wherever I move something from, something else will have to be moved back, to replace it. The large table has a single flat storage shelf beneath it and I have some drawers that fit there, which is great.

Still a tall order ahead, but I'm motivated!

Growing Pains

2011-12-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

I completed another nuno scarf to give away for Christmas: but mostly, I am making a path through clutter towards my new studio space

and while I keep moving, sorting, organizing and imagining, I am not yet seeing it

clearly and I feel pulled in so many directions - starting in one spot only to be stymied and then moving on to another.

This is creation on a big scale, with my palette scattered all over the house and me needing to compose and unify it into a well functioning whole. I feel a bit stunned,

I don't know where I'm going, but there is growth here and I'm trusting the process.

Imagining What Could Be There

2011-12-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

This could be a butterfly: And sky on the ground:

And a face appearing beneath my sandpaper... One of my sons has moved out and I will be moving my studio - after alot of work and a series of shifting around other rooms, first. But I can see it taking shape in my mind's eye.

I have a nuno scarf partially designed with this silk I dyed as a base.

It may be a few days before I get back to it.

In the Black

2011-11-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

I spent today making this nuno scarf: It is a gift.

I am still amazed at how much these shrink in the making - this one started out as nearly 70 inches long and shrunk 20, in addition to 6 inches of shrinkage on the sides.

Making one of these is really a work out. I think I'll need to let my shoulders recoup before my next one!

Securing Expansion

2011-11-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed to start fastening all my bits down, today. And I filled some gaps like the lower right corner in this photo.

I attached these and cut off the bottom which had been hidden behind other fabrics.

And I basted half of this and am recovering alot of pins.

But the big news for me today is finding a table I can use for laying things out, cutting and sewing, with a storage shelf below! I don't have room for it yet, but I expect to set it up sometime in December.

Home Ground

2011-11-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

I have been engrossed in designing Palace of the Soul. This is the right 'cornerstone'. And today I was deciding between straight

or curvy

and here's what I chose:

I have moved things on and off and around and varied directions - and I'm not done, yet . I have really been feeling into what wants to be included and where, listening closely and acting on that.

I love how this decaying log I saw today is integrating with the earth. Home ground. That feels like what I'm on and once I have all the fabrics chosen for 'Palace', I will work at unifying the whole.

Soul Reminder

2011-11-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

Something was really brewing inside me yesterday. I went into the studio vaguely thinking I might do more handstitch or begin a gift but nope, that snow dyed piece I had previously unpicked didn't want to be put away and suddenly some hand pieced blocks declared they would be the perfect partners for it - on a large piece. So I played along and prepared a size and shape that felt right. I was curious as to when exactly did I do the snow dyeing, so I went back in my journals and discovered that I had made the first of these blocks the same day - and had an intention to make a larger piece. Well, at least my psyche remembered!

I proceeded to nearly cover the whole of this with other fabrics I've dyed and pieces that I've partially stitched, but I'm not at the stage yet where everything has found its place. This piece is going to be called 'Palace of the Soul' and I feel excited and know I will be spending alot of time with it.

Picking Up

2011-11-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

While the wind outside picked up, rearranging leaves and branches, I was picking up fabrics and supplies in the studio after my creative whirlwind, so I can have room to work again! In normally hidden spaces, I found many partially completed projects and felt into what has energy for me now and found that many of them do and that I have lots of ideas for where to take them, next.

This fish still had pins in its fins - ouch! So I secured it with thread onto a background.

And I selected a backing for this unicorn and started to baste it down.

I am thinking about gift making, too.

Change For the Better

2011-11-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Some of this pond that I saw yesterday, had become ice. And the only sun to be seen was on this tree:

It felt like it could snow - and these snow berries added to that feel.

I did not get cold feet and took the plunge.

And I like this much better:

The snow dyed fabric will look better paired with hand dyed fabrics.

Back Road

2011-11-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

More frost toned down the colours outside, yesterday morning. I had been working with tones - wanting to use one of my snow dyed pieces of fabric in a table topper.

But somehow, it wasn't working - the colours looked good together and matched ones in the snow dyed linen, but the contrast of their flat solid colour and geometric shapes was too great. So I decided to go for a walk.

Very cold and fresh and the tide was out.

And there were a few pops of bright colour still around. Back home I decided I would unpick my work.

Along the Lines of Imagination

2011-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

There was a surprise on my car yesterday morning - frost feathers! And frost waves:

And frost fronds:

And more pathways and pattern in the spaces between have appeared on this, too.

Woman in the Moon

2011-11-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

It was such a pleasure to be stitching, yesterday, and I'm eager to add more to this. I added tracks to the sand, as well, when I went to watch the waves surge in the wind.

I saw moons

but the dye in my pot at home must have seeped in, in spite of the resist,

So I ended up with a cloth awash in colour.

I know the moon is there, even if I can't see it.

Settling In

2011-11-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I made another nuno pre-felt and completed a bit of knitting, but mostly just slowed down, taking time to reflect. Today I stitched together a variety of fabrics and then dyed them with leaves, afterwards.

And I also sewed this, then dyed it with arbutus bark:

I like how the colour settles into the cracks of the stitching - I used white cotton thread.

Circling

2011-11-14T20:24:00.000-08:00

Loving the Questions

2011-11-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I went back to stitching yesterday and answered some of my questions, as well. Could I nuno felt my Japanese Maple dyed scarf and maintain some of the prints? The leaf prints were faint to begin with and though I put very little wool and silk in the center and can see the marks, they are not really discernable. But I know they are there and will remember collecting the brilliant scarlet leaves from the lawn's green fringe and the excitement of later unrolling the scarf with the spent brownish leaves still beautiful, glistening and clinging to the silk. A scarf was quicker to nuno felt than a shawl because the area to design was smaller and I also put less materials on this one. I just love the delicate strength - and - the memory hidden in the folds.

