Day three, when ever that was (i’m losing track of what day i worked on what piece for this commission):
Added a bit more shading as well. Though i don’t want the figures to stand out too much once they’ve been applied to the background, i want them to integrate a bit more as well. That slight purple addition references some of the shades of brazilwood on the main cloth.
Day whatever, but as of March 14th:
The left panel is within two hours of being done, at least the hex memory part……
Oh MY. It’s the annual “Clear all this crap, WTF was i thinking keeping this?” time. I’ve been going though boxes and piled bags, big Rubbermaids and small mystery piles, pulling out crap and good stuff and more crap, and getting rid of it. No more shuffling it into new piles or boxes, not gonna use it, LOSE it!!!
A few delights along the way though.
I don’t have this piece of fabric anymore, but i did find the metal “flowers” that left the marks. Set that aside for res work.
In one box, i discovered dozens of separating zippers, still in their original packaging, from the days of my wearable art business—1999!!!!! (That number looks so wrong now that we’re in the 2000’S….) I found plant saucers, sheer synthetic uglies, empty journals, full journals (half of which are not worth keeping, though i still have sketchbooks dating back to ’93 that i consider “valuable”), dried eucalyptus leaves, bags of rubber bands, patterns i haven’t touched for 20 years at least, bundles of fabrics tied together from when i mass produced bags (all cut and ready to stitch), a lot of paper garbage, scraps too tiny for even the savviest of hoarders to use and clumps of hair where obviously some animal we’ve had made a nest.
I apparently also have a plastic bag fetish, a secret one even to myself, as i had no idea that i have stored in various other plastic bags, enough to fill two large garbage bags……..pitched it in the recycle bin of course, not the garbage.
I managed to sort my cottons (and other “naturals”) into white solids for dyeing, and coloured solids for over-dyeing, by emptying 2 Rubbermaids that were filled with definitely what would be considered Crap with a capital S. Though i don’t sew clothes for myself anymore, i still can’t bear to part with a few yardages, but most of it is going going gone to UjaamaGramma donations.
I wish i could find someone who was truly interested in a collection of at least 100 Threads magazines.
Somehow i have three containers of indigo, and several of soda ash. And more measuring cups and spoons that you can poke a snake at. On the bright side, i have two boxes of ecoprint “fails” that are destined for indigo over-dyeing.
I figure by the time i’m done, i should have at least 5 very large garbage bags full of stuff to donate, and 3 to either recycle or huck in the Gar-bahj. Even if it doesn’t sell for the Grammas to use the funds from, some will get shipped after to places/people who can use it in some form. The last bits are today’s plan.
There’s floor space again.
At least on most of the major work of the left panel!
This piece is huge and still has lots of area to work, but it bodes well so far.
I’m hoping to have coffee in the next two weeks with my “Patron”–a little nerve wracking, but also quite excited to be able to show the real thing to the person who commissioned this.
Part of this weekend also has me headed into the storage room where there are at least 10 big Rubbermaids to go through–i’m clearing out a lot of “commercial” fabric for donating to UjaamaGrammas.
Chipping away at this and that amongst the dyeing days. The left panel has small areas to finish, spread over the whole so tonight will be the zone for completing all that!
Sideways or it has to be “scrolled” to see!!!
I’m almost done the first figure, also for this piece. Patience and dexterity are being called into play there. Also have to wear stronger glasses! I’m further along than the photo suggests, but i haven’t time this morning before heading off to the DayJob to re-photograph.
HA!!!!!!!!!!! After 7 years and some grey hairs, i’m finally getting my “true” oranges in natural dyeing.
Annatto results from 2010—-corrections for silk types added today— i was still learning about silk, as i’d never used it before in *anything*, believe it or not!
The “Way Back Machine” aka my own memory dredged these up, from the first few months of my natural dye experiments. I had Jenny Dean’s book “Wild Colour” (STILL my go-to bible for all things natural, along with her other books), but could find only Annatto powder in the “International” aisle of the local StoopidStore. It was cheap in one sense, i think 50cents for a package, but of course i look at the weight (10 gr!!!!), and wonder if it was “cut” too with any waste plant material, and understand why i had to use 3 packages of it to get the results above! Not so cheap after all, except in terms of colour depth.
Pale, but pretty, i still like these shades, but now that i’m getting more serious (ie FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS–though there’s always room for experimentation), i lucked into actual Annatto seeds, thanks to my local dye and textile friend, Susan, who got these for me. And the cost is pretty much the same per OUNCE! By the way, if you really really REALLY like orange shades, you can buy Annatto seeds on AliBaba by THE METRIC TON for a mere 700US.
I could see the difference the minute i added a miniscule amount of soda ash to the bath. I don’t even remember using this that wayback time.
YUM.
Of course, cloth ALWAYS dries a lighter shade, but this bodes well.
And after an overnight soak (recommended, seeds left in, though they can be taken out also):
Above: threads, left top silk, left bottom overdyed pale grey silk, right cotton
Below, top previously madder dyed silk, bottom white silk:
Below, previously madder dyed cotton doily:
Below, the results all together:
Top left, gallnut extract pre-mordant, below unmordanted cotton, unmordanted silk. Top right, previously madder dyed cotton with matching doily, below previously madder and tansy dyed silk, bottom centre, unmordanted white cotton flannellette. Annatto doesn’t really “need” a mordant, but given the latest session of pre-mordanting craploads of cotton in readiness for Res 2017, i hucked a piece of gallnut extract mordanted cotton in as well, just to see if there was any difference.
MUCHLY better-er than 2010!!!!!!
