A new header for the blog

My my, it has been a stretch....
Activities occur but don't get recorded -- that's how it goes sometimes with a blog like this one. Perhaps this new look will inspire more posts.

On the other hand, a lot of activities have been recorded on my other blog. We have just wrapped up this year's Art in the Islands Retreat for Fibre Artists and we are gearing up for next year's event, it should be even more fun!

Now that I am back in studio, I still have a couple of quilts to ship off, and one more class to teach in Haliburton Ontario later in June, then some quiet time to work over the summer months. Here are a couple of items currently on my table:

This past winter I treated myself to a felting machine. This piece was done with craft felt and dyed cheese cloth needle punched from the front AND the back - very different effects. This machine is an amazing piece of technology that can transform all sorts of fabric - usually the ones that would not make it into the studio, in fact the slinkier and sleezier the fabric (ie. slinky glittery knits, lames etc) the more interesting the transformation. On a painted canvas base the effects can be are magical. I am not done yet with this new tool...

These sewn strips are samples of dark brown hand dyes and black cottons and rayons discharged with bleach (coppery red) and thiox (grey, yellow and green).

These are more samples that I discharged and timed - 5 to 15 minutes.


And here is what is on my desk! My ever cheerful finger puppets.
Did I make them myself? No- no-noo - - Bought them in a shop.

Bad Day at Black Rock...

I am in my lab thinking that I am so smart, so well organized, there are all my concentrates lined up , and ready to go. Fabric is scoured, labeled, and piled consecutively, ready to be dyed.



Measuring tools are at the ready...all is well.
Suddenly, all hell breaks loose.
A 3 quart bottle of black dye concentrate bumps into me, falls to the floor and splats everywhere. This is not black dye, but black dye CONCENTRATE. Everything in the lab is contaminated with black.

A moment of silence (aka contemplation) a deep breath, and on to mopping, mopping and more mopping...The door to the garage will need repainting. Somehow white enamel paint absorbs dye concentrate permanently.
Ugh! What a mess....
I am looking for a silver lining...so I have decided to repaint the laundry room walls a rich golden yellow.
This will NOT happen again:-)
I need a bigger room...

Needlefelting and a running stitch

This little piece was done in the car earlier this week. Done with a barbed needle, an old car sponge, a piece of felt backing and a few bits of wool roving...
Then over to hand dyed silk thread, cotton floss etc for texture and optical mixes. Gotta work a bit more on the compoisition, but I love the way the wool and the silk threads glow.