After Kerry Mason’s talk, there was time for a quick lunch at the Habitat Cafe on the Royal Roads University campus before walking across the road to the edge of the forest. Gaia College instructor, ecological landscape designer and consultant, Manon Tremblay (centre) took the first group upstream for their walk in the forest. She […]
Read More...I want to make another post about the Vancouver Island Surface Design Association’s current exhibition because every work is such an excellent example of the many techniques fibre artist’s have to work with. The above detail is Linda Elias’s “Beet Harvest” where she used actual beets and leaves on a Gelli-plate to print on the […]
Read More...Continuing with a diary about how I use spaces in my new studio, as requested, I have used the crawl space. During the Green Shed Open House, a friend offered me some of her Japanese indigo harvest. How wonderful. I visited her and came back with many large bundles of freshly cut indigo. I couldn’t deal […]
Read More...The tourist brochures talk of being in the Fez medina as stepping back into the Middle Ages. Many traditional skills are still practiced and old-world services still offered. This likely to be one of the reasons why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you want a worn article of clothing freshened up, visit […]
Read More...After a very busy summer with a family wedding and lots of company, I am back in the studio. With so much time off I need to re-establish a work routine. Having started 4 new projects this week is helping. I move from one project to the next and studio time flies by. I can […]
Read More...While on a ‘Girls’ Weekend’ at the ranch we did some Bengala dyeing. Rose and Kerry tie stones into a tea towel. Norma kneads a white t-shirt she is overdyeing. Rose, Gail and Norma hard at work. Rose taking out the stones. The results
Read More...The Fairy Ring mushrooms, lichens and bark had been wrapped in a wool blanket for over month. It was time to take the bundle down to the pond and unwrap it. Looking good but rather smelly. It needed a good wash. Some interesting marks I could work with. My Garden Tower after a week. We […]
Read More...This wool blanket is special. It was produced in the UK sometime between 1941 and 1952 when the government set strict standards for UK produced products, to aid the war economy. The Price Control Mark label specifies this blanket, NPC 880, was guaranteed to contain 2 pounds of wool and had a set price of […]
Read More...For a while I have been thinking about dyeing with fungi and lichens. When the fairy rings appeared in the lawn I took it as a sign. Fairy Ring Mushroom (Marasmius oreacles) My mushroom book says they are edible but doesn’t mention anything about their dye potential. I scraped a variety of lichens off the […]
Read More...Daughter Elizabeth is good at coming up with creative solutions. We were planning to do some dyeing outside and wondering how to set things up. This was her solution using things on hand: an old firewood stacking frame and a door. The set up. Note the perfect hat I have found for working outside in the sun. […]
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