Category: Natural Dyes

Posted in logwood, madder, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, osage, potassium permanganate, Probably talking to just myself

abracafabric!

Posted on by arlee

I SWEAR that i looked everywhere for the fabric i wanted to use for a new big work. Potassium permanganate dyed, it was a substantial piece of yardage, and i could not for the life of me figure out where the damn thing went, and finally surmised i must have cut it up. I had scoured bins, boxes, bags of fails, scrap debris in the dye dungeon and the usual odd places where something goes to be “kept safe”.

Yesterday i was going through a stack in the studio, pulling out chunks to be redyed, admiring or not in new separate piles 🙂 , refolding, and hanging larger pieces over the back of the chairs, and

WHAT????!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had just refolded the piece i was looking for all along.

So, i redyed it in the PP vat, as the original bath it had at the summer res was weak and old, resulting in a negligible beige blandness, and have now a warm deep milk-chocolate-verging-on-dark-chocolate chunk. I’m going to introduce it to both logwood cloth (cotton and silk) and madder, osage and logwood (cotton) threads.

See how much darker the silk is? Technically this is why protein and cellulose fibres shouldn’t be in the same pot, as proteins uptake faster and deeper. (I should have divided the bath and done separate soaks.)  The logwood threads were done by themselves in the first new pot, and the colour uptake was phenomenal. (The silks and cotton fabrics were done in subsequent soaks in the same pot, in two sessions.) Of course, that’s because i accidentally dumped in what was left in the jar, instead of actually measuring!

I am perfectly happy with the results though, even if the cottons are quite mottled (due to sitting in a pot all day while i was at the DayJob and unable to stir once in awhile), and will use it all anyways. I still however have to do a post mordant/modify with iron, so expect these to become somewhat darker. Again, going with the flow, and happy the work is working!

And there’s still some dye left in the bath, so am scrounging up some more protein fibres: a lone piece of linen, maybe some wool threads and a bit more silk. I expect they will be not as deep a shade, but can always build on them in other dyes, such as cochineal, madder or the old stand by, indigo.

HOWEVER, since i have been lazy/uninspired/busy for at least a month and a half, i am keeping all my notes in the 2018 file. I have 3 small moons to finish, and will not allow myself to start major new work, while dibbly bits are still hanging around waiting for their turn. I WILL get to new work before the end of the year, but the luxury of starting will be only when the UFO’s are gone!

Posted in cochineal, FybreSpace the shop, madder, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, sandalwood

more boring thread results, shop update

Posted on by arlee

I say “boring” as in not many are truly interested in the subject! I however ❤ these 🙂 Madder, madder with cochineal and madder with sandalwood:

All on cotton, some of which will stay in my stash, and some into the shop (limited quantities!). There are also a few others listed, and these will be the last listings for awhile.

 

While i *am* working on Samara’s wings and my small all naturally dyed moon, i’ve plans for lots of potassium permanganate dyed pieces as well. I’ve been taking my sketchbook to work, as it’s been rather quiet lately, and am ruminating on where to start. Big work again, and frames will have to be built for some because of the size and orientation.

I’ve had my dyeing “binge”, the way i do everything really, and am ready to get back to stitching. My stash is nicely built, and it’s time to get serious with studio time.

Posted in FybreSpace the shop, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads

The Magic Bug Collection— EDIT: listing now active

Posted on by arlee

Cochineal in all its permutations–who knew one dye could have so many variables?

Various mordants and modifiers, and brief visits for some of these skeins with other dyes, i was trying to figure out a fair way to offer these, as some skein lengths are not exactly what it says on the card! Because of this, all of them are going to be 5 bucks each (CANADIAN, so check your currency exchange rates), with no individual length on the double cards being less than 8 yards each. The single threads will be no less than a generous 17.5 yard length. That’s quite  a deal on hand dyed, naturally dyed threads, so please bear that in mind 🙂  Most are cottons, with a few wools thrown in, as is the deepest colour in the left top corner. As always too, any extra postage paid will be refunded.

Work today will be figuring out the tension on my niddynoddy so that future offerings WILL be in 10 or 20 yard lengths. I *might* adjust prices up a WEE bit then, but not shockingly so.

There are limited quantities on these, with some being “one off’s” or a pair. All are washed and have been properly prepped, mordanted and dyed, according to Real Science, no Kitchen Scrap Nonesense here 🙂 Listing will commence later today. NOW ACTIVE.

Momma needs a new office chair—this morning mine fell apart literally as i was to have my first coffee, NOT a pretty sight!!!

 

 

Posted in in progress, Natural Dyes, Residency 2016, Samara

Samara wing start —–again……….

Posted on by arlee

She’s been hanging around since the first stitches added Aug 25th of 2016, the cloth deliberately designed in June of the same year during “res”, and me staring at her all along, wondering where she was going.

Autumn definitely, her browns of seed and stalk, the deep violets of twilight, the greys of shade and old nests, her faded features only glimpsed by outline and shadow. Autumn is both a joy and an overwhelming sense of sadness, lost or set aside dreams. There’s a sense of fecundity in the harvest, but also an end to the fruitfulness of long days. Sept 6/16

I’d had plans for her wings—- and neither plan really satisfied her or me.

I spent two hours this morning, fussy cutting, fusing and swearing, using a regular iron and little dinky heat tool iron, and have this to start embrilting (after i add the layer of cotton flannel that is my Go To “batting”—and though i use that, i am NOT a Quilter, i am an Embroiderer: i just use a few quilty techniques 🙂 ):

Such luscious colours, and i’m so proud i did them all with natural dyes 🙂 (As are the fabrics.)

