Caran D' Ache Neocolor II Black on Compost Dyed Fabric. Copyright 2005 k. baxter packwood.
Musings about what I do with my natural, compost, and rust dyed fabrics, ribbons, and fibers.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Pigment Painted Cloth
Here's some pics of pigment painted cloth, one piece has been Compost Dyed before hand, the other is white Pimatex cotton.
I'm using a combination of lose earth pigments and Unison soft Pastels with soy milk. Yes the soy milk is archival. After the pigmetns have been applied to the fabric you need to let it cure. Once the curing period is over you can then machine wash and dry the fabric. There are those out there that will tell you not to do that but I have had no problems to date. No the soy milk treated fabric doesn't attract bugs.
Soy milk has been used as a sizing for several thousand years, primarily in Japan and China. Artist John Marshall, author of Salvation by Soy, is what I would call an expert on soy milk and it's uses. I carry his book on my webstore http://www.prairiefibers.com You can also buy earth pigments and organic soy beans for making soy milk from my store as well.
You can also use acorn milk, but you have to beat the squirrels to the acorns first. You remove the meats from the acorn, grind them up in water and let them soak overnight. Strain the milk from the chunks the next day and your good to go.
I'm using a combination of lose earth pigments and Unison soft Pastels with soy milk. Yes the soy milk is archival. After the pigmetns have been applied to the fabric you need to let it cure. Once the curing period is over you can then machine wash and dry the fabric. There are those out there that will tell you not to do that but I have had no problems to date. No the soy milk treated fabric doesn't attract bugs.
Soy milk has been used as a sizing for several thousand years, primarily in Japan and China. Artist John Marshall, author of Salvation by Soy, is what I would call an expert on soy milk and it's uses. I carry his book on my webstore http://www.prairiefibers.com You can also buy earth pigments and organic soy beans for making soy milk from my store as well.
You can also use acorn milk, but you have to beat the squirrels to the acorns first. You remove the meats from the acorn, grind them up in water and let them soak overnight. Strain the milk from the chunks the next day and your good to go.
Studio Time
My husband John, that would be the faithful assistant pictured below, says that the reason I've taken on painting our bedroom is because I really want to be in my studio creating cloth. He's right. I finally managed to clean off my work table, so after I get all of my orders filled and out the door it's party time!
First up is a solar coreopsis dye bath. Second up is some art cloth for an article that is due very soon. Third up is some fabric surfaced with various dry and oil pastels. The oil pastes are a combination of Shiva Paintstiks and Cray Pas and Rembrants. The soft pastels are Unisons and various eart pigments I have up in my studio.
I'm going to try porky quills with part of the coreopsis dye bath, hopefully they will take the dye color.
--Pictures will be coming soon.
First up is a solar coreopsis dye bath. Second up is some art cloth for an article that is due very soon. Third up is some fabric surfaced with various dry and oil pastels. The oil pastes are a combination of Shiva Paintstiks and Cray Pas and Rembrants. The soft pastels are Unisons and various eart pigments I have up in my studio.
I'm going to try porky quills with part of the coreopsis dye bath, hopefully they will take the dye color.
--Pictures will be coming soon.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Color Pallette for Bedroom
You would be right if you said that those were Martha Stewart Color Swatches, thats Martha Stewart for Sherwin Williams. The only color not present is the ceiling color which was a mistint I picked up at Wal Mart, called alcove ivory, and it looks suspeciously like gold to me.
All of the colors I chose are in a painting we own by R. Atkinson Fox. Shell Pink is the main color wall, the woodwork is painted Country White.
All of the colors I chose are in a painting we own by R. Atkinson Fox. Shell Pink is the main color wall, the woodwork is painted Country White.
I Remember Mama
Here are two of the quilts I made for the show I Remember Mama. The final quilt did not make it into the show, which I was really grateful for. One the quilt wasn't finished in my mind, and two I wasn't ready for my quilt to leave and be gone for almost a year.
The first quilt in the series, What Mama Loves is three layers of fabric stitched in the Kantha Quilting style. Kantha Stitching has it's origins in India.
The second quilt is a combination of machine and hand stitching. It is also three layers of fabric, no batting. I also put some found objects on the piece starting with the patch of fabric in the middle of the quilt.
The first quilt in the series, What Mama Loves is three layers of fabric stitched in the Kantha Quilting style. Kantha Stitching has it's origins in India.
The second quilt is a combination of machine and hand stitching. It is also three layers of fabric, no batting. I also put some found objects on the piece starting with the patch of fabric in the middle of the quilt.
Bye Bye Blue
Out with the old, the periwinkle blue, and in with the new - well temporarily new anyway - beige. I'm planning to paint our bedroom Shell Pink, it's a Sherwin Williams Color, this weekend. They, Sherwin Williams, are having a huge paint sale this weekend so I'm going shopping! The beige is my primer coat over the perwinkle blue. The room looked too much like a cave, even hubby thinks the color is still too cold. Even with a gold ceiling, which we are keeping, it never really warmed up in there. My linens are whites, pale greens, and pale blues, they do not work well with perwinkle blue! So now I'm priming everything in anticipation of the color I really want.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Venus Calling
Check out this link of Venus! http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050625.html Funny I've always thought that it was more red but I guess that's Mars.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Current Volcanic Activity
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/current_volcs/current.html
I've been trying to put this in my links section, but for some reason it doesn't show up??? Any ideas?
