just thinking...

thinking, rearranging, planning...I've been rearranging the blog template...finding what feels more like 'me'...this might be it, not sure yet...tossing around ideas...doing some stitching on the painting shirt...still floating ideas about it...

stitchin' a tree

some tree stitching on the painting shirt...walnut/oak/mystery foliage dye pot...leaf pounding...

frost moon cloth undone

...hibiscus tea leaves inside...

















...outside...thank you, mystery metal...

Frost Moon cloth

November's full moon is sometimes called the Frost Moon. The contents of a hibiscus teabag were emptied onto a vintage cotton napkin, wrapped with mystery wire, covered with vinegar/salt water and left under the November moon. A mystery metal clamp was added for weight. It will be left to cure for several days and then rinsed and pressed. Patience, oh, patience --- then it will be opened...

flower?

...ripe purplish privet sprig pounded between layers of muslin, curing for a few days...

tree shirt

Green privet hedge branches hammered onto sleeves have imprinted mystery trees. I've used permanent art pens to lightly enhance the trunk and branches. Stitching follows...

Sunday finds

I need larger pockets to carry the little findings on my Sunday walk with Racer. Inspirational designs, leaves, a swirl of flattened aluminum can, mystery metal bits.

and again...

And again my long ago white painting shirt goes into 'the pot'...oak, walnut and assorted metal bits...for a week long soak. A nearby burn pile yielded a metal clasp from a racing 5-point harness, which I think has given the grayish tint. After drying, resting and a light wash I'll see what appears.

pounded pieces

...large lovely leaf...

...pounded, not peeked...left for 4 days...another piece for the mystery wall hanging...

eye see you

Imagine my delight when I unfolded this walnut dyed muslin and saw the eye staring back at me.

under the hammer

This leaf, placed between muslin squares, left nice warm reddish marks after being hammered. I then pressed the leaf sandwich with a steam iron and let it cool. After curing for a few days, I'll rinse the cloth and see what remains. If the leaf had been juicier, the leaf ink might have marked better. But I'm well pleased with this experiment. Gathering various marked, dipped and dyed cloths for a Winter project has been a project in itself. Nature provides...

hammered ... again

... don't know what this plant is called ... summer green has turned to red ...

... a smushy muslin sandwich ...

... like a Rorschach test on my orange kitchen countertop ... letting it 'set' for a few days to see the results ...

my first full moon cloth

... thrift store tablecloth...left in the walnut/oak pot for a few weeks...now hanging under the October full moon and overnight rain...

patterns emerging...some pronounced...

...others muted...

...still others...

walnut leaf cloth

We didn't need another walnut tree right there, so very close to the driveway. Plucking the smallish branches and imprinting them (hammer in hand) onto this muslin seemed the right thing to do...they're gone but not forgotten. Gathering cloths for a Winter project is a project in itself.

another crime scene?

I know this looks...um...gross? After 2 weeks on the porch (forgotten), the bucket of walnut leaves and poke berries had fermented and developed a mystery scum. Naturally I gave it a stir.
I thought it would be the perfect place for a wide muslin strip. I'll check the results on Monday to see where I go with it next.

butterflies and bears

After using walnut hulls and poke berries to dye my faithful painting shirt, I have found butterflies and dancing panda bears in the resulting designs. Some are one inch small...some are large but ever so pale. Decisions arise as to what comes next...

scene of the crime

My faithful cotton painting shirt hung on the back of the chair.

While walking Racer dog, I gathered walnut leaves downed by last night's storm. The rusty hammer was just laying there on the porch...

...and I couldn't help myself. The poke berries were watching, so they had to join in.

Juice...there was just so much juice!!

Hiding the evidence was easy. Rubber bands found in the junk drawer hold everything together while I decide what happens next.

feathers for Jude

walnut hull dyed tea towel, backed with muslin, a feather from my walk with Racer (good dog!)

I seem to be focused on dyeing with naturals lately. Walnut hulls, dried carnation blooms, rusty nails, privet hedge berries, beets...they all have personality when added to torn cotton, vinegar and a little salt. I've just completed my first feather to be sent to Jude for her Magic Feather Project. Click on the Magic Feather badge to see all the project details.

drained and stained

A few of several 5" cotton squares dyed with walnut liquor, with cinnamon and turmeric. While the pot was boiling, my kitchen smelled like canning bread and butter pickles. I will be doing hand stitching on these and other patchwork pieces. Don't know where the thread is leading me, but it's a fun ride.

what's cookin?

I'm using various naturals to dye pieces of vintage dish towel. The walnut hulls (center) seem to be the best choice. Torn fabric squares were wrapped around the leaves/hulls and secured loosely with rubber bands. Leaving them in a water/salt/vinegar solution on the porch (in 95+ degree August heat) for 2-3 days should give good results.
It's a beginning....

ps...It's now Monday late afternoon, and I've found that I must be more aggressive if I expect darker staining...which means boiling the fabric/dye solution.

Learning as I go....