Something Secret-Something Free

We've been working on a new project......it's been a secret until now. We will soon launch a line of hand dyed quilting fabric! The fat quarters will be available at the Farmer's Market and from the studio by appointment. The something free is that to help introduce our new fabric line we will be giving away samples with a purchase of any of our products.

Eco Printing

Last week before we headed off to the Southwest Spinners Retreat, my cohort in crime - Betty and I did some dyeing with leaves from our yards, iron pipe and coffee grounds. We used silk and cotton muslin to make our bundles a la India Fint in her wonderful books, Ecocolor and Second Skin. See India's blog link in the blogs listed on the right. Everything she does is an inspiration. This time Betty and I mordanted our cloth with soy milk instead of alum and cream of tarter. Glenna Dean in the Turkey Red Journal also recommends this mordant to keep indigo from crocking (that is another story). So far soy milk is my mordant of choice although it does not keep well after the first day's use. I found that overnight it spoiled and tended  to separate in the bucket. However, since nothing toxic was added to it I put it in with the rest of the compost and recycled it. We steamed our bundles for about an hour and then left them for a couple of days. When we met up for the retreat in the mtns, we unrolled them and had a good look.

 The eucalyptus gave the nice orange color on silk and the black is from the iron pipe.

 Fig leaves and indigo fresh from the yard gave much lighter impressions and the idigo was only blue when there was no iron near it.

The wonderful Betty who is like a guardian angel to me. She and her husband Gary helped me load and unload, set up for class and kept an eye on my table when I needed to get away. They even followed me home to make sure my truck made it up the last hill. Thank you Betty and Gary. 

The retreat was a great experience. Lots of wonderful spinners and people who wanted to learn to spin. It was such a treat to get out of the heat and see green trees. It even rained on Friday up in the Sacramento mtns. We were at the Methodist Assembly Camp in Sacramento NM. 

Ice Dyeing

One day last week those nice people over at Dharma Trading where I buy my dyes send me an email with a link in it to Ice Dyeing. It seemed like such a fun idea that I decided to give it a try. You need an item to dye that uses Fiber Reactive Dyes, like cotton or rayon and some soda ash as well as some powdered dye. All are available from Dharma on their website. I did this in my sink in the dye kitchen because it could sit overnight without being disturbed. You can also use a tub or bucket - something to hold the ice as it melts.

New sink in the dye kitchen where this process takes place. Soak the item in soda ash and warm water for half an hour before you begin.

Spread the item to be dyed out in the bottom of the sink . What you can't see in this picture is the rack (a cookie rack - for cooling cookies) underneath. That keeps the fabric just above the melted dyes.

Put ice on top of the cloth - completely cover it in ice. 

 Sprinkle dry dye powder directly on the ice. I started with terra cotta and then bronze and then imperial purple. These are all Dharma Brand Fiber Reactive Dyes.

 It looks like this when the ice starts to melt.

 This is after the ice has melted. It is hard not to want to mess with it and pick it up to see what its doing underneath. Wait 24 hours and then wash it. Mine is a peasant blouse in rayon that looks like this after being washed in synthrapol and hung to dry. It makes the boho-hippie chick in my heart happy....

Studio Update

 One must have a place to sit occasionally in a studio. In my perfect scenario it would be create/nap create/nap ad infinitium. This napping place is often used by Frisbee who is very creative in her demands for snacks all day.

Here you can see the other trees that I've put on the wall behind the loom. I actually have something on the loom I will show you soon. There will be a show in September at the Gallery where I will show new handwovens. All very exciting. These pieces are made from cotton/rayon that is all hand dyed.

Summer Solstice

Blessed Summer Solstice! As a lover of cooler temperatures and shorter days I am always happy to see the summer solstice arrive since it means that autumn is just around the corner if I can be patient. The heat in the desert has been pretty intense this year with most of the days in June being up over 100. By the end of next month the monsoons will arrive and create a little diversion from the cloudless skies and scorching winds. This turning of the seasons is always a cause for celebration.

The construction in the studio continues apace. I now know all the workers on a first name basis. We put in the new flooring last Sunday and the space no longer looks like a converted garage. Yesterday I put up a tree in the corner. There are woods in my mind if not in my immediate surroundings.

This weekend I will be attending the third annual Santa Fe Fiber Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas - June 23 and 24. If you are in the neighborhood please stop in and say hello. The Rancho is a living history museum and there will be border collie demos as well as indigo dyeing. The hacienda is a lovely place and easy to find off the interstate between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Harper's breeder is on the list of vendors so any of you who need to pet the angora rabbits should definitely stop in. Shelly Loveless raises the most beautiful rabbits, goats and alpaca around.

Studio Expansion

This summer seemed like a good time to expand the existing studio where I work. The fiber studio that my sister and I put together last November has outgrown its space quickly. That part of the room will become a dye kitchen soon and what was the garage is becoming the fiber and weaving studio. For the people who take drum carding classes with me it means more room to move around and a better space with more light in it. Here are some of the early pictures:

The garage door where a new wall is going in.










The new wall with the helper inspecting the floor.













More pictures soon, the drywall guys are coming any day..........

May Knitting

Some new knitting projects are in the works using hand dyed ribbon and art yarns available in the etsy store. Both of these projects knit up quickly and use size 50 knitting needles (made locally here in Las Cruces - email me if  you want a pair). With this kind of knitting the yarn and ribbon do most of the work of looking spectacular for you and the pattern is incedental. It is a great time to get a headstart on your autumn wardrobe or holiday gifts. Email me if you want special colors and kits put together just for you - the pattern comes free with an order. Hope your May is starting out well.