And I wondered how this silk scarf would look overdyed with Japanese Maple - it had yellows and greens from other vegetation, previously. A surprise came with the black lines from a brown shoelace - which had never given colour before.

And when I was cleaning out my fridge, I found three shrivelled mushrooms with dark brown undersides and rather than just compost them, I wondered if they would make lovely rings. They did make black rings which washed out, leaving mostly browns from the peony leaves.

I will experiement with different mordants another time. And I made a black and white polka dotted nuno pre-felt, adding to my stash.

Show and Tell

2011-11-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

Today I was at the opening of a group show I'm part of, at Satin Moon Quilt Shop. Here is Maya Brouwer with one of her lovely pieces:

I was also to the opening of the Fibres at the Hill show a few days ago, put on by the Vancouver Island Surface Design Association, which was a real pleasure to see, as was visiting with so many familiar faces.

Here I've used Japanese Maple leaves to add colour to this scarf I plan to nuno felt.

And I have started to make nuno pre-felts to build a palette to use in further work. This is some sari silk I got somewhere that really ran alot in the process. You can see the wool fibres have worked through the silk.

Water Shawl

2011-11-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago when I was giving a presentation in Sante Fe that was the personal culmination of a year's worth of creative expresssion, a stranger asked if she could sit in and I agreed. She later gave me a framed drawing she had gotten from a trunk in a Taos art shop, of 'Deer Woman' - who is wearing a shawl with a stag, stars, land forms, feathers, leaves and birds woven into it - and has what appears to be weaving, on her lap. It is a fabulous image with a story written on the back and I have it hanging in a significant location. At the time I was not stitching or involved in fibre art. It seems like the seed of that gift is now growing, as I made a second shawl. I love how life spirals round like that. I have put some different materials in - one that works but I will avoid in future is silk rods because they stick to my iron.

I also put in silk paper 'stones' because I was thinking of water when I made this.

I like how the back ripples. I made this on my counter, which is really too small a space, and consequently, the shawl is shorter than what I'd prefer.

Here is the length of it when it was still wet.

Nature's Gifts

2011-11-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time a woman went down to the beach in the light of the early morning, where she found a silver spoon and the inheritance from the sea. She had been dreaming of felting and thought of fibres securing a flutter of fabric when she spied a leaf held to the sand with seaweed. She was also thinking of natural dyeing and her wish for more orange, when she saw a message on the sand.

The sand script told her to go to the point. So she did, where she saw the promise of orange and returned home ...

...to a gift from the dye pot.

Expansion

2011-11-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

The final day of the workshop I got in a brief walk before returning to more rolling - startling a flock of pigeons into flight, finding some leaves to try in a dye bath and enjoying the peaceful beauty. Here is my shawl before and after the shrinking that occurred as I continued to roll it, check it and add friction, heat, water and soap. You can see how you need a large space to do one of these - and a good amount of time.

The texture and colour of both sides is quite different and it's reversible if I want a more muted look.

Here it is on me - and I really love it and plan to make more. I may need to do smaller pieces for now - but I also could get a table to set up temporarily and one of my sons is moving out next month and then I will really have room!

Studio Tour

2011-11-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Ulreike Benner's studio is surrounded by gorgeous views. I was so caught up in the view from the deck that I was completely surprised to look down and see I was being watched!

There was plenty to look at inside, too - felted hats, scarves, vests, jackets, slippers and her work table upstairs, where she had several pieces in progress and drawers of supplies. She has devoted her life to art making and is highly productive with a binder of notes of all she's made so far this year - 165 shawls alone! And just one is quite an involved and time consuming process - I now speak from experience :) Here she is in her studio:

I feel inspired by her work ethic - she is fastidious, experienced and prolific. And she follows her own rhythm.

Only on Saltspring....

Rolling Right Along

2011-11-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

The name on this old gas pump confirmed that I was in the right location for a felting workshop! The first day of Ulrieke Benner's workshop I woke to this promising sky:

And here is the view we had from the Artspring Centre, where I spent the day laying out my design, wetting it out, massaging it, checking it and rolling. Ulrieke had brought a huge variety of supplies for us to play with, including bags of roving she gathered according to the colours we wanted to work with. She asked us what we wanted to make and demonstrated ways fabrics and roving could be joined. She had also brought handouts and samples to view -and - a glorious rainbow coloured shawl she had spent several days making.

I decided to take advantage of the large work area, which I do not have at home, to make a shawl. I had brought fabrics, laces and yarns - some of which I found out were not suitable for a nuno shawl, as they were too heavy. I was able to use some bits of my natural dyed fabric, a snow dyed velvet, a doily, pieces of an old silk shirt and yarns. My design covered the surface of this long table prior to rolling it up, and I still had plenty of rolling left to do by the end of the day, so I covered the roll with plastic to keep it wet overnight.

Then we invited for wine and cheese at Ulreike's studio!

Windows Onto Saltspring

2011-11-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

I had such a great time on Saltspring Island that I will do several posts about it. I was delighted that the gallery/shop 'Knotty Threads'was open when I arrived, since I've missed out on seeing inside of it in the past, having to content myself with peering through the windows. This time, I could do that from inside out! I bought several interesting yarns there and saw gorgeous nuno scarves and lovely, detailed textile art by Kirsten Chursinoff. You can see some of her work here: http://www.chursinoff.com/kirsten/index.html This window in the cafe where I ate my lunch looked like a painting on the wall:

And one other interestingly shaped window:

As well as some stained glass where I stayed. I love the blurred shapes and colours of the buildings and street when I zoom in on them.

And of course I went to 'Stitches' - always a highlight of any trip to Saltspring - with their colourful displays of fibre art and fountains of supplies.

