Sunshine, Good Fortune and New Beginnings

Today, it feels like my birthday. The sun is shining, my garden is blooming and the postman loves me. Or at least it feels that way with all of the wonderful mail I have received the past couple of days, and not a red letter amongst it!


A month ago, I signed up to Nicola's Flickr group Spring inspired 'Clasheen Crafty Swap'. It is a really nice swap group and has been so much fun taking part. Not only do we make our swap partner a gift, but we send recipes, craft tips, tea, coffee, sweets and a small gift. It is so much fun making up the hampers to send, and waiting excitedly to receive my own mystery parcel. You can see some of the other swap parcels by visiting the link above. Thank you Nicola for organising this seasonal event. I have really enjoyed it.

A few weeks ago Lisa Achison of 'A Touch of Glass Designs' showed some interest in buying one of my scarves. I love Lisa's work so quickly seized the opportunity to suggest a trade instead of a sale.

The two pictures that you can see show the front and reverse of each bead. I was only expecting one bead so you can imagine how blessed I am feeling right now to have received two beautiful beads. Lisa's work is very inspired by nature, right down to the curves, colours and themes she uses. One bead, has a tree and full moon on it and a real leaf electrofoiled onto the back. I can't describe how exquisite her work is. Quite extraordinary. Thank you Lisa, your work is unique.

Yesterday, this beautiful card with Momo Luna's art print on it arrived. Momo is an amazing artist who works the patterns of the natural world into her art. She has some wonderful organic patterns. If you do not know Momo already, please pay her a visit. Thank you Momo.
I also wanted to show you some of the books I have been collecting. So much inspiration here! The Jenny Dean book of natural dye techniques that you can see on the bottom left hand side of the picture is a bargain at £3.60. If you have any interest in eco dye snap this book up while you can. What I really like about this book is that Jenny gives a colour chart of each dye she uses and the variations depending upon which mordant was used. It is laid out in such a user friendly fashion that I think it will be my constant companion this summer.

I won't have much time for blogging for a while. I am in the process of trying to find a new place to live which is that little bit harder as i am planning on leaving England to begin a new rural life in Wales. Exciting. I will also be meeting up with Susan 'Artsparker' while she is visiting relatives in England.

So, not much time for the computer or crafts for the immediate future, but know that I am happy, and thankful and will visit you all soon. Until then, enjoy the sunshine xx

An Eco Dyed 'Slow Cloth'

This scarf is nuno felted and embroidered on both sides of the silk. The silk nuno gauze was pre-dyed with onion skins using the solar dyeing method. At each end of the scarf, you will find additional nuno silk which has been naturally coloured in a dye bath of daffodils.

In many ways, this scarf was experimental for me. I have not tried layering nuno gauze prior to nuno felting before. It is the first time that I have laid wool and fibres both beneath the silk and on top of the silk prior to nuno felting and it is also the first time that I have tried to embroider on both sides of the felt.

I really love the variation of tones given by the onion skin dyed materials. The silk, where exposed, looks very pinkish brown like the rich fertile clay of the earth. The lilac dyed wool looks like a pale antique gold when laid out against the onion dyed wool.

I loved the scarf as it was, but have been reading a new book called 'Embroidery Techniques from East & West' by Munni Srivastava, and was desperate to try some of the ideas out. If, like for me, stitching has been limited to added an occasional bead or following a cross stitch pattern, then this book is perfect for you. It gives step by step instructions for simple, yet beautiful Indian embroidery techniques that can be used to compliment our own sewing skills. The book also gives a fascinating history of some of the origins of the techniques. I have been feeling very inspired by the shisha mirror work.

Shisha became very popular with the rise of the glass industry in the 17th century. Initially, shisha mirror work was developed by Mumtaz Begum, wife of Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in her memory. Mirrors and glass were auspicious and considered a protection against the 'evil eye'.

Today, shisha mirror work is very popular again both within and external to India. Cooperatives have formed which provide the women with the raw materials and design suggestions and buys the shisha work that the women are able to produce. This gives the women an economic freedom they have seldom had before and allows them to buy things for their kitchens and their daughters to make their lives less of a 'drudge'. Some of these cooperatives act as a support system for the women helping them with the costs of illness or debt.

It is really encouraging to know that if we buy good quality shisha mirror work, we are in some way helping improve the lives of women in India, allowing them to be the bread winners and take a little control of their own lives and destiny that they were previously unable to do.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this book and practicing the eastern embroidery techniques. Stitching onto felt is so gorgeous and gives me a great excuse to keep touching the softness of the fibres. I think I will continue further with this piece before listing it for sale.

Have a great week end xJ

Thinking Yellow

Hello. It seems like I have little to show of my own work of late. Maybe that is because my own work is slow, and takes a while to mature into fruition.

