Wednesday 29 April 2009

Time out

paperwork, organizing summer workshops,
playing with dyes and paints.  Enjoying the
garden and heavy April showers - listen to
the plants sigh.  Everything in the garden
is bursting into life .

So now for a relaxing weekend with my
friend Mary and her husband Andrew.
The Suffolk coast, wild and untamed.
Keith will play golf with Andrew, and I
guess Mary and I will just hang out in 
familiar places and relax.


Thursday 23 April 2009

And relax

A disjointed week.   Two workshops at the beginning;
father in law's 91st birthday - a little family gathering;
visit to the dentist, and something nasty in my foot!
Well, if I will wander around in the garden with no
shoes on it isn't really surprising.  Ouch.

The spring weather is warm, the garden is
bursting with life - wonderful fern fronds
uncurling.   I think I will take a little time
out, looking slowly and enjoying pottering
for a day or two.


Tuesday 14 April 2009

Pots - Part IV

for the Contemporary Quilt Group.

No I - very tight - machine and applique.
No 2 - Printed patterns and hand stitching.
No 3 - Texture and very loose.
No 4 - Screen print with
free machine stitching.

Very interesting exercise.  Leaping out
of all known comfort zones.  I like where
I ended up though!


Now for the next series!

Friday 10 April 2009

Not one but two


Petit Bleu - raw edged patchwork.

Millefiori - strip patchwork

Call for more Little Gems!  

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Things that lurk


You know files lurk and grow on the computer, with
stuff no longer required on journey.   Crisis call on
revisiting Indian Applique workshop file for a
forth coming workshop - oh no,can't open documents. 
 But I have a man who can.  Phew!   So today 
computer housekeeping.  Trashcan full up - amazing 
things appear.  Why?  There must have been a reason.   
Printing hard copies,then burning CDs'.  
Golden halo surrounds head,

Attention deficit syndrome also apparent.  Not to
say the above was mind bending /boring.  The
mind drifts, and one thing led to another and
look what I discovered, both keeping each
other company in a secret corner.


Kuba cloth bought when I was teaching in South Africa
a couple of years ago.   This is seriously gorgeous.
Note to self - do not put back in corner - find a space
on the wall to stand and admire.


Parch Marks

A little trip into the world of rust dyeing, mono printing and
minimal stitching by moi a couple of years ago.  Mounted
on a stretched canvas screen - that was fun!

Enough for one day.  Time for a glass of red, and some
creativity in the kitchen.

Sunday 5 April 2009

Travelling Workshop

The workshop road show season is now in session!
Yesterday I took a workshops on Shibori with the
Avon Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers.
A beautiful drive through Dorset and Wiltshire,
managed to stop the car turning right for a retail
experience in Bath, and on to Long Ashton, which
is really long, outside Bristol.

 A fabulous group of ladies, and a real treat,
I got to meet a fellow blogger Sue.
We all worked hard, many shibori bundles
were dyed, and taken home for a grand
opening today - hope they remember
to wear their rubber gloves!

As ever, no time to take any photos!



Happy Tree

Friday 3 April 2009

The Devils Dye

a photo of the long and skinny indigo quilt exhibited
in The Spice Route exhibition.   At last!

Raw edge 'patchwork' made up with indigo dyed fabrics,
silk, rayon, cotton to name a few.  Textures include
shibori - stitching, wrapping and clamped;  discharge/
colour stripping - block printing and brush marks.

Why The Devils Dye?   Indigo was said to be worth
it's weight in gold.   Because of the damage to the
 European woad industry attempts were made
to ban the import of indigo on the pain of death.


size 122 x 26 cm