Wool Gathering

2011-10-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

I've been gathering my supplies ready for the felting workshop I'm taking with Ulrieke Benner on Saltspring Island, because I leave for it tomorrow! I have an idea to use some of my natural dyed fabrics - but I'm also taking other fabrics, yarns, threads and beads. I hope to come back with new knowledge and some pieces I like. We have had some beautiful sunny days and it would be great if tomorrow's weather is nice, too.

I dyed some silk rods and made a rose with them:

And I wet felted some wool so that I could dye it with some brilliant red maple leaves. The red sides are facing down in the photos and as you can see, I didn't end up with red anyhow, but brown.

I've added it to my stash headed to Saltspring, and I'm excited!

A Purl of Wisdom

2011-10-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

I was at Knotty By Nature today to get a few supplies and I learned to cast off my knitting

and how to purl. It feels great to finally know what that is and to be able to do it!

And I'm adding layers to this, now.

Blending Colours

2011-10-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

I was noticing the vibrancy of fall's colours, today, so a little dyeing was just the thing to satisfy expressing some of that - after wet felting a white base, first.

And why not do some silk rods, too ?

I've cut some of my prefelts and woven them together, felting them to a fabric base and you can see both sides have a different look.

So much to learn...

Hand Crafted

2011-10-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

This velvet devore is nuno felted using merino and silk roving. I will add more colour and texture variety later on. I am really liking manipulating the fibres directly with my hands and how I can feel them change. And I was in the studio wondering where my muse was going to take me next when I suddenly wondered if I could make a wet felted hand - and no, I didn't use my hand as a base - it would have turned into a prune, as the wool took several days to dry! I'm not sure what I will do with it, but it's bound to come in hand-y - maybe for when I could use a hand :)

This began as a dry felting experiment with yarn and fabric bits on roving and commercial felt

and turned into a wet felted one, when I added more roving on the top:

All these random experiments are continuing to teach me how the materials interact and what effects the various processes yield.

New Dimension

2011-10-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

The textured and raised surface of these layered shingles and the 3D nature of this seaweed on the sand

is what I'm trying to create in felt.

I had pleated the nuno prefelt below using my embellisher machine and then tried unsuccessfully to wet felt additional roving to the undersides of the pleats. So I removed the roving and just completed felting it and ended up with a bit of a ripple effect - and alot smaller piece!

So much to learn and I'm glad I will have the workshop with felt artist Ulrieke Benner to help me out, soon.

Tracking Time

2011-10-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Some leaves are still clinging to their branches, while others are gathering in corners. It felt good to pick up a needle again to add some stitch to the leaf prints on this:

Did you know that the needle is the most ancient tool still in use today in its original form? Although nowadays, of course, it's made from metal. About a month ago I went to see the film 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams', which was a 3D experience of going into France's Chauvet cave to see the world's oldest known existing art. It is mind boggling to think that humans drew on the walls 32 000 years ago. This is based on one of the cave bears :

The experience of stitching this was a little eery - like going deep into the cave of time to follow the hands of unknown ancestors as they drew the images.

I am very excited about this direction and plan to take it further.

Adding Texture

2011-10-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a case of 'losing my marbles'. And nuno felting with a bit of silk gauze I had snow dyed earlier this year when we actually got some snow. Both sides are attractive and the wool and silk roving adhered nicely.

For this one I tried adding some velvet devore strips, silk scraps and sari threads to the wool and silk roving, but I ended up covering the goodies too thickly for them to show much - oops!

And dry felting on some embroidered tulle first, followed by wet felting.

The more I experiment, the more I see how sewing and the various types of felting and materials could work together.

Feeling My Way

2011-10-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have been exploring further with felting, which is really a whole new medium with all the trial and error learnings along the way. I am working small and just sampling, seeing what's possible for now, with an eye to creating larger and completed pieces in future. For these I carded different colours and types of wool to make some prefelts and tried a lattice. Here is a sliced ball technique I have done before - but wanted to do again. I am building a stash of felt so that at some point I will have enough to draw from to make a finished piece.

A few cord experiments - the bottom one is dry felted with an embellisher machine.

And seeing how yarn might be wet felted to add design.

Impromptu and small as these are, having tried these various techniques, I will remember them as possbilities later when I want to make something specific.

Clearing the Fog

2011-10-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

I love fog and the element of mystery it adds to the landscape. A recent foggy morning carried into another wet felting experiment:

And here is the wool after the addition of soap, water and alot of elbow grease!

The white wispy look also reminds me of cobwebs. If I were to do it over, I might put less on, as the leaves are a little too obscured - but I can also use stitch to alter that. Here is the opposite side:

I also was at a day workshop with Sue Nylander about fitting a vest or a jacket and came away with a variety of measurements that I hope are correct, since me and my partner in the workshop kept getting different numbers when we would double check. I don't know if I'll use any of the information since I have hardly ever sewn clothing or worked with a pattern - but at least I have some guidelines, now. The jacket I sewed before the workshop still needs binding and I hope to get to that soon. Oh - and I signed up for a felting workshop with Ulrieke Benner on Saltspring Island at the end of the month. I am wanting to clear my fog about specific textural things and she is very flexible in teaching what her students want to know.

New to Nuno

2011-10-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today I tried nuno felting again. Two hours into working to get the fibres to unify with the habotai, I decided to cover the back with wool roving and see if that worked better - a little bit like sandwiching - and it has come together nicely, although after doing some reading, I moved on to using more nuno friendly fabrics. Here is a close up and I do love the texture, which will be a pleasure to stitch.

I decided a tiny experiment was in order - so as to reduce the amount of rolling!

But when the cheesecloth worked well and was far quicker, I had to try silk organza - which really worked well.

