bee creative

#78 a tale of three vats

Baby vat:

Not sure what is going on here. Considering adding water to the top of the jar.

Blue moon vat:

Seven days later.  I don't think it's ready but testing anyway.  I am going to add some more wheat bran and date pulp and am considering bringing it inside every night then back out on the days that are supposed to be 70ish.  There is a spot right inside the door where it lives each winter. I really missed my window of hot weather, but really love the idea of a vat made on a "blue moon." 

And the walnut vat:

Deep, dark, and mysterious.

It's about 3 years old. I forget about it a lot. I have a pair of pants I'm going to dye with it next week...

or at least that's the plan.

 

# 77 do things that bring joy

Begin the day with a cup of coffee, peach pound cake, knitting, some reading and listening (interview with Takayuki Ishii about indigo!).

Learn something new: the original definition of a blue moon is a 4th full moon in a season.  Typically there are 3 per season. 

Go walk along the bay and watch a flock of geese, a tug boat come in across the bay, the light on the water and the clouds.

Think about blue.

Go home & take a short nap.

After lunch start a new fermentation vat:

And then work in the garden.

A few onions, a few potatoes.

It was a good day. 

#76 go explore, reflect

One of my favorite places to go exploring ideas recently has been Botanical Color's Feedback Friday.

Today I listened to a presentation by Madelaine Corbin  titled "Crisis Climate and Color."

She discusses the science of blue as a color, dyeing, and the possibility that we could lose the color blue as part of climate change.

It's not a world that I want to imagine...my Insomnia Blanket is becoming more than I intended, more than I thought it would be.

 

#75 natural pest control

There is the spider in the window.

One fly down.

It was gruesome and yet fascinating. 

Then there is Widget.

Three in one day. 

She also likes to eat them.

It's only a matter of time before she goes barreling through the window screen or breaks something while in pursuit.

And then there is the pitcher plant....

Not sure about the count there. 

It's not good to be a fly around here.

 

#74 part three, play some more

Yesterday afternoon the top of my vat was looking promising and I just couldn't wait...

The blue on the paper is from the foam that I skimmed off so that it wouldn't clump on the fabric. 

The top fabric is cotton, the bottom wool/silk blend, 15 minute soak.

So...I found a piece of cotton, rolled it up and placed it in the top of the jar.  To keep the vat from being exposed to oxygen (it seemed like a good idea), I put the plastic bag of water that had been used as a weight to keep the leaves submerged during soaking on the top of the jar where the fabric wasn't sticking out.

During the night either some critter got desperate for water or there was an explosion! When I checked this water most of the dye bath was on the deck surrounding the jar. 

Hmmm...

This is the fabric about an hour after being rinsed.  None of the color rinsed out so it should be colorfast. 

In about 4 weeks there will hopefully be more indigo leaves to play with. I will save what is left in this vat and add it to a second batch.

Random thoughts:

Dyeing with indigo is very much a science. You can get supplies for a chemical vat and follow the directions and will most likely succeed. 

Dyeing with indigo is a bit magic. I suspect that there is a lot more flexibility with the variables (ratios, temps, length of time soaking) when working with a natural vat of some sort.  For example, I didn't heat this at all.  Directions always call for this. And...we've been in the 80's and 90's with lows of high 60's at night. So maybe I was warm enough anyway?

I tend to soak cloth and yarn longer.  It's never been a problem.

I am not even close to an expert on this.  I just like play, play, play. Experiment. Try again. And research...

Sources of info/places I have taken classes:

Glennis Dolce

India Flint/School of Nomad Arts

Ulrike, nemo ignorat

Maiwa

Botanical Colors  I have been listening to their "Feedback Friday's and found some great information, including the last part of this episode where they talked to Britt Boles. The whole episode is great though, the first part is with Claire Wellesley-Smith.

Indigo by Kerstin Neumuller and Douglas Luhanko

And this little bit with Caitlin Ffrench.

P.S.  Here is the fabric dyed with the indigo using the blender method (Another good set of instructions can be found here, at the Dogwood Dyer site), white fabric, and the fermented fresh leaf indigo (on the bottom):

I didn't have a lot of leaves for the yardage with the blender method.  It's about 2 yards of silk and I had one blender full of "juice." The color isn't captured very well, it's a very soft aqua.

 

 

 

#73 part two of take a chance + field notes

After four days of steeping, there were bubbles.

Safe to assume there had been some fermentation happening,

so I strained the liquid from the leaves and added Calx to the liquid.

And juice from boiled dates and figs.

There was a debate about shake or don't shake. 

I went with shake. 

It's still settling.

Tomorrow I will dip a piece of fabric in there and see.

Will it be blue?

Field Notes:

Another record high of 99F yesterday, a pink sun from the smoke which is low enough to smell in the air...

It makes it so visible, how wild our world is becoming.

 

#72 take a chance

Yesterday I dyed a piece of silk with fresh indigo using the blender/cold water process.

And now I am letting the chopped leaves ferment.

After one day it's a murky brew.

I've got a plan.

Stay tuned.

#71 share, not show and tell

My grandmother mailed me a copy of a collection of poetry I was a part of in high school.  One of my poems that was included inspired me to walk out on the porch this morning and take a picture of the sky. 

And then do a little layering.

 

All that was missing this morning was a logging truck.

I think I've always had the urge to write and to share. 

 

#70 try something new

Prompts can be helpful. 

Sometimes they push me past what I would typically do or share.

Sometimes they help with forward momentum because someone else has made a decision.  It's kind of like the what do you want for dinner question when no one wants to make the decision.

This month I am participating in #augustbreak2021  and posting daily on my Instagram account.

Today's prompt was "glass."  After taking a photo of my glass birds, I decided to do a little puddle dance.

It finally rained.

Yesterday's was "favorite novel."  I don't have one but this is in the top 10 or so.

Another day was "heart" so I posted my leaning tower of fabric baskets.  Which prompted me to start another basket.

It might work for an upcoming prompt.

"I believe..."

#69 thinking about yesterday, being present in today

It feels like the end of summer, the way the light seems to slant a little differently.

Yesterday while I was sitting on the beach I watched 3 women swim by. Usually anyone swimming at this park just dives off the dock, climbs out, and then does it again. 

I could hear them talking too, checking on each other mostly.

I was curious, the average temperature of the water during the summer is 57.2 F. 

They were swimming with buoys. 

Today I've been wrapping my mind around the idea that I need to make more masks. 

And made a lifeboat.