I flung in two pieces of silk and some silk thread separately *after* the cotton was done, as different fibres have unique uptakes, and animal fibres grab the colour first. Best to take advantage of that after the cellulose fibres have had their turn–i figure it’s one way to “exhaust” the bath as well;) (Two separate baths if you want to do both in one session.) One piece had previously been dyed with madder over tansy, one was white and un-mordanted.
I plan on doing some other tests with various modifiers and post mordants as well, so who knows what shades i’ll get in the end? And some/most are slated for overdyeing with other colours.
EDIT: This dye material is INCREDIBLY POTENTLY STRONG. It immediately stained my stirrer, and at 3TBSP per 3L water, i’m pretty sure that next time, i’ll use much less, perhaps even “thirding” the amount of seeds to water. Of course i got a LOT of dyed fabric from this pot!!!!!! (I also did not cook and grind into a paste, as some do, as the seeds gave up their colour readily without a messy extra step. I suspect this was the influence of the soda ash–before i tossed that in, the seeds just laid sullenly at the bottom of the water, with no bleeding.) And sthere’s still a lot of colour left in the bath, so i’ll decant that into something dark and airtight, dry the seeds, and store all for the next use.
BUT:
However, it can be used as a base for other colours, and if they are substantive, or more resistant to fading, can hold the colour better.
And note, supposedly, annatto used as a food colouring has been linked to certain childhood behaviour disorders, and can cause an anaphylactic reaction in some!!!! As always, just because it’s Natural, doesn’t mean it’s safe for Everyone.
EDIT UPDATE April 18/17: lightfastness results here.
I’m clearing shelves, as i make room for new work, and new fabrics to be created during my upcoming summer residency, so please do head over to the shop. I’ve posted information in the side bar there under “About and FAQ’S”, about my policies and shipping info. If you have ANY problems, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible, so i can fix them 🙂
As i dig out fabrics, they will be listed. It takes time to photograph, and do all the photos, writing and editing , so please be patient with me. At the moment there are “story fabrics” with deliberate design in mind, but some ecoprints will be added as i find them!
This year, i decided to take the 3 month slot at ACAD for Contextural’s summer residency. It usually takes me a week or two while there to really get into the swing of it anyways (and i always regret not having more time), but i figure for the extra money it will cost (minimal in comparison to a one month slot), i might as well be really serious this year, develop some new skills, brush up on old ones, and truly enjoy myself —*and* expand the cloth arsenal.
(This also means there will be LOTS of fabrics available in the shop, for my faithful followers and customers! Note: there are a few listings going in there within the week, from cloth made last year.)
I’m re-reading my faithful dye Bibles (all of Jenny Dean‘s books), and using highlighters, post-its and scribbled side notes to brush up, and focus on new things–and old things tried and tested that i haven’t done before. I’m collecting fabrics, prepping fabrics with mordants and stitch, making my lists, assembling the suitcase of necessaries, and getting more and more excited!
This year again, i’ll be working with my old faves of indigo, rust and potassium permanganate, along with dyes i haven’t had much success with, like madder. Madder has always fought me, giving only oranges and peaches, and the occasional oink pink (though i kinda like that fingerslip “oink” descriptor! 😉 ). The only time i ever got red was from the cotton bag used to hold the dye stuff, a tiny 4″ square, way way back. I do love the corals and oranges though so am also going to work with annato, tansy and rhubarb again. This year i also want THREADS as part of the stash! I’ve done a few along the way, but except for the indigo, never really dyed enough to be worthwhile.
I’ll be doing a “regular” indigo vat at home, and hoping to start a 1-2-3 vat at the school with henna–i like the more green tone of this one. (Or maybe it was just greener because of so many using it and dipping strange things in it…….Yoshiko Wada workshop in August of 2014)
I’m planning on doing some ecoprinting again, something i haven’t done much of in the last 2 years, as it A. started to bore me, and B. everyone else is doing so much more beauty than i could. Of course, all those workshops that some can take do help, and yes i am SUPREMELY jealous. I think i’ve found some ground to stand on though, and will try some new things. If you learn something new every day, you know you’re not dead!
I want to try more shibori, and pole wrapping, more combinations of things, and more deliberate placements of dye and adjuncts like rust and leaf.
I shall be donning my goggles, rubber apron and tin foil hat, as the Mad Textile Scientist makes a long anticipated re-appearance.
Of course, i always remember words of wisdom imparted at my first res orientation back in 2011: “Make a plan, half it, half it again, and expect to not get even that much done.”
As i have mentioned before, FybreSpace no longer exists on BigCartel, but you can buy here. Please do sign up for email notifications of new posts, if you will.
All of these have been washed and pressed, are cotton, and having been stored for almost a year, are nicely cured. Each listing will have its own post, as Blogger and Paypal fight otherwise. I will be listing through this week, and will publish all when ready to go.
The possibilities with these fabrics are infinite. Don’t be afraid to cut up, cut holes, slash, machine stitch, hand stitch, applique or piece into other works. It’s fabric after all, and while i view them as semi-precious, they can be treated as any other fabric!
Thanks to dear Susan who organized getting all these beauties for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya just gotta stick with it, and try to ignore it.The irritation, i mean, not the work. A delicate touch is tough when the fabric can’t move. I’m used to warping, bending, folding when i stitch: it’s part of the fun.
I can’t take this one anywhere either, as packing it will probably shift the cloth, which has to stay taut and on grain. Haremcloth is wonderful, but a bit of a shifty thing 🙂 I loathe using hoops, however the tension was necessary for this. Not looking forward to the larger figure–until it’s done 🙂 At least i know how i’m going to treat larger areas now with the other figure(s). (Still can’t decide if i need a third, or if after doing a first layout on the background will show that two is enough.)
I’m still not entirely happy with the shape of the foot, but when it’s applied to the background, can adjust that.
albedo too 
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