artistically altered

Still lots of embellishing to do.......... but enjoying and using as it is already

2011-11-22T06:12:00.001+11:00

The middle bit's are from a workshop in Bussy sur Moudon with India Flint earlier this year, around it the frame & the outside, all eco dyed and printed from plants/trees on my Bendigo property............sewn onto an old blanket

I still have lots of embellishing to do, on the individual pieces, that's where the bowl of wool came in, I needed the colours to do the stitching

A bit like my life I suppose, looking at it now, seems your formative years will colour the rest of your life, no matter where you end up!

An interesting tapestry of life, still ongoing of course, I can add for years to come...........

Love the marks on the back, a painting on it's own

My bits and pieces from Bussy sur Moudon

2011-08-22T06:44:00.004+10:00

Finally, something to show from Bussy sur Moudon with India Flint earlier this year.

Its been a cold wet and especially dark winter, did not get done much at all............

The pieces in the middle are all from the Swiss workshop, they are embroidered or stitched onto the blanket, then is the Australian "frame" and beyond that will be Australian pieces; that is from my land
well it's sort of what I am all about I suppose.

Will be a wall hanging for my room when finished, unless it wants to be something else that is..... ;-}

Some details:

Same treatment as below, with Italian silk

2011-08-22T06:29:00.001+10:00

This is some silk I picked up on the market in Italy

I think the one on the left must have some wool in it, as it took the colours (the yellow flowers from oxalis) much stronger

Again the squares are from the sides of food tins, they bring out the orange-yellow, wonderfull colours......... the green is from carrot tops and oxalis

What you can do with oxalis

2011-08-08T07:15:00.001+10:00

It's a weed, it's a mordant but it also produces this:

What a dark strong yellow, mind you it is still wet.

It is oxalis on wool, my alltime favourite plant because it delivers me the best ever greens, I simply love it.

Did not work last week, needed to wait until the yellow flowers came out, now I am getting results.

I had it layered with aluminium foil as the next photo will explain

Remember, we have spring here..........

This are prints from eucalyptus leaves which on their own do not realy produce prints, but as chance favoured me, I found it needs the tops from food tins and then I get very unusual shades from browns to maroons to mauves, hence the added aluminium foil and the strong yellow from oxalis flowers...

Isn't nature imaginative?????????????????

What a pleasure unwrapping is...........

Marvellous time in Bussy sur Moudon with India Flint

2011-05-16T16:54:00.002+10:00

I could sit here forever.................... this was the view from my room

Janet was a very busy lady
All worked out
even the weather co-operated with this lot of United Nations (Politicians should learn from us)

The landscape
The company
Nature's supply
Even the pots
Everyone ate too much as it was very good -- lecker (as some would say :} )
and of course India's magic approach

all in all:
everybody had a good time and we all learned lots and feel refreshed and eager to bundle and stitch some more

Thank you India for your intrepid teaching and approach to life

and thank you to
Janet for the organising and Anne Marie for endlessy cooking that lecker food
(hopefully this is the first of many succesful endevours)

Bundling to unwrapping, the India Flint style
we all had a fantastic time

Some wool & silk, a few gathered plants and some tins (recycled food tins that is!)

2011-04-05T12:11:00.002+10:00

Ein wenig Wollstoff & Seide, zusammengelesene Blaetter und ein bischen Buechse (grosse Lebensmittel/Fruechte Buechsen)........
Uebrigens, das gruene ist von den Karrotten (Ruebli) Tops und die Markierung ist von Gummibaendli's)

Sehr angenehm wuschlig und warm zum tragen

It wears lovely, soft and warm......................

OHHHHHHHH! I forgot, the green is from carot tops! the markings from rubber bands..........

Young tree/bush producing marvelous prints

2011-03-20T16:45:00.002+11:00

Thanks to India I now know its identity (see comments)

this are the prints from it on wool, have a much better one on the silk, but this silk piece is elusive at the moment, the leaves are greener on silk

a few slices of lemon, some silk, a bit of time, eh voila!

2011-02-03T06:42:00.002+11:00

Lay down some silk, arrange slices of lemon artistically (or maybe not), add some more silk, maybe silk chiffon, noil, etc add wool, wool jersey.........

Bundle it or fold it as in my case........

Leave it in liquid in a sealed container for 4 weeks or more............
by the way, to achieve the grey/black I added an old iron pick to keep the bundles weight down........

and this is the result!

now I have to try orange and grapefruit too
a real fruit cocktail, yummi!