As with any new medium and technique, there is a learning curve and I'm glad I kept working at it to see some results. I also am enjoying how I can use old fabrics from experiments that didn't turn out well and they look great with some wool added. I have thought of an exciting idea to try next... And here is a very interesting video with food - or rather fibre - for thought: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJmXmTFpMg&feature=email

Silk and Wool Blends

2011-10-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

I started yesterday attempting to nuno felt, but the fibres mostly stuck to each other more than to the silk ground. So I needle punched them later when they had dried, which really took away from their dimension, and I think I would hand stitch things down, next time. Then I began knitting a silk/merino blend - my first time using circular needles and nearly my first time knitting - as I've tried it once as a girl and a few years ago when I began this blog. I only know the basic knitting stitch but I intend to learn more and want to experiment with less traditional knitting and try felting some of it.

And I enjoyed seeing fall's changes at Elk lake.

My made over sweatshirt provided just the right amount of warmth.

I've been continuing to experiment with nuno felting and I will do another post to show my results.

A-musing

2011-10-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

I went into the studio yesterday eager to get back to more felting - except that is not what my muse had planned for me. Sometimes I am caught in a creative whirlwind that I just spin along with, for the ride. A sweatshirt is what caught my eye - one that has sat waiting to be personalized for a long time. I auditioned all manner of fabrics, with candidates from eco printing, chenille, silk shibori, velvets, hand dyes, sunprints, snow dyes - I went through them all. But in the end this little piece dyed by Elin Noble felt right. Since it was too small, I added a strip of purple cotton and extended the design as well.

I mixed handstitch and machine because I wanted to see what each look like on a sweatshirt, side by side. You can see there is quite a difference. I had not expected the spring green of the lines on the far right to show up as much as they do.

Do you see the orb in the upper left corner? I had planned to put a circle of stitch around the fabric square and the orb seems like a confirmation.

And a little playing around from a few days ago - taking the Notan concept into colour and fabric. One of the flowers is missing - I just laid them out roughly to get the idea and satisfy my curiosity before filing it away for some future time. Maybe I will felt today... but I never really know!

Pops of Colour

2011-10-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Fall is neutrals... With pops of colour.

I have a little more stitching left to do, here, but I have learned more about felting and wet felting in making this. It takes awhile to get the feel of new materials and I have plenty of ideas I want to explore.

And when I found some unidentified red leaves on the ground, I overdyed this wool with them and a few maple leaves:

Fitting It All In

2011-10-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

I take alot of photos and choosing just a few of them to post here can be challenging. So if I collage them, I can show a few more and this also makes me think about which two go together and why - what am I trying to say? These two are similar and so different:

And it was the contrast that caught my eye here, too - arrivals from the sea with the hard, smoother, neutral coloured shell in amongst that glorious riot of seeweedy colour and texture.

I have been enjoying combining textures with felting and stitch and will post the larger photo of this in a next post. I have also sewn myself a jacket - meant to be a prototype for more interesting things to come, but I am pleased it fits and I will have something new to wear once I finish the edges.

Circling

2011-09-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Fall is a waning of growth, a cycle of decline with a changing beauty of it's own

and seeds of promise for other seasons to come.

I also dyed some linens and a backing for this feather piece, which shows a little brighter than it actually is, since I took the photo when it was still wet.

Change of Scene

2011-09-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make silk dupioni chenille for awhile - just for fun - to see what it looks like. The frayed edges are very soft. Next time I will make the spaces between the sewing narrower. Here is a gap of another sort that I saw on a recent day trip:

And some of nature's lines and textured fringe.

And far in the distance, on one of the islands, is my home.

A change in perspective can be so refreshing!

Signed, Stamped and Sealed

2011-09-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

'Heartland' is complete, now.

The repurposed handkerchief with the embroidered flowers in the lower left corner seems like the flap of an envelope, to me. For some reason, the handkerchief 'had' to be part of this piece and it was only after I placed it onto the other cloth that I noticed the tiny red heart flower tips - so no wonder, as they were of like mind.

Now I will float a moment to see what wants to emerge, next.

Fall

2011-09-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

I surprised this visitor looking for food in the flower beds - which are mostly withered with the arrival of fall. And these Canada Geese also remind me of the season, along with the changing colours of the leaves.

But here is a blush of blossom colour that seems especially lush given the time of year.

and I'm continuing to stitch on this one:

Personal Patterns Embedded in Cloth

2011-09-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of the Pattern Design course I've been taking and here is the cloth I made of my personal symbol as the culmination of my learning. The heart and triple spiral within a diamond all encircled, express my philosophy or visual belief system, valuing love, courage, growth, creation, transformation as a woman, truth, beauty, wholeness and eternity - among others. I am pleased that I found a way to make a repeat pattern by hand that expresses the feeling and look that is true to the meaning of it, for me.

Pattern, with it's repeat symbolism and vast ways of being expressed and organized, is a huge language so intrinsic to the roots of humanity as identifying marks offering specific information, yet in spite of - or maybe because of - the vast proliferation, sheer variety and abundance of it today, its significance has been largely lost or dismissed as being purely decorative. Here is a little stitching started in class on a sampler:

Random Order

2011-09-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Stitches are continuing to meander over my blue feather piece, with lots more to come. I am stitching from the backside, using parts of a wave design printed on a panel of fabric beneath this monoprint and it's a surprise when I turn it over to see what I've got on the front. So far, it seems to be working alright with the design. I like the metaphor of stitches rising from beneath the sea like unconscious material becoming visable and offering surprises - maybe recognizable patterns - and all a part of the overall design. And I experimented with shibori on wool:

And on silk satin to see if I could replicate the symbol I'm working with. One potentially very useful idea I had was to use styrofoam meat trays to cut identical heart shapes to use as a resist to the dye. This is a very small piece of thin fabric, so I would have to try a much larger piece with styrofoam shapes to see if they would be firm enough to resist the dye without breaking. But I really prefer cutting my own shapes and not using pre-existing ones because it completely opens up the possibilities for variety.

