resurrection fern

i am still here

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wishing i could escape to the sparkling indigo mountains under the light of the full moon

but in reality i have been busy with other things

hope we can all catch up soon

xo

m

 

natural dyed stripes

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i love digging into my pouch of naturally dyed vintage crochet cotton and making these tiny baskets

just the sort of thing that the bunnies that live in the land of resurrectionfern will be hiding their eggs in next weekend

xo

m

 

snow dyeing

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i came across a few description of icecube dyeing last weekend

they had not used  natural dyes

i was thinking of using icicles but suprisingly we didn't have very many of them around the house

but we did have plenty of snow!

I took a piece of unmordanted grey linen , dotted it with little snow piles and sprinkled them with powdered natural dyestuffs

i think i used pomegranate, teal and a touch of persimmon

left it outside in a sunny spot for a few days and then rinsed and heat set

i love the watercolor look to the linen

it would make a lovely background for an embroidery project

stars on indigo

.. ... my conpanion and i were alone with the stars: the misty river of the milky way flowing across the sky, the patterns of the constellations standing out bright and clear, a blazing planet low on the horizon rachel carson

... ... ... ... ... snow stars on tamarillo dyed linen freshly dipped in indigo   ***

more blues

i was taking stock of the indigo blues in my natural dyed stash and decided to make a larger vat

than the indigo baby by the stove mentioned in an earlier post.

i sort of follow the instructions on the Dharma website but I also use my chemists intuition to some extent when the smell or colour just doesn't seem quite right. I also realize that it is possible to have a negative experience when the indigo you purchase is "stale". This happened the first time I bought indigo but never again since that time. So if you are entering into the blue vat world, don't be discouraged if your first results are not what you expected. Try another supplier and give it another try.

On sunday morning I really sprung forward, waking up with a startle, remembering I had left the indgo vat on the kitchen table to bask in the sun all day. I had visions of indigo dyed cat paws and whiskers and little blue prints all over the house but thank goodness the visions were only in my mind and the vat and the cats were all safe and sound.

happy monday

xo

m

 

butterfly tunic

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the cover tunic from the book, i am cute dresses

with a few obvious modifications

i used all fabric i dyed myself with natural materials for the hand stitched butterfly

the tunic is a cotton/linen mix that has a lovely weight to it

the beautiful model is my daughter who was home from university last week

and the adorable cat , usher, who travelled home with her

deborah has requested a chambray version of this tunic for her birthday next week :)

oh a handknit pair of socks that are coming along nicely

have a lovely weekend

and if you live in canada don't forget to spring forward an hour on sunday

indigo humour

"i had no idea you could get pregnant by swimming naked in an indigo vat " said the stone to the wood slice.

"let's go somewhere warm and unwind a little " said the wood slice to the stone.

now its your turn to share the conversation you are hearing between the stone and the wood slice.

I am definitely in need of some laughter today.

xo

m

 

indigo in the snow

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the only natural dyeing i have done this winter is indigo

i have managed to keep a little indigo pot going all these long dark, cold months

it lives in the kitchen , by the stove

it is covered up in a hand felted tea cozy

with a handwritten not on it that says

"do not disturb indigo baby"

I have fed her a few times, stirred her on occasion

i tell her how much i appreciate her every time I am preparing a meal by the stove

and so far she seems content to continue to share her magical blue with my fibers and me

xo

m with the occasional blue hands

 

wearing thankfulness

life is something no one should ever take for granted

we should be thankful for every second, minute, hour or everyday

always

their is so much goodness

so many treasures

big and small

i am thankful i have a little free time in the evenings

to work on finishing up some of the pieces I started

I hope i can finish them before spring arrives and my

little brain is bursting with new ideas and my hands are

craving the dirt in the garden

i finished off one of my little wearable pouches

my gratitude pouch

i had an idea to fill it will little thank you notes, and little tiny presents

so when one is out gathering stones, or moss

one can leave nature a little gift in return

oh and thank you for listening

xo

m

it started with the center

the portion of the moth that is comprised of the head, thorax and abdomen

it started on a short lunch break at my office

i almost always have some natural dyed thread and a tiny crochet hook at hand

the tools for a few moments of relaxation

later on the weekend a trip into my baskets of natural dyed loveliness

a few snips and some tiny basting stitches

the beginning of a beautiful creature

a moth

not a particular species

but

a new one

not yet discovered

perhaps

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