Dyeing in the Lud Valley with India Flint - Part 2

But wait... there's more... We moved swiftly onto the fabric, stitching all the pieces we used with our personal marks so we could identify them easily when they came out the cauldrons. A genius idea - otherwise there really would have been tears before bedtime!

Considering the similar technique used in the dyeing it was amazing the variety that was achieved. Different fabrics took up the dyes differently sometimes achieving radically different results from the same plant material.

This piece is one of mine, showing again the long eucalyptus leaves from Golden Bay. One of the things I have really noticed since doing the workshop was just how many gum trees there are in New Zealand. They are everywhere! Offering untold dyeing opportunities. I just love the shapes, colour and fragrance they impart on to the fabric.

It was a simply magical 5 days. At the end we wrote India  little note asking if we could do it all again in 2014.... which after due consideration she and Judy said yes to. So in a couple of weeks I am looking forward to a return workshop and another visit to the wonderful Lud Valley.

There are number of my fellow stitchers returning from last year for the workshop - I feel that we are something like the godwits returning after the long winter for another blessed summer experience.

Clearly this is a tale to be continued.....

Dyeing in the Lud Valley with India Flint - Part 1



 

In late January last year I was incredibly lucky to participate in a workshop with India Flint in the beautiful Lud valley, just outside Nelson. It was 5 perfect days of blue skies, creativity, surprises, experimentation, great company and unbelievably fantastic food. None of us could have asked for more. It felt like a true indulgence.

 

The setting was perfect. We were hosted by Judy Keylock and her family on their property in the Lud Valley which is fully organic and where Judy has been planting extensively for dyeing potential. It was nothing short of idyllic.

 

The firepit for the dyeing cauldrons was set up outside Judy's studio. 

 

We started each day outside around the circle of Queen Anne's Lace taking in the beauty of the environment and reflecting on the potential of the day.

India showed us some of her fabulous textiles as she introduced us to the possibilities of using leaves to mark cloth. They were even more breathtaking in the cloth than they look on India's blog and fabulous books, which I have spent many many hours pouring over.

 

 

 

The workshop was called the Wayfarers Wanderbook which focused on using the materials in our immediate environment to record out experiences in. Before starting onto the fabric we made watercolour paper books - here they are in the cauldrons, complimented by my shadow.

 

 

The marks varied between the bundles depending on the quality of the paper.

These were some of the page inserts I made for my book marked with eucalyptus that I had gathered when we had been holidaying in Golden Bay a few days before the workshop started, not exactly the immediate environment but special to me.

Then we moved onto the silks and wool that we had bought for dyeing..... more in the next post....

 

From little acorns grow mighty Oaks

Early in 2013 one of our oldest friends (and his gorgeous partner) had their first child. Naturally it was the cause for great celebration, as all new children are (or at least should be!). The first time father was 50 - my husband and I drew a deep breath....

Coincidentally Pete was an attendant at our wedding, just as David who I made the quilt for in March had been, so of course I started stitching. We went up to visit Pete, Catherine and the new baby, Oak, at the first opportunity. They live very near the top of the North Island in Paihia (we live at the very bottom of the island) so the visit didn't occur until April. Unfortunately the quilt wasn't ready so we took cushions for Oak - one with sailing ships to represent his father the boatie and the other with Union Jacks to represent his mother's heritage. I can't really imagine giving a non textile present so was pleased to be able to give these.

While we were visiting my boys took to referring to Oak as "mum's favourite drug". It appears I may have demonstrated signs of "cluckiness".... surely not....

Oak arrived a little early so he has a big name to grow into and I decided that he should also have a big quilt. I used the same round the world pattern that I had used for Sophie's quilt but used more boyish fabrics and lots that referred to his parents interests in the sea and the environment. It probably goes without saying that it also featured oak leaves which introduced the orange tones to the quilt. It passed muster and will keep him covered for quite a few years to come.

One of Oak's aunts had given him the most lovely eco dyed woollen shirt which was made by Helen Millen from Marlborough. It was fabulous! Another thing I need to try my hand at....

And this leads to a whole other story which I am yet to tell - my fabulous workshop with India Flint in Nelson....

February? Already??

How did it get to be February? This year seems to have raced away leaving my blog floundering in the wake. There has been no shortage of stitching featuring in my activities - first I had the challenge of getting the birthday quilt finished for my dear friend. There were many days of concentrated stitching leading up to us heading to the beach and the odd meltdown when I was convinced that I wasn't going to get there!

Thank goodness Marilyn was able to urge me on when things got hairy with the free motion quilting...

and the lines that just wouldn't stay straight! The quilt came to the beach with me so I could stitch down the binding in the evenings. The only thing not finished was the label which was stitched to the back of the quilt over a gin and tonic (it appears to be fairly straight!) after I had given it to it's new owner on her birthday. I'm happy to say that she loves it.

It was a tight finish to the deadline - never again....famous last words I suspect!!

So what else have I been doing? While up at the beach I played with a bit more eco dyeing. There was a huge eucalyptus tree on the property so it seemed a shame not to do something with all the leaves that were lying around. 

No sooner were we home than we headed to Queenstown for a family wedding - my job was to get the binding onto the quilt for the happy couple - accomplished but without a photo taken. What was I thinking?