I've been trying to put this in my links section, but for some reason it doesn't show up??? Any ideas?
Toto this isn't Kansas Anymore
We drove back from Illinios yesterday, after spending quite a bit of time with my recovering father, through a hellish thunderstorm. I really thought we were going to get some loft there for awhile, it's been a long time since I was caught in bad weather like that. I took some pics of the boundary outflow, that we unwittingly drove into.
Coreopsis
Here's a pic of some Coreopsis that is currently blooming in my front garden. I think I'll pick a bunch of it tomorrow and dye some wool with it, it gives a beautiful reddish orange color with alum mordant.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Heat Wave
It's been warm here, really warm. I turned the AC back on today, I'm so grateful we even have AC.
So I posted a picture of snow, to remind myself of January, it was really cold that day, well below zero. Thinking I'll be so glad when summer is here. Right now that snow is looking quite refreshing.
I wanted to go to the Neil Smith Wild Life Refuge this evening, but it really didn't work out, which is good since we had this land hurricane this evening. I was wanting to take pictures of the buffalo at sunset, hubby even changed his mind and said he'd go with me, but I was just too hesitant. Good thing, or we would have been driving back in one hair raisin hum dinger of a storm. We spent a good part of the evening in the basement instead.
Snow, it sure makes me miss winter, it'll be here soon enough again. Winter is my favorite time of the year need I say more.
So I posted a picture of snow, to remind myself of January, it was really cold that day, well below zero. Thinking I'll be so glad when summer is here. Right now that snow is looking quite refreshing.
I wanted to go to the Neil Smith Wild Life Refuge this evening, but it really didn't work out, which is good since we had this land hurricane this evening. I was wanting to take pictures of the buffalo at sunset, hubby even changed his mind and said he'd go with me, but I was just too hesitant. Good thing, or we would have been driving back in one hair raisin hum dinger of a storm. We spent a good part of the evening in the basement instead.
Snow, it sure makes me miss winter, it'll be here soon enough again. Winter is my favorite time of the year need I say more.
Wet Studios
Well it's not wet, or at least it'd better not be anyway! I'm really referring to my surface design studio, I've been cleaning and organizing, you can actually walk through it now w/o getting caught on something. I'll take pics tomorrow, I'll really try. It's great to have a table to work on again.
Tonight, while waiting for the severe thunderstorm to pass, I worked on a piece of fabric that I had stamped about a month ago - my wet studio is in the basement. I applied Shiva Paintstiks in Meadow Green onto the stamped fabric. The stamp color, called Bamboo, is the same olive color green as the paintstik, I'm going for a tone on tone look. Once I heat set the fabric I will wash it and then apply some more inks and dyes to the surface, it needs to be richer.
Tonight, while waiting for the severe thunderstorm to pass, I worked on a piece of fabric that I had stamped about a month ago - my wet studio is in the basement. I applied Shiva Paintstiks in Meadow Green onto the stamped fabric. The stamp color, called Bamboo, is the same olive color green as the paintstik, I'm going for a tone on tone look. Once I heat set the fabric I will wash it and then apply some more inks and dyes to the surface, it needs to be richer.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Navajo Looms
Below is a pic of a Navajo loom, or Navajo style loom. This loom was given to me by a prolic weaver named Marty. She had been out to New Mexico or Arizona and had taken a Navajo weaving class, her husband bought the plans for building the loom and presented her one made of apple.
But alas Marty loved her floor loom far more and she presented me with the Navajo loom, several years after his passing. Somewhere around here I have the dowel rods, I hope, and the shed sticks. It's not very big, about 45" tall and about 28"wide. I've woven a couple of small tapestries, also floating around here somewhere, on the loom.
I'm now in the process of building myself a much larger loom, try 7 feet tall by 5 or more feet wide. Hubby has a big oak board that's been sitting outside for awhile now that I can have for the uprights, and I have some southern yellow ash for the cross pieces. I need to find those dowel rods though! And shed sticks would be nice as well.
But alas Marty loved her floor loom far more and she presented me with the Navajo loom, several years after his passing. Somewhere around here I have the dowel rods, I hope, and the shed sticks. It's not very big, about 45" tall and about 28"wide. I've woven a couple of small tapestries, also floating around here somewhere, on the loom.
I'm now in the process of building myself a much larger loom, try 7 feet tall by 5 or more feet wide. Hubby has a big oak board that's been sitting outside for awhile now that I can have for the uprights, and I have some southern yellow ash for the cross pieces. I need to find those dowel rods though! And shed sticks would be nice as well.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
The Cost of Vending
I'm cancelling a vending gig this weekend, Ooooooooooo I know the big taboo, too bad!
My father was bitten by a black widow spider last night and is having complications, I'm going home instead. Family comes first over money, no matter the shown o matter the prestige, and if I'm banned because I put family first then it's their loss not mine.