PS: the fabrics have all been washed in the washing machine

on Noil silk .....................................

details on silk

Cold bundling is SUB ZERO, WOW

2011-01-27T12:31:00.000+11:00

Was it worth the wait?
You tell ME..................

Cold bundles left in a container full of left over cold dye liquid for 28 days, and this is the result:
(mind you it stunk, but that is a small price to pay), they were washed in the washing machine:

that was the dried red roses

detail from Grevilla robusta,

see the leave on top and below the brush flowers

something as simple as slices of lemon

produces a result like this

It's just not fair !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-26T06:32:00.001+11:00

Way back : Tuesday 9th November 2010 (& earlier), I did a lot of dyeing with the Street plum of mine, with good results,
then on Monday, 17 January 2011 India (http://prophet-of-bloom.blogspot.com/) under the title: lovely to be home for [most of] the summer had this magic colour with what I assumed to be something like my tree.............................
I am still on holidays (just about running out of time) so I dilligently went to collect the leaves as the master wrote and followed the instructions.......................
I am crying stamping, my foot, not fair, not nice, MY RESULT:

Still lovely colours, BUT.........

not mumbling the right chants, heeeee ??????????????????????/

That RED CABBAGE, and what it can do to fabric.......... & this is the LAST of it too

2011-01-24T18:15:00.003+11:00

well, I have been busy, so before the red cabbage gets even more expensive (no complaints from me) because of the floods everywhere that grows things, I had to do the vinegar & Bi carb Soda comparison,
and here it is:
same cabbage, mostly same fabric and different results, after washing of course:

and the Bi carb mix got to stink too (left both 2 days in their broth, hopping for a stronger colour, which I don't think happened.............
there you go, now I KNOW
Colours are lovely and subtle, the vinegar chiffon is beautiful, and the Japanese kimono wool in the Bi card is a colour I like too and the Nun's cloth wool as well...........

By the way I am still waiting on the COLD BUNDLE, promised myself to wait until end of the week, then's the big UNWRAPPING (better and more satisfying than xmas anyway)

Cold bundle, at 17 days and waiting...............

2011-01-17T09:12:00.001+11:00

I am trying the cold bundling (from India Flint), they have been in the box for 17 day, hoping to leave it until end of month.
Its very hard not to peek, and I can't remember much I put in, so will be double surprise or not.

I put gladwrap on top of the solution and filled this with water to avoid oxygen getting to the mix, as not to have any growth that could spoil the broth..................

It's outside, so gets a bit of the morning sun, when it shines that is

waiting............. waiting.................

Red cabbage with Bi carb Soda

2011-01-16T06:14:00.001+11:00

there is a colour variation, its greener, while the cabbage alone was pale bluish,
bamboo did not take at all.........
next try will be with vinegar wash instead of bicarb (which is sodium bicarbonate)

Check out my new BLOG, it's nuno felting

2011-01-10T13:07:00.001+11:00

This takes you there: artistically felted

just to give you an idea ..............

Ladies of Catherine O'Leary's workshop, look for the top bar and click on:
Our workshop in Mittagong, January 2011

off to learn a lot, hopefully

2011-01-01T15:46:00.000+11:00

I am off to a workshop with Catherine O’Leary.
Nuno felting is really a direction I would like to go and she is the master at it, I have not been able to see anybody else's nuno felting I like as much as hers:

http://www.catherineoleary.com.au/

check out her Gallery, unreal the garments quality and style.

Those of you who know me, will know that I will work out my own way to apply this craft and combine it with what I already do, looking forward the outcome......................

Now the onion skins - Zibele (Zwiebeln) Schalen

2010-12-24T15:26:00.003+11:00

because I omitted the first step and dyed the whole lot together in one go, I get the uneven dyes, which I like
Ich habe alles zusammen gefaerbt aufs gleiche mal in einem Schritt, desswegen die mercerierten Farben...

carrot tops and red cabbage, what a delightful result

2010-12-23T11:55:00.004+11:00

Uebersetzung ist Oberhalb (Lebensmittel faerben)) zum Anklicken bitte

1.) 5 bunches of carrot tops and
2.) 1/2 a red cabbage,
dyed in the aluminium slow cooker, with copper and brass metals

For Instructions click on the Top Bar..........

no more lilac, but dark rose hues on today's silk/rayon velvet

2010-12-19T15:48:00.000+11:00

it just does not show the magic hues on the photos,

sorry India, got my incantations wrong today, just learning after all.................. :-)

Tried all the plants used before in a row, not today it said, we will try again though, mind you I threw a few tea bags in, might have covered/altered the colour (sure did, silly me)

I will always try something else, serves me right, but what fun to be had, to wake up to unbundling...........

silk/rayon velvet turned lilac, wow

2010-12-18T11:01:00.002+11:00

look at this, can't believe the colour:

since the wool and silk have not taken this colour, it has to be the rayon that turned lilac with the eucalyptus leaves and pods

I just can't get over it, not my favourite colour, but a delight no less............
Well, you guessed it, there will be a copied bundle on the boild pretty soon, to see if I can repeat this colour.