Here is one other piece I dyed:

I'll do another post to show what else I've been working on this past week.

A Touch of Pink

2011-09-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

The sunrises lately are so vibrant and I love how the pink fingers of the sun reach to touch a branch here, a roof there.

I have scattered pink, too - and am starting to stitch it down.

Tension of the Opposites

2011-09-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

In last week's Pattern Design class, we explored aspects of our individual design with paper and scissors, using the concept of 'Notan'.Notan is a Japanese word for balancing light and dark or positive and negative space. For the exercise below, I tried to create a balanced tension such that I can look at the design and first see black as the foreground and then blink and see the white as the foreground, instead.

And then we moved into colour, using stamps we made of our designs on fabric.

This one is on a sheer and left the same image on the plastic below as it seeped through, so I made a monoprint, too.

Renewing What I Have

2011-09-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

Coleslaw for dinner, so why not pop the wilted outer leaves into a dye bath with some linen? Almost looks like an octopus lurking in there... I got this soft violet colour and the other fabrics here are ecualyptus bark dyed and plain white for comparision.

And then I moved on to cherry bark, using shibori techniques and getting a different and deeper brown, which I like.

When I put a variety of small bits of fabric into the same dye pot later, it was nearly spent and here's the much lighter colour it produced.

I also came up with a pattern on paper that I like and tried out variations of it and am thinking about how I will translate it to fabric. I'm basing my repeat pattern on a very meaningful symbol I developed from four shapes about ten years ago for my business card that has also been a signature on my quilts.

Trial and Error

2011-09-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Natural dyeing with local plants can be like spinning a wheel, hoping for a certain result and sometimes getting lucky. I'm still working with wool and eucalyptus but not getting the bright orange colour I am trying to replicate, in spite of varying my methods. Seeing sheep, other animals and the displays at the Saanich Fair last night was a welcome and completely different kind of dip into local colour.

Here are some of the leaves I collected and am using.

And the result, while still lovely, is largely brown:

So my idea for how I'm putting these together is changing, but there's more to come from the dye pot...

Seeing Patterns

2011-09-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

The sun in the sky last night reminded me of the orange leaf shapes on the wool I've been dyeing. Here is the front and back of the eucalyptus/oak dyeing using the same leaves as in the previous post and getting a more muted look:

And some stamped symmetry I was exploring in yesterday's class.

I also did further oak and eucalyptus experimentation - the one on the far right is on silk velvet and the leaf images are less defined because of the nap.

I used up all my leaves, so today I found and gathered more - and also was fortunate to find several chunks of different kinds of bark to try.

Dream Dyeing

2011-09-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this and the wild thrill I feel about it has me dreaming of what it might grow into. It reminds me of the flicker feather I embroidered and all that symbolizes to me. Here is the other side:

These leaves had already dyed silk in a previous post and I've got them working on some more cashmere to see what happens next.

More exploration of symmetry on paper with a stamp I made in today's Pattern class.

Looking in the Mirror

2011-08-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

Down at the beach I saw a feather floating in the waves. And waves of stitch are adding up on this piece, here and there.

I've also been layering colour from oak, fern and eucalyptus leaves on this silk.

I have a piece of cashmere in the dye pot now and hope to get more of that salmon colour. Here's the whole piece of mirror symmetry - tomorrow I'm back at the Pattern course.

Oakay

2011-08-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this stained, oak leaf embroidered cloth, I thought 'why not dye it with leaves and bark from a Garry oak tree to give it new life?' So I did...

The imprints are very pale - I've darkened this photo so you can see one. Like ghosts in the cloth, the essence of oak.

I unexpectedly got a lovely soft shade of pink along with the browns, creams and bits of green and gold. The strip of brown reminds me of a tree trunk and the shibori effect is where the ties touched the cloth. Unfortunately the photo does not do it justice.

Rebirth

2011-08-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

This egg shaped embroidered flower linen has undergone some changes. I wove into it, removed the hem and frayed its edges, backed it with two pieces of linen, washed and quilted it.I like how it's come together. An altered embroidery - a rebirth.

Casting Season

2011-08-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

When I was hiking a few days ago, even though the weather was hot and the forest was lit with shafts of sunlight, it was slightly chilly. I can feel the season turning. So much beauty close at hand

and looking into the distance.

I left more toilet paper casts drying at home - to some I added paint, glitter, or glue - just seeing what happens.

Stitch, Paper and Pattern

2011-08-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Stitches aloft... And stitches on the ground.

These toilet paper castings really pick up texture and are so easy and fun - although they take a long time to dry. I've stitched through the one above to make a card with it.

And here I've made a stamp and am using it to explore symmetry in the pattern design course that I'm taking.

Pattern is a fascinating and complex subject!

Good Fibrations

2011-08-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

St. Ann's Academy was the perfect venue for Fibrations yesterday, with its orchard of trees providing great hanging space for creations like this Saori weaving, as well as shade. There were demonstrations, displays, vendors, music, draws and many friendly faces.

I bought some natural coloured Llama wool and also, this:

I'll show what I'm stitching now in my next post.

Dream Catcher

2011-08-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

A ring of stitch could catch and hold dreams... and a backing could be 'air' to float on - and also have a moon as a guide on the other side.

I have also been working with symmetry with stamps and paper as part of the Pattern course I'm taking - and exploring developing a personal pattern. We have already covered alot of ground towards this huge subject and I am really enjoying the learning!

Memory of the Sun

2011-08-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Peek a boo. The stars are there in the daytime even if we can't see them and the sun is still there at night.

