Time out

A week of doing a bit of this and that,

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.

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.

Pots - Part IV

The last in the Journal Quilt series Pots

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!

Not one but two

 for Little Gem Quilts.

Petit Bleu - raw edged patchwork.

Millefiori - strip patchwork

Call for more Little Gems!  

Things that lurk

Today has been in turns, interesting and boring.

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.

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

The Devils Dye

Back in the mists of time, well January, I promised

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