I know India writes and tells of this, but I just can not get over the fact, that the same plant (Eucalyptus we are talking about, don't know so much with the other plants) can give you from nothing to magic, and the colour changes with seasons, combinations and so on.
For somebody like me, who would prefer some prediction, its FRUSTRATING.... but also humbling, to not be in charge for once................

Better get back to work then.....................

nuno felted eco-dyed embellishments, my first try

2010-12-11T19:42:00.005+11:00

those bubbles were caused by the blusty windy weather ......... well, it stoped raining for a minute!

had trouble with the felting of the embellished pieces, had to add another layer of prefelt, then it worked fine.
I think the reason would be because the pieces were boiled in the eco dye pot, that would have changed the structure of the prefelt, so it couldn't traverse into the silk, maybe it was just too "heavy" with all the embellishments?????????????

In details:

fascinating how the stitches form the pattern in the felting...........

love this last piece, is very subtle, was a prefelt with a lovely leave pattern from a bundle, covered it with a silk gauze and did the embroidery.........

For this weekend, ready to felt

2010-12-10T07:42:00.001+11:00

a layer of recycled silk, prefelt wool, silk chiffon, loosly stitched together with some wool, topped with the stitched on prefelt and eco dyed pieces
be interesting to see how this works, I am thinking of wall hanging, demonstration piece, but who know what it will end up being
-----------------------------------------------------
Pieces are from blog, 10th May 2010 and before

a new design needs a new picture

2010-11-28T15:23:00.001+11:00

my ever giving me joy E macrocarpa with new growth and flower

RE: found, stitched and dyed, a whirled-wide sewing circle for gatherers, menders, dyers and dreamers

2010-11-19T06:23:00.002+11:00

I am happy to be the contact/collator/gatherer/meeting point, in the Central North West of Victoria, leave me a message here and we will work something out

any ideas, anything to get us started here, please let me know....................

Thought for my day.........

2010-11-17T08:32:00.001+11:00

all the bits and pieces are drying between see through curtains, so they do not blow away, what a sad sight, but yes, I do see the stitching comming up (for the next 10 years I think), the pieces are quiet quirky............ got to be able to get some use for them.

Wish I made paper, NOOOOOOOOOO I WILL NOT START SOMETHING NEW....

Just a thought, as I realy want to paint but get sidetracked between work in textiles, magic eco-printing and having lost weight, taking all my clothes in, if possible.............

About time I get to retire and have "leisure" time to work on all that I "need"/want to do.........

Disaster struck ..........

2010-11-16T18:29:00.007+11:00

here I go, especially left the latest batch of bundles settle for 24hrs, like a good girl.............
what did I get when I unpack: DISASTER that is..........it disintergrated in my hands!
'
You see, I read on India's blog about the magic printing in what might be lime water, and what does silly me do?

I make up saturated limewater und use this in my very special bundles:

3 scarves of 1.7 m x 40 cm & 1 finished fringes scarve of silk/rayon velvet plus a big piece of the above
big piece of dupion silk
and other bits and pieces
some wool, the thicker one survived undamaged, the thinner one disintegrated too.......

Even made photos without the disc in the camera, caught up, so and here it's visually:

more when I feel better.................

Ok, I can see lots of stitching, stitching, stitching.......... with all this little frazzled pieces, that is if I can stabilise the fabric............

This is it: Silk/rayon velvet magic!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks India, I would never have thought this works

2010-11-15T08:34:00.003+11:00

Take one Slowcooker, some silk/rayon velvet fabric, add (maybe artfully, if the wind allowes)

Eucalyptus cinerea (?) leaves
Prunus cerasifera - Cherry plum street tree, leaves and berries
Purple sage leaves and a few rusty chains

fold & wrap around a brass rod tightly (I am not very good at that)

and this is the outcome:

Make sure you click on it to enlarge it for full effect

The writting on the photo is not very clear, so here are the basics:

Eucalyptus cinerea (?) leaves = mark are rusty red
Prunus cerasifera - Cherry plum street tree, leaves and berries = mark as various greens
Purple sage leaves = mark a lovely supptle green with recognisable sage leave markings
chains turn into various brownish to blackish tones

Hope this helps...........

