Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative – Page 8

in progress, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

round and round –and round again, we go

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by arlee

Picked out most of the intrusive “WTH was i thinking” stitch areas (except for the bottom left still to be removed), and sticking to one slow circle a day. Well, actually a circle a twenty minutes…. I’m undecided yet about the cloud and mountain shapes–do i stick to the blue, or do i add that wonderful rhubarb root thread for the incredible glow it gives?

It’s going to be interesting to see if much distortion will occur when i stretch this one, or if the distortion will *be* stretched *out*–hoping it all works if that happens! I’ll just say it’s part of the “organic” process 🙂

I’m quite enjoying all this indigo work, but i’m ready for new stuff too–back to neutrals and rust? A different colour? Might be spending a month with some new sampling in the sketchbook and some different techniques. Or maybe a different medium. Time to ratchet things in a new direction. I love my work and my way of working, but i don’t want to be bored, stagnating or repeating myself.

Ecoprints and Natural Dyes, embrilting, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

standing alone

Posted on April 23, 2016April 23, 2016 by arlee

She’s ready for attaching to her background.

I have still to audition the fabric that will hold her–and that woogle in her arm on the right side of the photo will be straightened in the stitching.

There will be more roots as everything comes together as well. She rises from river and earth as my Mother.

embrilting, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

dragging my feet

Posted on April 20, 2016April 20, 2016 by arlee

Fortunately, *she* doesn’t have any, or they’d be dragging too….

I do love the “crackle” stitch approach for the indigo areas, and relatively fast they are, but they aren’t, too ;( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least the roots work up fastly! I’m thinking she may be ready to attach to her background by the weekend. Of course, that means i now have to start auditioning fabrics for behind her–and am getting the feeling i may have to either indigo up some cotton, or go in a slightly different feel. She has to be integrated: she rises from Nature, but she also has to stand “out”, alone.

I’ll have to start mixing strands of thread together for the roots—-my variegated browns in thickness and colourways are all too different from each other!

I have started the fifth moon in the series as well, but here is the 4th one done. Kept it simple simple, but i think the surround needs a *wee* bit more of that wonderful rhubarb root dyed thread.

The next few of these are slightly different in configuration–a circle can be a sum of the parts, and the parts can be unique.

Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

mooning again

Posted on April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 by arlee

One (now in Australia!):

Two, the big one from the main exhibit piece, still in progress (sigh):

Three:

Four, almost done, a few squigglies left to do,reminding me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night:

Again, indigo and Procion, a bit of indigo batik in the centre pieces, possibly some potassium permanganate, as the background fabric was scrounged from the student reject box at ACAD a few years ago. I’m also going to have to fire up the rhubarb root dye pot, as the yellow threads are running out. They GLOW in silk and cotton, and without them, there’s not quite as much “life” in these.

I could make a million of these, and still have more ideas. I’m also eyeballing the few rusted fabrics i have left, for larger work, multiples, different moods.

Five, six and seven are in the pipe as well.

Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold, Indigo Dreams, journal: lessons to learn, Leighton work

many moons to go

Posted on April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 by arlee

A rough week with a bad cold, the first of the year–hopefully the last as summer colds are abysmmal!—-i spent 37 hours of the first two days ASLEEP. Rest does help, as do copious gallons of water and watered juice. I dreamed a lot, rivers and moons and blue lady figures.

I remember a recurring dream i had as a child, a storied tall blue ghostly woman who glided down the hill, no feet, fast, no ripples from the wind in her gown, just swooping down the highway section i could see from my bedroom window. She would stop at the edge of the yard for a second or two, then vanish. Never threatening, but always making me a little uneasy. Every once in awhile i remember her again and wonder what my child brain was processing.