 

 

Posted in Crafting, Days of Honey, FybreSpace the shop, Natural Dyes

start your needles

Posted on by arlee

Fine threads, thick threads, wool and cotton, it’s all becoming strands of delish.

I was hesitant for the longest time about the wool, as i figured it was too “fluffy’, but have now fallen in love with it. I experienced “not all about sweaters and warm slippers” after working with it 🙂 Depending on your tension as you stitch, it can be more raised, more taking acceptance of the loft, but you can also draw it slightly tighter and end up with finer lines, whereas medium tension will give a fuller appearance in stitches that fill more space. The wools i’ve been using are classified as lace weight, which means while they look downy, they are as easy to use as cotton. (But i do recommend shorter lengths, not the longer than fingertips to elbow *i* normally use!)

The cottons have been a joy also, as they are easier (for me at least) to get a variegated dye happening. From a weight that is like using 2 strands of conventional embroidery floss, to one that imitates a full 6 strands, the colour variations are wonderful.

I decided too that labelling them only needs the type of dye–i’m not about to add all the mordants and modifiers, as it could get rather wordy!–the length and the type of fibre.  Some of these are also shorter lengths than i had intended, as i learn about tension on the niddynoddy as i wind the skeins, pre-everything! Prices will reflect that, but all are still worthy and long enough to be treasure. In the future, i intend 10 yard and 20 yard pieces, depending on the thread. (Most of these vary from 7-18 yards, though i erred on the side of caution: some may be slightly more than indicated, but none will be less. And the “20 yard” ones will be having their labels changed to reflect that they are more likely a generous 18!)

There are many more to wind still, and yes i kept some for myself, though none of the above, so it’s not a tease with any of them. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I still have indigo, potassium permanganate and a mix of the two to complete, so there will be those as well.

 

I’m still deciding on pricing and packaging, as with the cost of shipping, it’s probably better to sell these in sets of 2, 3 and/or 4. I want them to be something you can work with together, rather than just a “one off”. So far too, i am doing small lots, as i am only a one woman show,  so you’ll have to bear with me for availability! Pricing *will* reflect the hand dyed/naturally dyed “point of the exercise”, but will also be more than fair for the amounts (and the work involved to do them!). I hope to add these to the shop on the weekend, October 30th the latest.

Posted in journal: lessons to learn, Moons, Natural Dyes, Not so ordinaries

immersion therapy

Posted on by arlee

Autumn is my favourite season, with its deeply rich colours and the spicy smell of earth, falling leaf and seed. It’s also the start of SAD time, something i struggle deeply with every year. I know all the coping mechanisms well, and follow most of them ( and sometimes they work, or don’t……), but this year, seem to have been helped muchly by my intense self-workshopping on natural dyes. I *do* tend to get obsessive about things, and this is no exception, but the results from it have been most gratifying.

My brain has benefited from all the science lessons, my focus by the procedural steps that it necessitates, and my soul heartened by the results. Instead of sitting on the couch staring at the walls, or visiting the kitchen too often, i’m up and about between studio, dye dungeon and sketch/notebook.

As i’ve been dyeing the threads, i’ve also been stitching with them, and this is the result.

All natural dyes (except that one brown from “PP”), it’s almost finished. Silk, silk/wool, wool and cotton threads, and all the dyes i can get my hoofies on, on indigo dyed cotton, i can’t wait to finish this and mount on a canvas!

 

 

Posted in in progress, journal: lessons to learn, Natural Dyes, Probably talking to just myself, Samara

even greater distances

Posted on by arlee

I don’t know how many textile artists work, when out of the public eye on blog, Instagram and FB, but me, i keep files and a private blog for ideas, sketches, colour and fabric combos, inspiration and possibles. Though little was “accomplished” this year, i’m happy with the results, and the dye play i’ve been doing, BUT i found myself this morning opening a new file and category for “WORK 2018”.

A LOT of the 2017 notes are archived already. Some are switched to the 2018, and a LOT MORE deleted.

I love the little moon series i’ve created over the last two years, and intend to make many more, however i also need to get back to the larger works as well. “Samara” will be one of them, and after seeing her in the sun yesterday, i pulled a bunch of these naturally dyed fabrics.

They may not all get used here, but given the initially planned harder look, i think this is more on track with what she’s saying, softer, still strongly feminine, but with a more “fertile” approach. I want her wings to be more inviting, enveloping, brilliant even. Autumn after all is not just a time of endings, but of rich harvests and warm gatherings. I do need however more autumnal colours so into the dyepots again with some of these scraps.

For other work i’ve wanted to do, i guess i will be making larger pieces of the potassium permanganate dyed cottons after all. I must have cut up the piece i did during residency, thinking it was a “fail”, a lesson learned: leave it alone and the time will come as it needs to!

While digging around in the actual fabrics i still have, i found this, and am thinking to use it as a “marker” for a new series with the PP.

It’s snow dyed, with Procion, but that doesn’t matter. In the grand scheme of things, colour is colour. And the texture of this old rayon velvet is freekin’ awesome. It’s vintage, at least 20 years old and at a yard and a half, is plenty to incorporate into this dreamed of work.

Another week of dyeing, and i figure i will have enough of threads and cloth to “share” and to use.