2010-11-09T05:56:00.000+11:00

it looks much nicer then in the photos, the colour shading is incredible....................

Workshop in Switzerland with India, 10th, 11th & 12th May 2011

2010-11-06T12:58:00.004+11:00

fieldwork with India Flint

May 10,11,12 at Bussy sur Moudon, Switzerland

In our ‘fieldwork’ we will colour cloth using very simple ingredients; leaves, water and heat. We will work with bio-regional dye sources, windfall bundle dyeing techniques and gentle meditative stitching during this three-day workshop on a farm 30km north of Lausanne, Switzerland. Together we shall take windfall-leaf collecting walks to create beautiful dye samplers, gradually piecing them together to construct the foundation of an exquisite textile piece that can be taken on further wanderings to be completed at your leisure. Though no adjunct mordants will be used in this class, there will be opportunity to discuss the potential effects of scrap metals, different waters and other easily sourced ingredients on dye outcomes.

Workshop languages

India is fluent in English and German and has some [but not brilliant] French. We will do our best!

To reserve a place in this workshop please contact Janet Crowe at crokrum@span.ch

It may be possible to organize accommodation and meals for participants, please contact Janet if you need assistance with such things….......

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is from the flyer Janet sent me, and I can attest to her helpfullness, as I will be on holidays there from Australia I could not do everything I wanted from here...................
Hope to see lots of you

Phee........ the wind kept re-arranging my leaves.....................

2010-11-03T20:59:00.004+11:00

Oh! forgot! the dark green I get with the bundling:
I think it is made by the Soursob (oxalis), I bunch in on top and bottom of the aluminium pot, with copper and iron pieces...
Most importantly it seems to develop, by being left to cool/settle about 12 to 24 hrs.................

Prunus cerasifera is the wild plum's or cherry plum (our street trees) proper name

2010-10-31T11:32:00.000+11:00

Well, this weekends work, all on woven wool in the same aluminium pot:

This is it! dried and ironed, was is worth it, YES I declare!

Have you noticed the left and right mirror image as it was folded over?

Here are some details:

Wet out of the pot, first the plum's

then the Eucalyptus that growes near the shed, I have used this tree in a former blog, when the woolen jumper turned that lovely powder pink:

This is out of the slow cooker, bundle one is on a brass rod, the other with copper

2010-10-29T06:20:00.003+11:00

Bundles from the aluminium pot and the mystery:

2010-10-28T13:26:00.002+11:00

I have a mystery in this pots outcome:

The wild prunus leaves are green on one cloth and red/rust on the other, same tree, same twig, etc.............
from what I could work out, the only difference is:

the green leave print (wild prunus) have no metal in the bundle and
the red/rust leave print from the same had some chains and rings (presumably iron) included

If you click on the image it enlarges and I have written on the images what is what:

2010-05-14T06:25:00.003+10:00

Worked on this earlier this year, now I am putting it into the felting

2010-05-10T18:27:00.005+10:00

I thought I better repost as it is from May 2010, way too much to scroll down (but has more info if you want to check it out)

From this:

to this:

I might use some tea bags to colour the whitish cotton lace, they were put in mordant of soy milk, but still did not take much colour, I'll work on it

2010, new project, new ideas, thanks to a workshop with India Flint

2010-05-10T07:51:00.008+10:00

I arranged the Prefelt,
then the pieces of silk, wool, cotton and so on ...............
pin them
next:

you stitch and stitch and stitch .............................................

Of course, since I will felt them, I need lots and lots of pieces,

some I stitch then dye with eucalyptus and other plants

some are predyed

I then stitch them with predyed thread or ribbons

What will become of them, to be honest I am not quiet sure,

have a few ideas in my head
You will just have to wait and see

In the next few weeks I will post more samples as I stitch and dye them

Callistemon on silk

2008-11-26T06:52:00.003+11:00

Lower fabric is the same bush as the wool one,

the top one is a different bottlebrush and the pink is much paler and a bit orangy ...

I just want to thank you all for your messages, will get back to you.......

