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

Make do and mend

From BBC Radio 4 to the Sunday Observer Magazine, articles 

are appearing on ways to save money and save the planet etc.   

How to hem, darn, sew ona button.  Knit, crochet, patchwork.   

I think I have heard this all before.

But, hey, it's good.  Now we can all feel justified with the little 

hordes of saved string, brown paper and 'things' that might 

come in useful.   

Mending - I have a small Pfaff sewing machine, basic but 

light enough to take to workshops.  I left it at The Mill in a 

cupboard for several weeks, only to find when next required 

the bobbin race had rusted.   Enter John the Sewing Machine 

man.  Brilliant, got the wire brush out, reburnished the casing 

and it is as good a new.

Making do - instructions to use the machine to get it really 

going again. Just the thing, one of the Journal Quilts on my list.   

This one is for the group Infinity.   Subject - Glass.

Raided my inherited button boxes for glass buttons, the scrap 

bag for fabric.   Glass beads and shisha.   Tick.

A suitable case for ..............

Today, amongst other things, I managed to wrap 

another couple of poles.Small diameter plumbing 

pipes, not small diameter plumbers pipes as I said

in last post.  (No thin plumbers to be seen).

I used thicker fabric this time, so the dye did not 

penetrate all the folds.  Interesting shapes nevertheless.   

The fabric has been overdyed.  Next move?  

Perhaps printing or discharge.

 

I've been taking time out, walking on the Purbeck Coast, lots of fluffy 

sheep and lambs;  hacking through the overgrown hedges and shrubs.

It always amazes me how much stuff is generated when 'gently' 

pruning;  and generally just being outside enjoying the sun.

Conservatory is coming on - shelves on walls, and in the cupboard 

under the sink.  A great deal of sorting and 'filing' of dyeing and silk 

screening paraphernalia.   Can't throw any of it away, really!    

However, I can get back to some dyeing, and first off some samples 

for my next shibori class on pole wrapping.

We only have a two hour slot, not enough time for big 'poles', so 

I have made up samples using small diameter plumbers pipes.

Three poles wrapped in different ways,

laying in soda solution

Dyed

Unwrapped

No.1 - Wrapped round pole without edges touching

No. 2 - Fabric manipulated to fit pole

No. 3 - Fabric folded before wrapping

I like the last piece especially.  Think I might

try some alternative folding tomorrow.

It's Spring

Daffodils

Iris

Primroses

and a new shiny sink.

       The conservatory is looking good.  Pine doors and shelves 

         re-varnished, with a slightly distressed look at the bottom of 

           the door.   Well, all those years of dyeing just had to leave 

             their mark.   Shelves to be put up for storage, ready for 

dyeing workshops in the summer.

            What a gorgeous day.  The first taste of warmth this year.  

          Perhaps I will abandon work indoors and escape to the 

green gym.   

More threads

Back to India! I was given an introduction to 

Alimohammed, a true master dyer. 

He gave me permission to photo his experiments with

natural dyes and different mordants.   Very subtle, 

especially on different weights of silk fabric

This piece of cloth was drying on the line,

and 'untied' to reveal the colours.

Isn't it gorgous?   The colours are more vibrant than shown.

Indigo background, rust orange and deep cream.

I managed two very short meetings, time was short.

I shared with him my method of colour stripping

indigo, and he was a mine of information and very

generous with his knowledge.   The pots, bags and

jars of leaves, bark, powder and gum in his dyeing 

studio were intriguing.  It was also very hot - outside

 temp 33c, inside roaring fire and steaming vats.

Now I have met Alimohammed,  I shall make 

sure I visit again and perhaps get to do some 

dyeing with him.