From the last of my indigo bits, there are 4 moons ready to stitch. The Leighton Art Centre wants smaller pieces for the attached gift shop, so these grouped, should be fun.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing also lately, the last few lessons in Jane Dunnewold’s “Creative Strength Training” course. Winnowing down themes, and what’s important, what really deeply draws me, has new horizon lines opening up. Looking at a new series that builds on previous work is a distinct possibility now. I can’t seem to escape the lure of hand embroidery, and indeed don’t want to, but i do want to build more meaning in, more depth visually and in concept/meaning. That Blue Lady may figure prominently, and maybe then i’ll understand what she was trying to tell me.

in progress, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

revision, revision

Posted on April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 by arlee

Well, first i cut the bottom half off. The borgles are wonderful, but are doing nothing for this one as i had intended. That’s okay because it can be pressed into service in other work. You have to know when to “cut your losses” 😉

The moon is progressing. I shall have to pull out that bungled running stitch on top of the outer ring, looking more petal than sky.

I’m getting “blue-ed out” as well, and need to turn my attention to something else to pace myself and keep the flow going. Interrupting myself is one of the ways i actually continue.

My computer and keyboard are having issues, so that’s enough today…………………………………….

ice dyeing, Leighton work

she grows slowly

Posted on March 31, 2016March 31, 2016 by arlee

Back to the serious stitching. Some photos due today for the exhibit promotions!

Third batch of ice dyeing was mostly BLECH, so disappointing that my camera ran away after taking a shot of the one piece i like. Lesson learned: the fabric i used for the first batch was the best.

Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

one down/done……

Posted on March 31, 2016April 3, 2016 by arlee

Too many pots on the hob for the moment, i have to start concentrating again on the Leighton exhibit work!

7×7″ this one, to be mounted on a small canvas. Indigo, potassium permanganate on cotton, rhubarb root and indigo threads.

Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative, Dyeing, Home Cookin' the Cloth, ice dyeing

second batch ice dyeing

Posted on March 30, 2016March 30, 2016 by arlee

While it may look i am on a binge right now, that’s not the case 🙂 I have one more batch soaking in soda ash, and when that is done, there will be a hiatus as i still have lots of stitching to do with Leighton exhibit work! I do however need to rebuild the stash after clearing out a lot of old fabrics that simply are not “me” anymore. (And besides, it takes time to make more ice cubes!)

These are the second batch done yesterday:

The mandala effect on the one below SUX, for whatever reason…..

I must have discharged or not washed out enough of a resist on this one at some point, because look at those spirals!

Screen printed scrap:

Another piece with discharged or resisted spirals:

Strange how on the one below, that the satin face didn’t take as much dye as the back side of the fabric, a very solid matte:

Not as successful as day one, but there are areas that are definitely very pleasing, and will certainly get pressed into use. The fabrics i used were different from yesterday, one being softer and almost having a nap, the other (previously screen printed) very crisp, and possibly some polyester content? I “batched” as usual, so method is not the problem.

This time i used warm black, violet and red, and i know with this one that because i used “base” colours, there wasn’t as much colour variance, but i also expected the red and the violet to be more saturated. My first batch was using a new warm black, a very old golden-yellow and a very old scarlet, which all struck beautifully. You’d have thunk i’d used many many dye powder rainbows! All grist for the mill, nonetheless, and obviously i’ll be using more of the “mixed” colours. I suspect my “pure” (base) turquoise is not going to be very striking either 🙂

My old Procions are from a garage sale score about 15 years ago, and i don’t know how old they were then! They survived floating around the basement during the 2013 flood, with half dissolved labels and rusted on lids as the only “damage”. I gotta say those lids are TIGHT because the powder was/is dry as a fossil. I don’t know about the shelf life of these powders, and am assuming some potency would be lost, but will see what happens when i use the new i have.

And now, i’m gathering again in the thrift shops, as i need to replenish my stock of dyeables—i have lots of ideas for the upcoming ACAD/Contextural Residency 2016, involving my usual rust processes with natural dyes.

Leighton work

when a screenshot tells you something :)

Posted on March 27, 2016March 28, 2016 by arlee

Of course, it would be impossible for her *not* to “go” with the moon, as she’s done from the same fabrics and threads, but it’s still nice to see the play that will occur in two separate pieces!

I must remember too that to harmonize her into the background nearing the end of this piece of the project, i have to leave the bottom a bit more open and not turn the edge.