Mohair Fiber Purge

I'm destashing my studio of items and supplies I'm no longer using, I'm updating my shop daily!

WIP Red Crow

The madder lac dyed silk organza is much darker than these photos depict, the stencil sketch of the crow barely peaking through due to the lighting.  I managed to stitch an outline of the crow in a coordinating reddish heathered wool thread from Aurifil Threads.

I've decided that this smallish piece will now become part of a larger piece I'm working on for my upcoming solo show, as crows and ravens have always been a prominent icon out here on the western prairie and plains.

Pre-Order Mark Making with Nature Today!!!

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Will be available for digital download on November 15th, 2013!

More Organization

The wall of wool has been moved, now to disassemble these wire racks and put the drying rack here, then it's time to set up the new computer work station in my drawing and painting area.  Some day that loom will be upstairs in my office with the wool, spinning wheel, etc!

Rock Inspiration

Needle felted wool and silk fibers and silk organza fabric dyed with indigo and natural dyes.  Agate type rock for inspiration.

The rock is mostly purples, red violets, golds and cobalt blues, though you'd never know it from this photo.

Since this is the last piece of my machine needle felted constructed cloth I thought I'd do something special with the piece, lots of hand stitching and knots.

I just need to decide which side I want to use, it's about six by seven inches in size.

Spinning Supplies

Mohair

Silk carrier rods dyed with natural dyes.

Silk coccons, the pink and purple ones were dyed with natural dyes.

Wool roving to the left, silk top in the very front *orange and bright pink* and raw silk noil top to the right.

Wool, silk, and llama batts.

Silk throwster's waste.

ReOrganizing the Studio

Clearing out the corner and consolidating these three units with those two units for accessibility! 

 

 

Let the spinning commence, now I can get to my wool, silk, etc.

Practice No. 2

Well since I lost my orginal practice piece I whipped up another one this evening. 
Cochineal dyed cotton fabric, machine stitched, wool quilt batting, aurifil threads.

I couched down more sisal to pratice some stitches with, this "x" shape I bobbin stitched using aurifil wool thread.  Above view is the back side of the sample that was facing upwards when stitching. 

Top side after bobbin stitching, the aurifil wool thread doesn't like to feed through the top on my 6500S so I bobbin stitch with it instead.

I've couched down more sisal since this shot was taken, now I will experiment with hand stitching over the sisal and then machine stitching over the hand stitching to see which effect I prefer.  This all in anticipation of finishing Bjorkboda.

WIP - Hoodoos

I was going to use this piece for experimentation, adding paint and ink post stitching now I'm not so sure, will see when the stitching is finished.

Wool thread in the bobbin, this is the back of the piece, oops!

Untitled WIP

Natural dye painted and rusted silk organza over cochineal dyed wool batting.

I'm off on a couple of tangents, now that I know I won't be entering Quilt National.  Hopefully the next time QN rolls around they will have either changed the image requirements, of 300DPI or I will have a new camera capable of taking that high quality images.  Until then I'm content working in my studio.

If you'd like to learn more about dye painting fabrics with natural dyes check out my eBook Mark Making with Nature!

WIP 080512

Making thread selections.

Aurifils cotton and rayon thread.

Aurifil wool thread.

WIP- Hoodoos

A new piece for my canyonlands series.

Madder lac on silk fabric, wool batting, cotton backing, machine stitched. 
Approximately 12'x14"

Wool Felted Bag

Bag front.

Back of bag.

Needle felted natural dyed wool fabrics and fibers.

Felt Continued

Now with some stitching, I have no specific plans for this piece other than for it to be bright and cheerful.

Cat Creations

Thomas, the cat, got hold of one of my dried pomegrantes and apparently some wool fleece.  I found THIS creation at the bottom of the staircase busted open, gaping at me with all sorts of possibilities.  It's these sorts of happy accidents that make, my artistic life interesting.

Carcass Workshop in September!

Carcass

Salvaging the Unsalvageable

Rust • Wool • Pigments • Wax

Earth Palette

Taos New Mexico

September 29th & 30th, 2010

Balloons from Paris Treasury

My red violets merino wool was included in this gorgeous purple treasury by mistflowerphoto

Wet Studio

I started cleaning my wet studio last night and by this afternoon had made considerable head way in there! Now I"m organizing supplies, stretching my art papers which were stored rolled tightly for the last two years and finding my dyes.

Goals for this week, aside from continiually working in the gardens, is to start skirting fleeces. Once that's done they will be washed and be sent immediately to the dye kettles - lots of natural dye colors. Photos to come soon.

Prairie Potholes Base 1 & 2

The piece on the left is finished as far as base stitching goes I have the topo map lines to add to the second one on the right. I have yet to decide on a name for this ever growing series of pieces. These two are approximately 22 x 20 inches wool quilt batting.

I think these next pieces will fall into the category of "if wishes were dreams"

Pink Pin Cushion

This pin cushion is living with Lynn now. The top fabric is cochineal dyed silk velvet with cochineal dyed rayon trim and two vintage buttons. The backing fabric is painted silk dupioni fabric the whole thing has been stuffed with merino wool - the super wash variety.