Callistemon on wool

2008-11-26T06:28:00.004+11:00

my favourite bottlebrush, well, you see the result:

by the way, the rose leaves come throught light green, most washed out this time but green is still there

My weekend comming up

2008-11-21T11:47:00.011+11:00

I am going to Echuca tomorrow, for a two day watercolour (Aquarelle) workshop with the master: Joseph Zbukvic

check out his paintings on:
http://www.redhillgallery.com.au/2007/ARTISTS%20HTMS/JosephZbukvic2006.html

all's booked, just have to pack, since I did not know the workshop was on until today, friday...
well.......... I'll be in a dizzzzzzzzzz.........
I just have to make sure I have all the paint on the way home (just as well I pass an artist supply shop) after work, all else I should have available at home, hotel has been booked too

Clothes, I will not worry about them, just fill a bag
Only hope is that it will not be raining, will keep you posted ...............

this is Echuca's river the Murray
and the Emmylou Paddle steamer

Finished silk blouse

2008-11-17T19:01:00.002+11:00

well, it's done

PS: did not end up using tea dyed pocket,

it just did not match

first time I tried this method

2008-11-12T06:24:00.006+11:00

From Indias book, page 128 her own method:

pick up the sun dried leaves (or fresh) from the ground

boil, then simmer for 45 minutes

strain

use liquid in metal pot

keep gently under simmer for 45 minutes

let cool in liquid

eh voila:

as they say, the colour looks better in reality

The second piece is a using a second time dye from the pinkish jumper. Its the one below (Mo, Oct 13th), the lovely colour achieved just does not show

Next installment

2008-11-06T08:38:00.003+11:00

a few pockets got sewn on ....

do you see the tea dyed one

one top right ?

Searching for a way to show the students, maybe this works:

2008-11-05T10:16:00.002+11:00

Work in progress:

I work in class on this, trying to get students interested,

They think I am different....

They've seen nothing yet!

2008-10-18T14:38:00.003+11:00

if you click on the images they will enlarge

2008-10-18T14:34:00.001+11:00

This turns the fabric green

2008-10-18T14:00:00.002+11:00

This skirt was fun to make

and all hand sewn

2008-10-18T10:35:00.003+11:00

Faye, do you recognise this top?

I was asked about it at the National Gallery fashion exhibit on thursday in Melbourne

2008-10-18T09:27:00.005+11:00

How to make a wrap top

from a top you do not use anymore,

the India Flint way

a few snips

some additions

pockets (if you follow the master)

there you go.......

Now I better make one of my own!

keep watching .....................

2008-10-13T06:32:00.002+11:00

This is the latest I have been daring myself to dye, its silk & wool from "Beautiful Silks"
It feels marvelous soft and flowy,
might have to buy some more .....

2008-10-11T18:19:00.002+11:00

The way the MAGIC happens: This is the book that tells you all in details:

This is one of my attempts:

it works very simple and easy

2008-10-11T18:14:00.001+11:00

2008-10-11T18:11:00.000+11:00

2008-10-11T16:37:00.002+11:00

There is a new world out there since I last posted
I have been to Uni for four years
Had a year of unemployment
And now I am working
In textiles of all things

It was a wondrous five years
Of concentrating on painting
With brushes, spatulas and fingers
On canvas mostly and some papers
Some inspiring lectures on Renaissance
Following three and half a months in Europe
Trailing the paintings discussed
An exhibition a necessity following
Dreaming time in Venice:
http://www.freewebs.com/madim2005/

Now my conundrum:
How do I find time to paint
When this magic new world has appeared:

Concentring on textiles
I had to change tack
When India Flint - - http://www.indiaflint.com
Appeared on the Sunday Art’s program on ABC
Lights went on:
We used to dye with onion skins, tea and coffee
Use plants and flowers for all sorts of things growing up

Here a reminder: a world without the chemicals
And a lot less expensive too
I have Eucalyptus trees, plants and flowers
Well what’s left alive from the draught anyway
Let’s give this a go

I have had an eye on India Flint’s book as it was:
“ECO COLOUR”, botanical dyes for beautiful textiles
That was ordered quick smart

Then I had a chance of a seven day Forum
Where India taught us how to look at garments differently
How with scissors you can turn something useless
To something new and usefull: recycling magic
We stitched by hand and had a marvellous time
Learned a lot from this mother earth
With her sound and earth oriented philosophy

If you get a chance to join her,
Please don’t miss it........

Now I spend every free minute
Working with Eucalyptus leaves and bark
What colour will it be?
Oh! This rose leaves give a dull green
But the others print bright green
If I put some of this weeds in the pot as well?

½ to one hour in the pot
Eucalyptus need to boil to work
Then simmer gently
And the unpacking, just can’t wait
Then they are drying in the sun .....................

I better get back to it
There is the latest batch................

2002-10-02T11:01:00.000+10:00

Hello,
this is something new to me
See how it goes

There is a big (bad) world out there
no reason for anybody to be lonely
Yet how many people are
Especially now,
with the world screeming for war,
when it would make more sence
to create peace
and look after the environment we got
before we loose the lot