sampling

over years of textile/fibre  pursuits many ideas-techniques-designs have piqued my interest

but there is never enough time!

and so they have been relegated to notebooks, scraps of paper and “someday”

Someday Has Come!!

I’ve decided to spend some time exploring those elusive ideas

starting with more woven shibori

warp threads are natural dyes from the endless beige colour range – cotton, cotton/hemp blend and bleached linen

the weft in the foreground is silk and next is shifu thread spun from Japanese washi

the shibori draw-up pattern is a variation of the Summer and Winter pattern from Catharine Ellis’ book,

Woven Shibori  

I cut off and dyed the first sample with a linen weft to see if the results were worth continuing

four dips in the vat

I’ve been stirring, feeding and talking to my outdoor indigo vat, it has not really been warm enough but this weekend we are experiencing a record-breaking heat wave

this sample has been dipped 8 times, more samples to come!

at night, I spin. The yak/silk blend is as soft as a cloud and the blanket is finished.

“Questions lead to further questions, and inquiry breeds insight.”

Lyanda Lynn Haupt,  Crow Planet