I found some cloth I had dye painted and discharged a few years back.   It never did work.
So, with the batik pot to hand I did this

wavy lines and spots

after a few dips in the indigo vat it now looks like this

better than before   if nothing else it will make a good backing cloth

a little pile of indigo pieces

it is raining the garden is loving it

no more dyeing for a week or so

we've off to Cornwall for a break

Revisiting

Another three weeks have whizzed by without blogging.   I must have
been a) enjoying myself, b) really busy, or c) refining my juggling skills.
A mixture of all three really.

My workshops for the year are now finished.   Two shibori/procion days
extremely colourful.    The final on kantha stitching very quiet and calm.

I will be taking a Shibori in Colour workshop
on 20th January 2013.   For details contact
Walford Mill  Wimborne, Dorset





End of year tidy up - all those files, samples and notes redefined.   They
multiply through the year!    I am finding I do have space in cupboards,
once the 'on longer required on journey' stuff is discarded.

Paperwork almost done, and I can see surfaces again.    

To maintain some sanity I had to have some stitching to hand.   Of course,
on the wall is Blue Moon, a quilt I finished on New Year's Eve, 2009! 
It is constructed from recycled white fabric, gathered over months.  Dyed,
mark making with soy wax and over dyed.    Lack of time required machine
quilting, which I always intended to hand quilt.  It's time has come!

hanging on the wall along with Nic's illustrations

for our family exhibition Raw Talent 

from this

to this

via this

I am so enjoying the result.   This might be my winter project!   There is a

lot of stitching yet to be done.

Nic is on tour with The Paper Cinema's production of the Odyssey until

the end of November.    It could be coming to a town near you!   

time to ponder

I am loving this weather.   I feel energised.   The long blue sky hot days are full.

Tending the gardening, stitching in the shade, and, late afternoon finding time

to wake up the vat.

I have been thinking 'what if's'

putting paper under the fabric when drawing batik lines

and then dipping it into the vat?

starting the line on a scrap of fabric so I can

capture the moon flowers?

printing with old potatoes found in The Big Shed

this morning an early trip to Wimborne Market, the first 

time this year sans coat and fingerless mittens

we bought tomato, pepper and bedding plants

plus herbs, dill, coriander and French parsley

now to some housework, we have guests this weekend.

out of the vat

Today it is bright and sunny, but there is a nip in the air.  Frost on the cars 
first thing, brrrr.  Glad I took advantage of warm days last week for a couple of 
bucketfuls of indigo.

a little picture show of some of the fabric that emerged from the blue

thin stripes

brushstrokes

pole wrapping

bound

tied

mokumi

and, for fun, a hippie swirl
SOLD

there is also plain dye indigo, scrunched and clamped

plus fine cotton thread

my indigo cupboard does not look quite so empty now

This week I am, at last, setting up a website.   My store will be revamped and 

appearing on the site very soon,  as long as I can get my head round the 

technicalities!  A bit of a brain work out I think.

To start, I will offer indigo packs of 12 5" squares and scrap bags with lots of small 

but useful pieces.   Procion dyed thread packs, fabrics and embellishments.

If you can't wait for the website to open, or would like some larger pieces before

they get cut up, contact me!

From the wax pot

Just for a change

brush strokes

lines

and spots

on each piece a dark indigo background,

the marks are medium and light.  By

design, of course!

still catching up

It's lovely being a bit busy, a bit lazy and just doing - for the moment!

I rediscovered these pix from the last indigo dyeing session before

DAW.  Velvet and muslin scarves mainly, plus a little batik.

As a treat I bought these fab long handled tjantings.

Sparkling copper bowls, three different shaped

spouts, plus a double spout.  I doodled.

Here's the piece again on the line with

muslin scarves - third dip.  You'll have

to imagine!

Scrunchy marks on velvet.

I will be having Saturday Indigo days in August.

For more information, mail me, if you live

close by.

Must go and tidy myself up.   Open the dressing up

box for a suitable Indian outfit.  Giving a talk on Indian

textiles and a hands on dyeing session to teachers

as a Creative Twilight Session.

old shirts

Earlier this year I treated myself to a Batik

Wax Pot. This week was time to get down

to business. The recycled shirts have been

dyed, over dyed and the final process,

a touch of batik.

Here's one block, free cut and pieced.

Ages since I've gathered a large selection

of oddments and recycled fabrics. What

initially seems a huge pile quickly becomes

small. I have a feeling I am going to have

another forage today for more plain shirts,

old pillow cases etc.