A Few Minor Repairs

Still plowing my way through the unfinished projects and minor repairs on my sewing chair.
I don't like tshirts with tight necklines so I usually cut then off and either stitch or crochet around the raw edges. This time I tried a different method. I dry felted or needle felted some merino roving around the raw edges with what I think is a very nice result :)

Mumma's Gift cont...

Way back at the end of October I started to make a journal cover for a talented poet. At last I've finished it.

Finishing off the Year

Having a bit of a quiet Christmas this year as most of the family are away working. I'm using the time to complete projects I've started throughout the year and put down to start something more exciting. I can have a propensity to get bored quickly and move on which makes my sewing chair drown in unfinished projects. Anyway I'm plodding on through the archeological dig to clear the chair. Few pics of finished items below.
Rag rug from old sheets.
Embroidery on top dyed with avocado pits.
Cot quilt for baby grandson made from dye experiment scraps.
Will post more as I finish them :)

The Sloppy Possum

When I was in Tasmania this year I did lots of dye experiments using local plants and whatever I had laying about in the pantry on skeins of merino wool.
Well I've finally done something with them.
I really needed a sweater that was loose and comfy but with 3/4 length sleeves so they don't get in the way when I'm working. After hunting through my knitting and crochet patterns I just couldn't find what I needed. Sooooo the 'Sloppy Possum was created. No rhyme or reason to the colour scheme just using up sample scraps. List of dyes below.
Soursob (with and without iron nail mordant)
Kangaroo paw rhizome
Driftwood log pulp
Cocoa
Coffee (instant and used grounds)
Raspberry cordial
Blackberry cordial
Natural wool

Some more pics from the ironing board...

Patterns emerging from the wrinkles..

Finding the Forest Fae

One of my favourite steps in the creation of slow cloth is the ironing.
Now don't freak out, ordinarily you wouldn't find me anywhere near an iron ha ha but I find it really relaxing steaming out all the wrinkles and discovering small treasures amongst leaf prints and foliage patterns.
I think I found one of the forest Fae peeking back at me from this cloth...

Very Pleasing Indeed....

Couldn't stand it, had to open 'the grub'.......
Wowsers....very pleasing indeed!
The old kingsize cotton bed sheet I used as a blotter is the real butterfly I think.
Hmmmm.....lovely cool summer frock, maybe some fishermans pants n top???? Oh the Possumbilities :)
A few snaps below of the unwrapping.

The 'Not so Pleasing' pieces of cloth...

Sometimes a 'wrapping' can be a bit disappointing but this is all part of the learning process. I've had some 'not so pleasing' pieces of cloth lurking (sulking I think) in the workroom waiting for inspiration to hit.
After my play date with some of the local Felters I still had a box of leftover foliage so decided to 'go for broke' ha ha. The box was full of mainly WA native plants and a few NZ flax flowers. The cloth had been wrapped in an old piece of very large chain in a previous dyepot and as you can see from the pics below it reacted very strongly to give such a deep black. I personally didn't much care for it but some of my pals liked it. Anyhoooo I've rewrapped the cloth with all of the leftover plant material then soaked the bundle in some fermented mulberries overnight.
Big wraps need big pots! I had to bring the cauldron in from outside and balance it on the stove in my kitchen. I was toooo impatient to wait for the stormy weather to clear up to use my outside fireplace. I steamed this one and the pics below show a lot of colour seeping thru the cover sheet so do hope the 'not so pleasing cloth' has turned from a grub to a butterfly....
Just 'dyeing' to open it but patience, patience, patience. Hmmm not one of my virtues I'm afraid, lets hope I can hang out long enough for the magic to happen :)

Cloth of WA

I had some leftover hemp/silk from cutting out a wedding dress so I decided to bundle it up with as many wa plants that I could find close by.
I've used Woody Pear, WA Peppermint trees, tuart, WA Christmas bush (nutsyia) bushy yate, banksia, grevillea, bottlebrush and kangaroo paw but threw in a few NZ flax plant flowers cos they are blossoming like mad in my garden.
I'm sure it would have benefited from leaving it wrapped for a good deal longer but my impatience won the day....
Will try for better pics when it's dry and ironed :)