Natural Dye Workshop

Last Saturday I taught a Natural Dyeing workshop at Unique Cottage Farm Studio. It is a workshop I enjoy teaching, especially  if we can get outside on a hot July Summer day. Not this time, it rained heavily all day and despite being confined to the studio progress was good and we used eight different natural dye products throughout the day. Some were native to this country, others like Logwood chips had been harvested in other parts of the world. I do always make sure that I buy things from a reputable source though. It is a good class as we cover dyeing with flower heads, powdered roots, bark and wood chips as well as the tiny Cochineal bug.

Julie and Kat, can't remember what was in that pan though.

In the studio

The washing line was full of samples I had brought with me. The clothes dryer was becoming full of the samples from the pans.

The cochineal pan, Nigel had the job of crushing them before dyeing.

On the day we dyed with dry daffodil heads, these are marigold heads from a previous session.

The Brazilwood pan, can't nature produce amazing colours?

Birch bark before being added to water.

And finally a rescue. On Wednesday Simba cat had been very interested in a baby sparrow. A short while later I saw him looking very smug with a very full mouth (think hamster). I realised that anything in his mouth would be dead but couldn't bear the thought of him eating anything with feathers. After catching him I made him give up his mouthful and imagine my surprise when instead of sparrow I discovered tiny mouse. It looked very dead and was placed in a container until I could dispose of it without the cat seeing him. When DS came in from school the mouse started to jump up and down in the container very much alive. DS then took it into the cornfield in front of the house and realised it (cue Born Free music), I couldn't resist sharing this photo of the tiny tiny mouse.

Stolen Quilt

I have just heard that this A4 sized quilt was stolen along with a number of other items from the quilt show I visited last week. Please spread this image round your blog, especially if you are a Lincolnshire blogger.

If you do have any news just contact me and I will pass on your message.

A Grand day Out

I'm about a week behind at the moment. Yesterday I taught "Natural Dyeing" with nine fantastic people, I'll save that for another post. Last Sunday saw me driving up to the Lincolnshire Wolds for a Quilt Show. I also managed to see a friend for lunch whom I haven't seen since last FoQ so a good day.

It was a wonderful display of quilts of different sizes, techniques and colours.

I loved this one, my colours and using hand dyed fabrics.

Lots of things to see which were all exquisitely made.

Sorry I can't remember who made this tiny landscape.

I like the quilting which gave this bed quilt movement.

This was one of my favourite quilts. It was made by Bev Anderson for her City & Guilds course.

This was all made from blankets which had been dyed. Woolly and lovely.

When I first married DH we had a cat called Skimble. he was black and into everything. Yes, I have a memory of him nearly falling into the fish tank so this made me smile.

Its the last week of term - five days to go. DS2 will be leaving his school to move up to secondary school in September. This is going to be difficult for him as he doesn't like change and has an emotional age much younger than his years. At least we are prepared for this and the rocky road which might be ahead. A fun packed summer holiday is planned so I hope the weather will be kind to us.

Natural Dye Workshop

Have you ever wondered about the amazing colours that plants can give us, and the odd insect?

Confused about which mordants are better?

Come and join me for a Natural Dyeing workshop at Unique Cottage Farm Studio in Spalding on the 16th July 10-4pm

Jo has just told me that there are a couple of places left. If you are interested click here

Hope to see you there..................

The YQ Bag

Do you remember this?

It was part of this bag I designed for Oakshott fabric.

The really good news is that it is now available as a kit and 25% of the sales will be donated to the Quilters Guild to support the Young Quilters projects. The kit contains all the fantastic Oakshott fabric, you will only need 12 buttons, wadding, fusible web and your sewing machine. Click here for more information. Everyone needs  a new bag and what better excuse to buy one as it supports the quilters and textile artists of the future.



Sheep Day 2011

Saturday May 21st 2011

I will be demonstrating dyeing at Wool Day on the 21st May at Unique Cottage Farm Studios in Spalding. This was a fantastic day last year and as well as sheep they will also have some alpacas to look at. Throughout the day there will be demonstrations on sheep shearing, weaving, dyeing (me!), spinning and felting. You can have a go at knitting, making stained glass as well as lots of other stuff.

I have also been making some sheepy things to sell - here' s a quick peek

The sheep soap (not very clear on the right) is handmade and coconut. My kitchen smelt heavenly when I was making these.

Hope to see you there



Quilts 1700-2010 at the V & A

I haven't managed to blog much lately, due mainly to teaching, doing my C&G course work and teaching my DS who is twelve to free machine quilt.

I did take time out though yesterday to visit the V&A exhibition Quilts 1700-2010. I had a generous invitation to a preview afternoon and it was well worth the train journey down to London. I was not disappointed and was amazed at the range of quilts on display. I think the earliest quilt on display was a cot cover from 1690 right through to work from current artists. I love Jo Budds work and was pleased to see two of her quilts.
I had expected the quilts to be shown in chronological order but they were grouped into four main themes; The Domestic Landscape; Private Thoughts, Political Debates; Virtue and Virtuosity; Making a Living and Meeting the Past. Within each section there were a mix of old and new quilts, each with its own story to tell. To quote the press release, "the quilts document love, marriage, births, deaths, periods of patriotic fervour, regional and national identity and developments in taste and fashion".

There is a hexagonal quilt which was made in Changi Prison in 1943. I was privileged enough to meet a lady who actually remembers stitching the quilt when she was only ten. Changi Prison housed civilians following the Japanese invasion of Singapore. Cathy Miller (the singing quilter has written a song about this) This quilt was made inside the prison camp by a group of girls aged 8-16 for their Girl Guide Leader.

The one quilt I had looked forward to seeing was The Rajah Quilt made in 1841. This quilt has never been shown outside of Australia before, and probably will never be again. Just like the quilt made in Changi prison, it was made in very difficult circumstances aboard an over crowded convict ship yet, the colours and creativity are just amazing. Elizabeth Fry was greatly concerned about the 180 women prisoners travelling on the HMS Rajah and she provided them with fabric, sewing cotton, thimble, pins, scissors and needles. It is worth going to the exhibition for this quilt alone as unless you want to travel to Australia it may be the only chance you have to view it.
I am going back to see the exhibition in three weeks with my LQG and am looking forward to seeing it with friends. Even if you are not interested in quilts I think the exhibition would prove interesting as there is such a social history attached to all the pieces. It was much bigger than I thought and lots of the quilts are displayed on "beds" rather than all hung on walls. Like any exhibition there are the more controversial pieces but I will let you make your own minds up!
I succumbed to some retail therapy and bought the book "Quilts 1700-2010, Hidden Histories, Untold Stories", the excuse I had was that it was really valuable for my C&G course! There is a limited edition fabric range for sale as well which was tempting.
After the exhibition I meet up with a fellow blogger whom I hadn't met before. Sandra (who blogs as The Dyers Hand) and I had coffee and cake in the opulent tea rooms -

It was then time to brave the tube and travel round to King's Cross. After an hour on the train journey and an hours drive I made it home to flop into bad with my book! if you get a chance go see this exhibition, it starts on March 20th until July 4th 2010