Saturday, October 17, 2020
This morning dawned clear and sunny, but chilly. I went out to the studio early to start clipping threads on the work that was dyed yesterday. Rachel showed up mid-morning, and Cecilia a little later. It was so much fun, clipping those knots, and pulling out a very short piece of thread to reveal the pattern that had been stitched. Everyone was very happy with their work and eager to get started on making more. We still need to do some serious rinsing of the projects but the mind is turning about what to do next!
Two projects I worked on have not been opened yet – two linen jackets I bought on eBay, and stitched pretty intensely. I think they each need at least one more dip each. Plus I have a lovely rayon/linen shirt (dark rose) that Rachel gave me. I’ve stitched it and it’s currently soaking in water ready to be dipped. My projects for next week!
Several times during both Thursday and Friday, we talked about Jane Callender, a Shibori artist from the U.K. We have been inspired by her book, and I sprang for all the templates and stencils she sells on her website (https://janecallender.com/).
Indigo dyeing in the rain
Friday, October 16, 2020
When we planned our outdoor indigo dyeing session, we thought the weather would be sunny and cool – that meant all the wet, drippy blue items wouldn’t be in the studio, and we would have a neat, dry, clean place to work inside.
It turned out to be a dreary, chilly rainy day instead, but we persevered.
Rachel (one of my stitching buddies) came over Thursday afternoon, and we set up a tent in the backyard where the vat and gloves would live. I covered the newly stained studio porch with heavy plastic and old towels. A table was also set up to hold items that had been dipped and were waiting to be re-dipped.
Unlike the first time the group (Cecilia, Rachel and me) did indigo dyeing, this time we had pulled our work, and soaked it in water overnight. That saved a lot of time, and meant we could continue working on other work inside where it was warm while waiting our turn at the vat. Rachel and I had strung clothes line up in a couple of places so we could hang our work there while it dripped – when it wasn’t raining!
We worked hard all day, wore a mud path from the tent to the studio steps and got chilled to the bone. Luckily, there was lots of hot herbal tea, brownies, apples and good friends in the studio to warm our souls. Our friend Betty dropped by with her sketch pad for a couple of hours. It was good to see her.