Saturday, 1 September 2012
Soursob Surprises
The skein of wool left to cool in the Soursob dyepot overnight has turned out the most fluro yellow, it almost hurts to look at it ha ha. The pic below doesn't do it justice at all!
Adding an iron nail to the pot and a teabag of onion skins I was hoping to get a nice green but......... as usual I was wrong but still really happy with
the deep golds happening on wool fibres. The cotton and silk garments are a deep yellow but may change overnight as the magic pot brews along :)
Just love the surprising nature of this process don't you?? :)
Adding an iron nail to the pot and a teabag of onion skins I was hoping to get a nice green but......... as usual I was wrong but still really happy with
the deep golds happening on wool fibres. The cotton and silk garments are a deep yellow but may change overnight as the magic pot brews along :)
Just love the surprising nature of this process don't you?? :)
Friday, 31 August 2012
Sunny Yellow Soursob
The Big Spring Clean is nearly at an end thank goodness. Uncovering the sewing room was like an archeological dig!
The sewing room is now the guest room and my son's old room is now the craft/sewing room :)
Anyhoooooo enough domesticity and onto some dyepots. Simmering away on the fire is an aluminum pot of rainwater and a frozen Soursob teabag made from an old stocking. A skein of merino 8ply wool is taking up a beautiful luminous yellow.
Tomorrow I will use the same dye bath but with an iron nail added to color another skein of wool. I'm hoping for a bright green but you just never know how the dye dice will roll ha ha ha.
The sewing room is now the guest room and my son's old room is now the craft/sewing room :)
Anyhoooooo enough domesticity and onto some dyepots. Simmering away on the fire is an aluminum pot of rainwater and a frozen Soursob teabag made from an old stocking. A skein of merino 8ply wool is taking up a beautiful luminous yellow.
Tomorrow I will use the same dye bath but with an iron nail added to color another skein of wool. I'm hoping for a bright green but you just never know how the dye dice will roll ha ha ha.
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Craving an Art Fix!
Well having waited hand n foot upon the invalid (hubby had knee surgery) and made inroads on The Big Spring Clean I'm just itchin to get stitchin :)
The Soursob or sour grass as some people call it (oxalis) is in full bloom so picking has been very fruitful. I find if I pick a shopping bag full per day then freeze it I can smash the frozen oxalis down to quite a small size to store in the freezer. It makes a wonderful yellow dye and with addition of various mordants or the use of pots as mordants you can achieve some wonderful greens and even oranges :)
The Soursob or sour grass as some people call it (oxalis) is in full bloom so picking has been very fruitful. I find if I pick a shopping bag full per day then freeze it I can smash the frozen oxalis down to quite a small size to store in the freezer. It makes a wonderful yellow dye and with addition of various mordants or the use of pots as mordants you can achieve some wonderful greens and even oranges :)
Thursday, 9 August 2012
The Mushroom Fairy?
When in the throws of a mad spring cleaning my husband commented that I looked like a giant brown mushroom fairy???? Hmmmmm.....
I have posted a pic below :) I'm wearing the nice warm 'Dr Flannel' 100% wool shirt that I dyed with coffee and seaweed in Tasmania with my long sleeved cotton T ecoprinted with kangaroo paw and my 'birthday tights' :)
The tights are merino wool ecoprinted by my wonderful pal Jane and given to me for my 50th birthday....and aren't they snazzy!
If ur a Facebooker check out her gallery at 'Folios and Fibre' for luscious handmade books and textiles :)
I have posted a pic below :) I'm wearing the nice warm 'Dr Flannel' 100% wool shirt that I dyed with coffee and seaweed in Tasmania with my long sleeved cotton T ecoprinted with kangaroo paw and my 'birthday tights' :)
The tights are merino wool ecoprinted by my wonderful pal Jane and given to me for my 50th birthday....and aren't they snazzy!
If ur a Facebooker check out her gallery at 'Folios and Fibre' for luscious handmade books and textiles :)
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Where HAS she been??
Got laid low for a bit when I returned home with a nasty ear infection but I'm on the mend now :)
Oh my goodness it's been hectic trying to sort out the chaos my 5wks away seems to have wrought on my house ha ha. Bless em the lads have tried but...well.... It's been 'man-cleaned' need I say more?
Catching up with family has been a joy tho :)
Can't wait to hit the dye pots again but a massive downsize/spring clean is afoot first. Living minimally on my retreat has given me some interesting insights into myself. Time to get a tad more organized! :) I can hear my family and friends Bwahahaha-ing already lol :) but seriously it's time to 'pay it forward'
Oh my goodness it's been hectic trying to sort out the chaos my 5wks away seems to have wrought on my house ha ha. Bless em the lads have tried but...well.... It's been 'man-cleaned' need I say more?
Catching up with family has been a joy tho :)
Can't wait to hit the dye pots again but a massive downsize/spring clean is afoot first. Living minimally on my retreat has given me some interesting insights into myself. Time to get a tad more organized! :) I can hear my family and friends Bwahahaha-ing already lol :) but seriously it's time to 'pay it forward'
Monday, 23 July 2012
Last of the Leisurely Long Walks at Nubes
Such a beautiful twilight walk over the mudflats of the bay last night that I just had to share.....
Back to the reality of bustling airports and peak hour traffic today :(
Back to the reality of bustling airports and peak hour traffic today :(
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