I am up to date with my posts now and ready to frolick onwards.

Afloat

2011-08-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

You may have seen Jude Hill's Magic Feather Project on her blog Spiritcloth, but if not, here's a link: http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/the-magic-feather-project.html Flicker feathers have a special meaning for me, and I have wanted to embroider one, so this was great inspiration to make one and send it her way. I stitched another onto arbutus bundled silk and a fragment of a friend's old silk shirt. With the fringe and lightness of it, it really could float! And I made a third one and a feather stamp

This was the first experiment with the stamp:

My preference with colour on fabric is for it not to change the hand, which this ink did. Now I know.

A Little of Everything

2011-08-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

Exploring raising the surface with silk and felt... The grey dots are made by the coloured fabric drying over pebbles.

I made a diamond stamp and used it to make a diamond shape.

Shibori diamonds on silk coloured with our local Garry Oak tree leaves.

Diamonds, Bits and Pieces

2011-08-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Over time, I've noticed how I'm drawn to the diamond shape and I've been keeping a book of diamonds - with photos of diamonds I see, a collage of a diamond, etc. This is the cover I made for it - the weaving was on a card I bought: Tomorrow I start a course about pattern at the Victoria College of Art with Lesley Turner. I plan to use a personal symbol I developed in the past which includes the diamond shape. I have basted together the piece below, which I began in Jude Hill's Spiritcloth online class last year. It's a story about my creative process and there's much stitch and embellishing left to do on it.

I have completed the chicken's head:

And some peonies left this colour on some silk:

Extending Summer

2011-08-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

I just love the flowers in summer and I keep vases and bowlfuls all around the house. This year, as the petals began to drop, I collected them into a bag to colour this shirt. You can see the spent poppies, peonies, roses and iris still on the fabric above.

I added a shibori silk panel I dyed earlier this year and handstitched it to the front. I love that the flowers from this summer will live on through the muted marks and colours they've left.

The Colour of Summer

2011-08-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Another meeting of silks: And back in June I went through a table cloth making spree - eager for splashes of vibrant colour inside to mirror all the blooming in the garden.

I was working on a backing for this one and the one below it when I got side tracked into more natural dyeing...

But that's another story...

Silk Story

2011-08-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

Silk paper... between silk and flowers...

I called this 'In-formed' because it formed from the inside out and the knowing inside us informs us.

Improvements

2011-08-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Rhodos on silk left in the sun: A tear...

led to a patch...

that adds interest.

Still catching up on posting some of what I've done over the last while.

Transforming Patterns

2011-08-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a small doodle Became a sun

And then a cloth

I completed last month.

Growth Patterns

2011-08-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

'I worked on 'Growth' a few months ago - this is the longest gap I've had between posts since I began this blog, but I've continued to create and have more to show. One definition of a gap is a break in continuity - which is only noticeable because of the former regular pattern. So - a change in pattern for me. And I have been thinking about patterns and will soon be taking a course focused on visual patterns at the Victoria College of Art. I have long been interested in patterns in a wider sense and most especially changes in them where something ends along with the emergence of something new. The space between and the death/rebirth cycle - fascinating, surprising and mystifying. I like to follow my inner rhythms and pattern changes and over time I feel more comfortable not knowing very much at all, really, but just trusting the process and the predictability of its unpredictability! So I will dip into blogging now and again as the urge strikes - maybe there will be another long gap or maybe I'll return to daily posts - who knows? Just a choice. I will post a few other things I've done over the past months.

Felt Fun

2011-04-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have been having such fun putting this felted piece together today, learning as I go about combining a variety of materials with my needle felting machine. I've begun hand stitching light and shadow on the leaves, now. And I also made some silk paper which is partially transparent when held up to the light.

And here is some wet felting and natural dyeing that may end up with these beads on it - or not.

Here's the whole of it:

I also natural dyed more silk shibori and over dyed other silk with eucalyptus leaves I picked last year -which only yielded slight colour.

Before and After

2011-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

There are moments in life when I have experienced sudden major change - markers on my timeline where I am conscious of the 'before' and the 'after' because my reality is so very different. I began this piece the day before Japan's earthquake and tsunami - and it unfolded like a dream with fabrics I'd recently dyed as part of a shibori class. I was drawn to include a piece of a Japanese napkin and to add a wave of silk gauze to complete a circle of life. Later that night as I drifted to sleep, I saw a wave of liquid advancing over cloth, dyeing it pink and the next morning when I turned on the radio, I heard the news of the natural disaster. As I went to take this photo, a wind came up and curled one corner of the cloth in an arc like a tsunami wave, flipping it right over - you can see it rising in the shadow, below. I am calling this 'Before the Wave' and it is a marker of personal 'befores and afters' I've lived through as well as of the enormity and impact of the Japanese tsunami . It is also a symbol of faith that even though many lives have changed forever, the circle of life will continue.

New Life

2011-04-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

I couldn't 'resist' trying a natural dyed shibori egg. The blueberries I used created a lovely soft grey. I also heated a mixture of orange peel and cinnamon for another egg, which yielded beige and smelled delicious. And what else would I be stitching on Easter, but this piece? So many seed stitches rising out of the ground - the return of life. Now I have the somewhat tricky stitching below the wave of silk gauze, to solidify the ground - the getting to solid ground part.

I also made a list this morning of reoccurring symbols in my work and came up with over 50, although it's not comprehensive. Just thinking about my visual vocabulary.

Hearts Multiplying

2011-04-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

I played a bit more with this, adding ragged edges, more silk fibres and introducing it to silk gauze and velvets: But then another heart insisted on nestling here:

And was joined by one more and a bit of silk organza ruffle on the edge. The silks are dry felted in, with a machine.

