A Crown of Autumn Leaves

When autumn gathers, the tree

That the leaves sang

Reddens dark slowly, then, suddenly free,

Turns like a key,

Opening air where they hang

Felt by Yvette Cals
Poetry by Annie Finch

Nuno Felt and Solar Dye

My washing line shows projects that I have had on a back burner for quite a while now. To the left is a solar dyed silk that I created in the Spring before moving house. To the right you can see a large nuno felt that I have made with tussah silk and Blue Faced Leicester curls detail.

I have really liked the textured detail that can be created when using curls in nuno felt and thought that it would be a great effect for a net curtain/blind for a window.

I live in a traditional cottage with low ceilings and big black beams. The windows are cut out of 3ft thick stone walls so not much natural light gets through. Even if it did, the view onto the street is not so attractive and the weather to come will be wet and windy.

I thought plain nuno blinds would offer a warm comforting feel to the room, while still allowing natural light to diffuse into the room. I like both the curly and the silk side so this fabric offers a versatility to suit different looks and moods.

Initially I had planned to make the blinds out of the solar dyed silks, but I late felt that the patterns would make the room feel too crowded (it is a very small room).

Back in the spring my camellia tree blessed me with so many flowers. The picture to the left shows the colour the camellia's gave. It was very surprising to see such a deep purple come out of these red/pink flowers. The colour was initially much deeper than this, a rich violet, but it degraded so quickly. I left the fibres in too long. Next Spring, I intend to put the fibres and silks into the dye solution and take them out within ten minutes in order to capture this wonderful colour. I won't know how fast the colour will be, but even if I only have it for a short while before it fades I will be one very happy bunny.

The second picture shows the wet petal pulp remains from the dye pot being laid out onto silk before being rolled into a bundle, popped in a jar and left for a month to solar dye on the window sill. I much prefer this method of solar dyeing bundles to the filling the jar with water. I find the watery solution grows mouldy very quickly and gives a terrible smell and the results aren't as good as this. But I have seen other artists achieve wonderful things with their wet solar dye bundles so I will give it another go soon.

The picture to the left above shows the rust and purple tones of the silk and the picture to the right hand side shows the solar dyed silk being held in front of the white nuno to give a better idea of how the colours will mute if nuno felted. I think I will make something with double layers of silk over lapping for contrast. Watch this space :)

Going for Green

With this piece, I was aiming for texture. I am happy with the Nowegian curls and how they have bonded with the silk. I tried to dye this felt green using red onion skins and alum. I'm not sure about the shade. Maybe a little too mustardy? I am finding green a tricky shade to achieve, it seems that there is a need to over dye blue with yellow, or yellow with blue. I have some indigo seedlings on my window sill. We shall see what the summer has in store.

I hope that your summer is bringing you joy xJ

Onions

Just a quick note to say thank you all for your well wishes with my house hunting. Sorry I have not time to reply to you all individually.

Here are some pictures of my latest nuno felted scarf embroidered using some of the eastern techniques. The silk was solar dyed with onion skins with the exception of a little silk layering at the ends which was dyed in a bath of daffodils. The merino wool was dyed in onion skins. The chocolate coloured spots are the natural tones of vicuna fibre.

Have a wonderful week end and enjoy the heat wave xJ

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

Green

My Magic Carpet Ride (Part 2)

I have been really busy this week making accessories, brooches, hair slides, earrings, scarfs, and experimenting with new ideas and fibres. The necklace you can see to the top left is a nuno felted bohemian shabby vintage style, if that style exists. It fastens with antique mother of pearl buttons dated from the 1930's, glass seed beads and swarovski crystals. The scarfette to the bottom right was nuno felted with linen noil, bamboo, angora, cashmere, vicuna, possum, merino and tussah silk. I wanted to try out all of the new fibres on one piece so that i could test how they work with nuno felting. It is a lovely scarfette. I will take better pictures in the morning and list the items in the Bazaar.

The rest of my One World One Heart prizes arrived. The felted cushion (which is much more beautiful than the photo shows) was made by Gabriella of Threadheads Anonymous. The cushion was Gabriella's first felt project and she has done a wonderful job. The art cards were a gift from Barbara at Barbs Garden, and the mushroom guide, heart brooch and paper doll were a gift from Emily of the Edge Gallery. Thank you all, I will be popping all of my thank you cards in the post tomorrow :)

My daughter really loved the doll and the brooch and has spent all week end making her own (with a little assistance from her grown up helpers).

I would like to quickly introduce you to some of the other wonderful blogs I that have encountered on my carpet ride. Click on the images to visit the blogs.

Shayna Prentice of Needle Woven Studio


Cheryl Dolby of Healing Woman

Julie Mitchell of When the Spirit Moves Me