Cow Parsley

I have spent most of the past week frantically sewing binding onto pieces of work needed for a talk and exhibitions. Some of them have needed this for about a year. I thought I would share some images of my favorite flower. At the moment the roadside verges have not been cut back. I know this limits your vision as a driver but I just love the cow parsley gently moving in the wind.

This is my lane looking right from the house.

A close up of cow parsley.I do keep wondering what would happen if I bundle it up with fabric. One way to find out...

I love the structure which inspires my work

"A flower of childhood we’d pass days in your haze of intricate white muddled into the long grass green to white to green; young in years but rich in time lost in play and thick as thieves in your wooded world you’d nod to the fields beyond".

This was taken last year but it is one of my favorite images.

Thank you

For all your lovely comments which I really appreciate. I have been really bad in replying so please forgive me.

Sheep Day 2012

Today was Sheep Day at Unique Cottage Studios. It was a grey day (and quite cold) so the decision was made to do my demonstrations in the studio rather than outside. This was the tent in the courtyard from the studio window. It was great to see so many new people today and have old friends come for a visit.

With all the dyeing and people visiting the studio got quite warm. I did chemical wool dyeing this morning on spun  yarn (Blue faced Leicester) and some natural dyeing in the afternoon on fleece. My wool dyeing workshop at the studio has now had to be changed to Wednesday June 20th 2012. There are two places left. Please contact me if you would like any more information.

I was caught mid action on this image. Tina managed to get my best half (!). I can't remember what I was doing but seem to be pointing to the indigo sample pinned up.

Its not a clear photo but the fabrics on the left are from the tulip bundle this week. The middle piece is now a stitched sample.

Wendy showed people how to make some fantastic woolly pendants and  Tina was stitching into blankets. Thank you both for being there.

It was so busy that I didn't get any photos of the sheep nor alpacas. I did get a 50g bag of alpaca fleece though to play with.

Thanks to everyone who came and the May newsletter will be out next week.

A Quick Peek

This is from the large bundle.

Tulip Bundles

I was so excited with my first tulip bundle that I wrapped more last night. In the larger bundle I also wrapped laces and threads.

Can't wait to open these tonight.

Top was just red petals and the bottom just yellow petals.
Below was the big bundle with all the dark petals.

Now just a storytime session and a workshop on bag making until I can unwrap.

Its A Kind Of Magic

 Simply take some tulips that are past their best.

 Lovingly collect petals.

 Wrap in soft cotton.

 Gently heat and admire the results.

Baby Bunting and Eco Brazilwood

As promised some photos of the tiny artists I had the pleasure of meeting last Friday (and their mums!)

To make life easier for small hands the bunting triangle shapes were drawn onto calico by mum's before the children painted them. We had patriotic red, white and blue fabric paint with extra gold and sparkles applied with glue once everything was dry.

 

Yesterday was spent at the studio and I took down this jar of Brazilwood liquid (left from the Natural Dye Day) Warming inside was a ball of 1/4" calico strips I found inside a bag of donated fabrics. It had been inside the jar for about two weeks.

 It had a little wash and was wrapped on a dryer in the sun. As it dried it turned a beautiful salmon pink with hints of purple. I love the fact that even on this the colour isn't uniform.

I have got something else bubbling up in the pan but Blogger is refusing to upload any more photos to this post. Rather than get cross (me!) my photos and I will be back soon x

Playing Catch Up

Well I am just not sure why the time is flying by so quickly at the moment.There are lots of exciting things happening that I will share in another post. Thank you to everyone who has left comments on my last few posts that I have not replied back to yet.

Time has been spent collecting daffodils and drying them out for use later in the year. I am sure that I could have collected more if it hadn't been for the rain.

A few weeks ago I was back in the studio teaching Natural Dyeing to a very enthusiastic group of ladies. On the dryer you can see red cabbage, brazilwood and weld.

I am cooking up a little fabric ready for a Festival of Quilts entry. Cutch for brown, weld for yellow and red cabbage for blue. Anyone want to guess what this is going to turn into?

In the next few weeks I am teaching lots of Jubilee workshops locally and I was contacted by the local paper for a photo which will appear in their Jubilee souvenir issue. After panic had set in that my face might still be around in fifty years I said yes. This was the little display before the photographer came.  I had a plan that I would not be in the photos - he had other ideas which included me wearing the Union Jack flag ribbon!

Yesterday I did a "Baby Bunting" workshop at a Children's Centre. This was very small people making bunting rather than tiny bunting. Lots of fun, I have a few photos for later as I am off to the Studio for the last Saturday of Open Studios and Art on the Map.