And here is the back of what has become a journal cover - my shibori rabbit moon.

Today I was finishing putting Easter decorations about and I saw this table runner I made two years ago but realized I had never quilted. So I echoed the flowers with pink and purple variegated thread and I like how the back, which is made from identical fabric, ended up with what remind me of stitched shadows, intersecting the flowers.

Heart of Hearts

2011-04-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

A heart of silk can be a glowing heart: I dreamed of hearts in this configuration earlier in the week and thought they might work felted in amongst wool:

But I decided I prefer the felt on it's own.

So I put the silk hearts back on their original base to see what wants to happen next.

Rounding Out

2011-04-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

A few more photos I took on the retreat:

On our way home, we stopped by Studio G - Gloria Daly's spacious new studio and workshop venue - where Martha Cole was teaching and we were able to see some of the book art participants were making.

While away, I also explored the beginnings of a thread mandala, but am not sure I will carry further with it, as ones I do in felt pens or pencil crayon feel more satisfying. Covering ground with thread is a much slower process. Maybe if I don't draw on the silk first it will feel more alive - or maybe I could create it with dye or other colour first and then handstitch.

I also explored dyeing silk over bars for texture and then rotating it and dyeing again to make a grid. Then I used a ring stamp I made on the wet fabric, so the colour on it expanded.

Small experiments teaching me what's possible.

Green Rising

2011-04-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

I can feel growth rising in me right along with spring and all of nature's uplifting beauty. I've been on a retreat with six other fibre artists at Honeymoon Bay and what a pleasure that was. Nourishing walks, talks, food and shared excitement over present and future work.

We each brought our own pieces to work on.

I had collaged two photos onto some snow dyed silk to create 'Green Woman' and I added coloured pencil and machine embroidery. It's not complete yet, but you can see the initial image followed by one after I added colour to another after I've added thread. I wanted to maintain a sense of the ephemeral while also adding further dimensionality.

I am thinking about ground already covered, and what further ground I want to explore...

Refreshment

2011-04-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

What a pleasure to make this silk dupioni card today:

And this little felt backed coaster was something I made just because I wanted to try sewing this shape and using these fabrics. The outcome is not technically very good and I don't think the fabric choices are the best either, but when I see it, I feel the delight of having satisfied my curiosity - now I know. There are so many directions I could go with my art and sometimes I want to do them all. This piece continues to grow stitches:

And I was out to my quilt guild's presentation by Martha Cole - an extraordinary artist who is exploring the complexity of nature using digital imagery on fabric, which she adds colour to with pencil crayon, paint and stitch and then quilts. She spoke about how images printed from the camera have a reduced value range compared to what our eyes see and how in adding colour back to the image, she restores what she saw. She also pointed out some shadowing on one image made by berries above leaves and how if she was to render that image without the camera, she might have eliminated the shadow to simplify it, but with the photographed image she captures what is really there. Her pieces have a luminosity that I think reflects the passion she pours into them. Alot of her work is huge - eight foot long pieces of the vast Saskatchewan prairie with detailed stitched grasses and painted skies. She has preserved many grain elevators in her quilts. I have roots in Saskatchewan, too, and know the beauty of that landscape. In fact, my 95 year old grandmother who lives there is also named Martha and I have a rock covered with lichen from my ancestors' graveyard that's situated on a slight rise in the middle of a flat expanse of nowhere, sewn onto one of my quilts. So it seems especially fitting Martha graciously picked this piece to hold up for my camera: And I have been exploring with a photo collage on fabric I will post once it's further along.

Rolling Up My Sleeves

2011-04-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

Signs of spring are blossoming everywhere. Including on the grounds outside the old church where the 'Consider the Lilies' show is put on annually by eleven local fibre artists.

I found a lovely painted silk charmeuse jacket there, made by Irm Houle. It has other butterflies, too, and a huge one spanning the entire back.

I have also been to the BC Museum to see 'The Other Emily: Redefining Emily Carr', an exhibit where artist Manon Elder collaborated with curator Kathryn Bridge, to show Emily in her youth, before she became widely recognized. Manon's paintings of Carr are her novel interpretations based on historical photographs and these were interspersed with Carr's paintings, journals and sketchbooks. I came away feeling uplifted for having entered Carr's interesting and fruitful world. I have always been drawn to her paintings and once did a pastel rendition of one of them as a teenager. I was also intrigued that in a few of Manon's paintings of Carr, she used liquid indigo on the canvas. This close up was part of a sleeve in one of the paintings: And another sleeve - this one from a Victorian style child's dress from around the same time period as Emily's childhood. I like the triangles, which also lined the hem of the skirt.

And - I have cleared my studio area so I have space to work again.

Inner Rhythm

2011-04-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

There were alot of eagles by the lighthouse on Mayne Island, and gorgeous hikes - as well as shibori scarves in the gallery! It was a pleasurable day trip to a familiar haunt and needed transition. I stitched more of this on the ferry over.

Right now, my studio space is crowded with many pieces in various stages of completion, piles of materials meant for this one or that, still packed up class supplies and a small area by the sink with pails and dye at the ready for further shibori. It pretty much mirrors my mental build up, too, after taking multiple classes over the last year and just needing to follow my inner rhythm for awhile. Maybe that's why I was drawn to simply finish this piece that I began a few months ago. Simple soothing handstitch and some completion

and an integration of old with new. That's what I'm calling this - Integration. I've also been reading some books again - what a pleasure to wander where my curiosity leads.

I have learned alot and there's alot more to learn, but for now, I will spend some time digesting.

Dyeing, Displays and Demos

2011-04-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

I spent some of the morning dyeing this silk velvet. I still haven't left any of my Arashi Shibori crinkled because curiosity has me peeking between the folds!