I have been busy with natural dye baths. Firstly, I dried out almost spent daffodils then boiled them into a dye pot using an alum mordant. Initially I had dyed angora, bamboo, merino, silk nuno gauze and silk tussah. The colours were very vibrant and enriching. However when I tried making nuno felt, it just did not work. After three failed attempts I started to doubt my own ability to make felt. I thought I had had time off and just lost the knack. Do you ever feel that way? It was a real crisis of confidence.

I had also tried dyeing barberry bark with the same alum mordant. Again, the colour had come out fantastically, but attempts to nuno felt were less than successful.

I had a Spring crafty swap with Nicola from Clasheen so I really had to put aside my felting doubts and create something that was spring inspired.

I created this nuno felted scarf using white nuno gauze, angora, lilac dyed merino, daffodil dyed bamboo and silk tussah.

I had recently bought some embroidery books. One, taught me how to use shisha mirrors. The mirrors seemed perfect for Spring, the dew, and the April showers.

Yellow can be such a gentle, yet inspiring colour.

And a wee while ago, I bought this limited edition print for my little girl from Joanne May. Isn't it magical! It really does radiate sunlight and cheer the soul. Thank you Jo x

Erosion Bundle (Part II)

My erosion bundle has rested in this hedge since I collected it from my dad's garden a couple of days ago.

You can imagine my disappointment when I found it, seemingly unchanged, tucked into the heart of this bay tree. It serves me right for not trusting myself to keep it suspended from a tree in my own garden. The temptation to peek or meddle would have been too much for me.

The gentleman's napkin that wrapped my little bundle, revealed things that I forgotten all about. Pine cones, heather, ears of barley, all damp from the rain.

Natural paper, and beech leaves, they seem so right together don't they?

A mixture of natural fibres. Wool of natural colour, or dyed with natural dyes. A small selection of pre-dyed wool that was given to me as a gift.


The heather has changed a lot. softer, less vivid in hue, mingled with alpaca wool.


A felted heart resting on some green cotton nuno gauze. I'm looking forward to playing with these.

And at the centre, another bundle with an acorn cup peaking out.


I enjoyed unrolling this nuno silk so much. Magical oak leaves...

Leaving their enchanting prints.

A label for the first felt kit I ever bought. A reminder of the artist who introduced me to felt, and made the shroud that I buried my baby girl in a year ago today.

Its funny how things turn out. I look back now, and find myself a changed person with new outlooks and skills. I marvel at some of my inspirational blogging friends that have also endured a lot. Who smile, create beauty, and share kind words.


You have all been a blessing in my life and today, I am feeling fine, optimistic.


I see so much potential for this bundle, and am thrilled with my silk prints.

Have a wonderful week end xJ

Fibre Experiments and Autumn Walks

From top left, going clockwise - Bamboo, green alpaca, merino, scoured Norwegian sheep wool.

Made into this large piece of fabric. My camera isn't really doing justice to the felt. The pattern is very pleasing. I was able to make this pattern because the wool had not been carded into rovings. I had to lay out each little bit at a time. My lovely P. helped me :) What you can't see in this picture are accents of green, navy and apricot alpaca running beneath the surface. You can't see the difference in texture between the bamboo and wool, which compliment each other very well.

I intend to make this into a granddad shirt (when I figure out how to use this sewing machine I just bought, quite a scary looking thing it is!)

Autumn leaves are like conkers, you just have to stop and look...


Pine cones smell wonderful on a log fire...

Peacock Scarf - Work in progress

I received my wool order yesterday. Lots of predyed alpaca wool, Wenslydale scoured wool, Norwegian scoured wool, hemp, cotton, bamboo and olive soap. I read somewhere recently that olive soap is best because it produces less suds.

So this is my first attempt at wet felting with alpaca wool. Linda of Fiber Fabrications kindly explained to me that:-

Sheep's wool is comprised of fibers made up of many, many scales that have barbs on the ends. (This is microscopically) Those barbs are what make wool prickly to many people. Alpaca fiber has much bigger scales that are smoother and do not have barbs.

The piece photographed above consists of 5 shades of alpaca wool, 2x green, 2x blue and apricot. I have scattered some bamboo fibres in between the layers and have also layered some cotton circles. My energy levels were flagging after a while so I hung the piece out to dry.

Its interesting seeing how different fibres behave. I found that the alpaca wool seems to take a lot more time to felt than merino wool and doesn't seem to have much shrinkage, but it looks incredibly silky when wet and is wonderfully soft.

The above piece will need a second wet felting session to make it functional as a scarf but I enjoyed taking time out to study it and the directions the fibres seem to be moving in. I think this transitional stage is very pretty.


If you are interested in learning more about alpaca's and alpaca wool crafts please visit Linda at Fiber Fabrications. Click HERE to see Linda's wonderful felt soap tutorial.