Now that I am home, and life is reverting to normal (back to work, all the children back to school including our two boys starting at two different secondary schools on the same day... etc etc) I've turned my attention back to Frida and the amulets. I've started putting sashing between the blocks and getting it all put together. So exciting...

And best of all it's a long weekend here - with a fair wind behind me I hope to have the top all together before work beckons again on Tuesday.

Happy stitching where ever you are - and a belated Happy New Year.

More Luscious Distressed Threads

Here's a few more shots of the great fabrics that found their way back to my sewing room from Distressed Threads - thought you'd like to see more.

 No surprise that it was the indigo that caught my eye first....

What I love most is the texture through the colour - flat dyed fabric doesn't really do it for me, but throw in some texture and it's irresistable.

Whistling While I Wait

Still no sign of my border fabric but not being one to sit around I've been out and stitching at a new event that was held in Wellington last weekend, Fabrications. Organised by Capital Quilters, it was a great day with all the local Guilds represented, quilts on display and lots of wonderful vendors who hauled there merchandise into Lower Hutt to tempt us all.

The merchants put in lots of work to bring their wonderful fabrics, books and threads to the event to tempt us so I really felt that it was the least I could do to lighten their load for their return journey - doesn't that make me sound selfless?

Fortunately no-one there had the border fabric I am waiting for so instead I was able to be seduced by silk -

this is part of a silk sari which I will use as a scarf and Sari Twist which is made from sari remnants. I couldn't go past the colour - it will look wonderful couched down on something....

And then there were the fabrics from Distressed Threads - these had been bought up from Christchurch especially for the event. I'm sure you all know that Christchurch has had a really tough year with the earthquakes and the constantly changing landscapes of their city, so I thought the least I could do was to buy some of their wonderful fabrics.

I was thinking how good these would go with Japanese kimono fabrics to create something quite different and before I knew it I'd pulled together this rather luscious collection to come home with me. 

Once I took them back to our Guild stand to show them off we decided that really the Christchurch people needed more of a hand from us so we bought a collection of 18 fabrics to use as raffle prizes at Guild over the next few months. We were exclaiming with delight as we made our selection, causing much hilarity with those watching us.

These are a few of my favourites just to whet your appetite 

But wait there's more - then I spotted a few squares which just called out Freida Khalo to me - this is a project that's on the waiting list. Something for our guest room rather than something to give away, just for variety..

I ran into a friend there - Clare Smith from Textiles on the Edge who told me that I need to post more often on the blog. She is right.... so this next picture is especially for her.....I spent Sunday afternoon sewing badges onto Scout blankets. My boys went to jamboree in January and both bought back an absurdly large number of badges which I have been steadily ignoring all year. However in the last week the boys started trying to stitch them on themselves by hand - after watching them for a couple of nights I caved in and did them all myself on the machine. 66 badges on one blanket and 103 on the other. 

I never want to see another scout badge looking for a blanket ever again. See what you made me do Clare!!!

Tea and Eucalyptus

My first venture into eco dyeing has rapidly led to my second - I fear this could rapidly become habit forming.  

This time it was a second go for my eucalyptus leaves and to liven things up I popped in a few tea bags. 

The results were really impressive and were enhanced by the dye migration from the coloured silk which was left stitched onto the sleeve lining on this kimono silk.

It should probably come as no surprise that the undyed piece is currently bubbling away.

I'm almost certain that it will bear little relation to its pre-dyed companion sleeve. Time will tell.

The First Big Reveal

Time to reveal my dyeing results - it was all a big experiment and one we all enjoyed. Even my boys were fascinated by just what I was doing and what the results were going to be. The wool I used to tie the bunble truned from a bright blue to a olive green - very effective. I'm sure I should have used significantly less that I did - next time...

I thought the silk looked wonderful up against the back wall - the peeling paint looking just as distressed as the variable colours across the silk.

Now that the silk has dried I'm chain stitching around the ghostly figures of the gum leaves. It's a very relaxing thing to do, outlining the odd partial shapes. The ghost leaves intrigue me, particularly as they came from the local cemetry - like whispers of the past.

Not quite sure where it is taking me yet - time will tell but I have a few ideas bubbling away. In the meantime I'm planning the next boil up to see what else I can conjure up out of next to nothing. Lots of fun - many thanks to India Flint for the ideas, inspiration and information in her two beautiful books. They are a feast to the eyes and imagination.

Less thinking, More doing

I decided that this was the weekend that I would finally stop all the good intentions, stop the thinking and actually get started on the applique quilt.

And I am pleased to say that I have succeeded - it appears that I can actually do machine applique, even if I have have spent months convincing myself that it would be beyond me.

Clearly this is one of my real obstacles to creating - over thinking things instead of just getting on and doing it.

So while I was at it I also got cracking and put together my first ever bundle of dyeing - its sitting in the pot cooling down as I type. Eucalyptus leaves gathered from Karori Cemetery and rolled onto some kimono silk that I have had patiently waiting for just this purpose.

Can't wait to get it unwrapped tomorrow and see what has happened now that I have finally got through the thinking stage and onto the doing.