In the afternoon I was back at the Victoria College of Art to talk to visitors at our exhibition. I met textile artist and instructor Elaine Duncan, who gave me a demonstration of tapestry weaving on a copper loom. She had a display of her beautiful natural dyed yarns, books and some of her lovely pieces - and - some indigo shibori! Elaine will be teaching a tapestry weaving course and one on natural dyeing at the college soon.

Lesley Turner, who taught the Mark Making With Machine class I just took, was showing how to make a pattern using various stamps and paint. She is offering a course on pattern design this summer that is sure to be comprehensive.

I also have stitched a few more hearts:

Floating Heart

2011-04-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what I used to make this pattern? I added Spanish onion and camellias from my garden to the dye pot, hoping to get a more pinkish beige.

Instead, I have a wave of neutrals that I made using - rickrack! The idea popped into mind because I wanted to change the Shibori's line spacing and thought a thicker kind of tie would also be interesting .

And I am participating in Jude Hill's Whispering Hearts series - not a class per se, but a match to what is very dear to my heart and how I work - noticing process and following it. Jude is sharing her process in real time - which is also my preference, as it is energized and alive, not after the fact. I had started this piece a few months ago and decided some of the flowers could become hearts - maybe flying hearts.

Handstitching is uplifting and I like allowing the breeze to draw me to where I'm going next.

Tonight is the opening of our Mark Making With Machine class exhibition at the Victoria College of Art and if it's like the previous one I was part of, it will be packed!

Food Fun

2011-03-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today I tried natural dye stuff with Arashi Shibori - some rose petals, raspberry tea and onion skins. I kept seeing food in the results, too - ripple potato chips:and the icing swirls on top of a vanilla slice - must have been time for a snack!

Here's the whole, which was a light beige to begin with.

And I did a little Sekka Shibori using the Colourhue dyes.

More Shibori

2011-03-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Swimming in Shibori...

Arashi Shibori has such glorious texture - but I was too eager to see what pattern I'd made to let it dry this way. Maybe next time - maybe :)

This is the Maki Nui Shibori pictured in the top photo collage, now dyed and with stitching removed. A spotty, rather disappointing look. I have had very limited success with the stitched shibori, overall.

These dye painting and dipping experiments are samples to see what's possible.

Texture With Stitch

2011-03-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

I decided to work with stitching a small piece of silk for Orinui Shibori. The transformation of the texture on this is amazing - a little bouncy, 3 D and alive! Almost a shame to pull those ties...The stitched side has interesting texture, too. It is now tightly bound into such a small bit that I made sure I placed it in my studio last night instead of leaving it on the coffee table in case someone might mistake it for a kleenex and toss it. I am excited to dye it because yesterday I got more colours of the Colorhue dye.

I also continue to stitch this cloth:

And I completed this - a moment of wonder in the early morning when it was snowing at the cove which you may recognize, as it's based on a photo I took and previously posted on this blog. Other then the rectangular outline, I didn't draw any of it with a marker but used my eye and the machine, as I wanted to keep it fresh and alive - and I wasn't going for an exact rendering:

This will be in the exhibition and sale at the Victoria College of Art beginning this Friday night and continuing in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. Our class has covered alot of ground and there will be much to see, as well as all the work done by the other classes in various mediums.

Bare Bones

2011-03-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Alot can happen in a few days, and when I don't blog about it fairly promptly, my impetus to record it, fizzles, as I have moved on. Since my last entry, I have thread painted Tried Itajime shibori on wool and photo collaged it with this swan I met

Tried Mokume shibori on wool twice without getting a well defined pattern - perhaps felt's pile doesn't allow for the stitch lines to show well - or maybe there is something else I could try. I do love the look of resist dyed felt, though, and think it has alot of promise.

And here I was trying an overall shibori pattern on silk divided into six squares - three with blossoms and three with twelve lines of horizontal and vertical stitch. No clear pattern again, which was disappointing after all the stitching and knotting.

This last photo is from the Westshore Quilt Guild's show and is a machine from 1885 - love the curvy shape!

Exploring Further

2011-03-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

More shaving cream and dye exploration - I'm pleased with the marbled look: And making this was an interesting discovery... combining drawing with dye.

Here I've overdyed with tumeric and when I compare this to the overdye with Procion yellow I did, I much prefer this because it's not as loud and the previous colour shows through here and there, creating more depth.

Disappearing Stitches

2011-03-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I had an idea to dye some itajime moons first with grey and than to stitch mokume style onto them and dye each a seperate colour of the rainbow. The first one with Colorhue dye worked out pretty well, although the colours aren't to my liking. I repeated the process, this time using yellow Procion and when I removed the stitching, no pattern was evident. I'm not sure why - maybe the necessary longer batching time for Procion allowed the colour to seep into the crevices beneath the stitching? Maybe Procion and stitched shibori do not work well together. You can see the differences in the photo below between the plain moon, the pink mokume one, yellow Procion and the last one I used shaving cream and dye to pattern drifting clouds over.

When I was using the shaving foam, I noticed an interesting pattern of the dyes I was using on a lid and put this moon in it. I like the orange glow at the edges of these clouds.

I also experimented with creating woodgrain and a grid pattern with the lower right silk.

This one I swirled to look like a wood knot.

Patterns

2011-03-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of spring we are moving from darker days into more light. Signs like these new baby goats are emerging

and flowers.

The seasons are patterns in nature - interconnected as they merge from one to the next.

And some patterns are more spread out - long range, like last night's super moon.

Shibori in the Grass

2011-03-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

A shibori crocus - or at least that was my thought when this caught my eye on a walk. I am continuing to work with sequential use of the different types of dye that I have and am trying further stitch variations.

But not all of my stitches are being removed from fabric - I am leaving them in on my rabbit cloth.