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Not quite sure how I'm going to get the text there, but this is the direction I want to go. I'll probably try the printing on fabric backed with freezer paper technique.
I've been taking the chooks outside in the evening to stretch their wings. They love it! Oh they are growing fast.
I printed out a photo that I took on silk organza. Might have been better darker. Played with a variety of fabrics underneath and on top. Solids, floral prints, dots, plaid. I like the coffee dyed wool I did the best.
The other day I was being teased (in good spirit) about how many projects I have going on at one time. For me the advantage is when you aren't sure which direction to go on one, there is another that moves forward.
I also find that the day of the week, and/or the time of the day makes a big difference in what I will work on. I like projects that are easy and take little thought for on the bus (usually knitting that is easy to transport) or for in the evening (bigger projects like the wool quilt). Things that take thought and more attention are better done in the morning on weekends. I'm slowly finding that as long as I'm patient with myself and approach what I'm doing as play, just combining fabrics and experimenting is fun on weeknights too.
While I was waiting for it to be warm enough to work in the garden (35 F, and frost!) and the rhubarb coffee cake to finish baking, I decided to work on making cushions for the swing. The bottom cushion ended up being an old quilt that I folded into a long tube and then stuffed into two pillow cases that I sewed together to make a long cover. Worked great! I'm eventually going to make a cover that will go over the top of it and the back of the swing. Probably with denim since I just started filling a second bag with denim remanents.
Then I decided to use the lion fabric that I bought at a garage sale about four years ago for pillows. I've held off on doing something with this fabric because I didn't really want to cut it up much.
I did try coffee for a dye. The top two were soaked for about 30 minutes. The lighter one still has coffee grounds in it that you can see. I tried rubbing the coffee grounds across the fabric and then dipped it into the dye pot. I ended up using instructions that I found here. I'm setting up a photo album for dye experiments. This is something I want to explore more. I do want to try tea at some point and possibly henna too and a whole bunch of other things!
Push the shovel into the soil. Grow something.
Push the needle through the fabric. Make something.
Push myself forward. Go somewhere.
Wow! I really appreciate everyone's comments on the last post-on all posts actually! Mostly I just meant that it's funny how I've put those "blogging lens" on. (That's a great phrase Sinclair.) I feel only richer for the time I've spent blogging and for the connections that I've made. I know that I've become more consistent with my creativity since I started blogging.
I also want to thank Paula for the link to India Flint. It is so incredible and inspiring.
And-I think I'm experimenting with coffee for my dye this weekend. Different material though.
What I'm going to do with at least one piece of the wool I dyed, a pillow. The lace is a square that my great-grandmother crocheted.
A closer look at one of my favorite parts of the sheer sample I did. Most of the fabric I pieced for the under layer is dots, but I also included this swirly piece. I love how it is up next to the leaf. It makes me think of leaves on a stream.
I had to wonder this morning if I've been blogging too much. I was sitting working on my sweater when the ball of yarn bounced out of my bag across the table and into my coffee cup. Yes there was coffee in the cup still. After I stopped laughing, my first thought was I should take a picture. I didn't. Instead I rinsed the ball of yarn out with water, squeezed the water out as best I could and brought it home to unwrap and dry. I don't think I'm going to have a coffee dye sample yet.
A "what if" in response to another "what if." I pieced together several pieces of scrap fabric and then layered a sheer floral print over the top. I machine stitched a few rows to tack it down and to get a sense of what it would look like. I love the effect of the fabric underneath the sheer! What a great way to make sheer fabric more useful. I could see stitching around the motifs as a design element too. I'm going to continue this to create a summer weight quilt, probably something for on the porch swing. I'm going to have to take some time of work to finish projects at the rate I'm going.
This was part of my morning walk to work. What a great way to start the day.
"Captain, Captain we have a problem. We're going down!"
Darn chooks. They keep burying their food dish in their bedding and then can't find their food!
I'm having so much fun with them. I've had to share stories with some of my friends on the bus. As one of them was asking questions a fellow passenger started asking other questions, mostly about food safety. As I was answering questions I noticed another person nodding his head when I'd bring up various points. The four of us got into a conversation about food safety and food ethics. I think that these moments are so important. It's a chance to share what I'm doing, to maybe make someone else think a bit more about choices, and in a very non-threatening way. I wondered too, who was listening to our conversation and what were they thinking? It's a great way to make Earth Day, an every day celebration. Just having a conversation about an important topic. Something I'm thinking about because of Melinda's post at One Green Generation.
I finished my latest bus project. Bus projects always start conversations too.
It's too small for me to wear this way. And it's a little inside out in this picture. I love it. A cowl seems perfect in the morning right now and then is easy to tuck away. Briar mostly just wants it off and to know why, oh why, is she tortured this way?
Cowl pattern is via Ravelry (need to join to get in). The yarn is local, from Spincycle Handspun Yarns.
A few green things for Inspire Me Thursday:
On Friday there were just enough green leaves on the trees to make the stretch of cotton wood, alder and maples near where I work have a green haze to them. The swallows should be back soon.
Today I made a green salad for lunch. I kind of think of it as a transitional salad, from one season to the next. Pretty much the only vegetable available at the farmer's market are greens. I added some of the last oranges I will buy for the season. I also added walnuts and tofu that were marinated in soy sauce and olive oil and baked until crispy.
I pulled apart what I had done with the "yarn" that I had made from the t-shirt. It was curling quite a bit as I knit. I'm going to try on bigger needles. The other yarn pictured is hemp (the one in the back). I'm going to make a small scarf with it and maybe a wash rag.
And this is "green" in intent and spirit:
My onion skin dye experiment! The material is the white wool that I'm making the wool quilt with. I tied a knot in the middle of the fabric before I dyed it and didn't stir it much so that I'd get the mottled appearance. I will never throw another onion peel in the compost again and I'm deciding right now what I"ll try dyeing with next weekend.