My father was bitten by a black widow spider last night and is having complications, I'm going home instead. Family comes first over money, no matter the shown o matter the prestige, and if I'm banned because I put family first then it's their loss not mine.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Natural Dye Workshops
I taught a natural dye workshop this weekend, and as is typical I forgot my camera. But the class was a hit, I had six students total, and lots of passer-bys asking questions.
Woolies
Here's a pic of some goodies I bought this weekend. Now I just need to dye some moss green to go with these colors. They are a Cotswold Silk Noil Blend and weigh 8 ounces each. I think this will be enough to make a knitted shawl for myself.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Constructed Postcard
Just wanted to note that the previously mentioned constructed post card fibers were dyed using only natural dyes, this includes the threads! The blue is from Indigo.
Quilt Orientation
I know you said you liked the horizontal, Teri Springer, but I'm going verticle! :-) I think you need to see it in person to see how dramatic the difference is, even hgubby likes it better verticle.
It, the quilt, is almost done waving, it had a huge wave in the bottom of it, as seen in the verticle image, from being folded. I need to get the lights out now and photograph it under proper light readings, it's no where near being done! This is just the photo document it phase where I now move onto the next step.
I was a gallery opening, a couple of years ago, where someones piece was hung upside down by accident. Everyone liked it better that way, it had soul when it was upside down.
It, the quilt, is almost done waving, it had a huge wave in the bottom of it, as seen in the verticle image, from being folded. I need to get the lights out now and photograph it under proper light readings, it's no where near being done! This is just the photo document it phase where I now move onto the next step.
I was a gallery opening, a couple of years ago, where someones piece was hung upside down by accident. Everyone liked it better that way, it had soul when it was upside down.
Constructed Fabrics
If the picture thingy ever comes back up I'll upload pics of constructed fabrics. The Large white piece is a handbag, that I need to finish stitching and beading by hand. The lining and front are white silk dupoini.
The small white swatch is what the purse fabric looked like before the Aquabond was rinsed out.
The smallish orange piece is a constructed postcard.
The small white swatch is what the purse fabric looked like before the Aquabond was rinsed out.
The smallish orange piece is a constructed postcard.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Almost There
Are we there yet? Well three years later, yes!
Nothing like hanging a piece vertically for visual improvement. Ignore the washed out look in the verticle orientation, the true color is the horizontal piece. This only proves that I really need to drag the lights and the good camera out for this sorta thing.
I was going to do my latest work on canvas I had painted, but decided on this piece instead. I always knew it wasn't finished and just kept it out of site until now.
It's clay painted, pigment painted, and dye painted with fermented dyes. It's machine stitched and hand stitched with threads that are dyed with natural dyes.
The horizontal lines were grasses, when the quilt hung horizontally, but in reality it works better this way, waves of wind flowing across the prairie.
It'll get there, eventually
Nothing like hanging a piece vertically for visual improvement. Ignore the washed out look in the verticle orientation, the true color is the horizontal piece. This only proves that I really need to drag the lights and the good camera out for this sorta thing.
I was going to do my latest work on canvas I had painted, but decided on this piece instead. I always knew it wasn't finished and just kept it out of site until now.
It's clay painted, pigment painted, and dye painted with fermented dyes. It's machine stitched and hand stitched with threads that are dyed with natural dyes.
The horizontal lines were grasses, when the quilt hung horizontally, but in reality it works better this way, waves of wind flowing across the prairie.
It'll get there, eventually
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Dyeing Quills
I got tired of waiting for the quills to take up the quebracho yellow/wattle dye, read I don't believe it will. Soooooooooooo I put up 4 ounces of ground walnut hulls into about 3 gallons of water warmed it somewhat and threw the quills in.
Bingo! Instant color, I'm hoping they will be a deep chocolate brown in the morning, or at least one side of the quills will be anyway. I didn't add a mordant as walnut is very high in natural tannins.
I have some quills in a cochineal bath and am hoping they will come out carnation pink, just like the silk cocoons. They are taking color up already so there's hope anyway. They won't be as dark as the cocoons, unfortunately. Quills seem to take up dye at a different rate, often requiring more dyestuffs than silk or wool.
I'm still splitting quills, so my temps must still be too high, I need to work on this.
No I haven't decided what to do with the quills yet, and no I don't want to sell them.
They - the quills - haven't told me what they want to be yet. So I keep dyeing and sorting them. Those little fishing tackle boxes from the local big box store work well for this. I have several that have 6 long verticle slots in them, perfect for 6 sizes of quills.
That's right I don't sort them before I dye them, it's luck of the draw! This also ensures that I have lots of colors in all sizes for a multitude of projects.
Quite frankly what I find annoying is the run all of a sudden on "Native American" craft supplies. Most folks have no idea (and sometimes they don't care) what the items they are using mean or that their misuse is an afront to others.
Bingo! Instant color, I'm hoping they will be a deep chocolate brown in the morning, or at least one side of the quills will be anyway. I didn't add a mordant as walnut is very high in natural tannins.
I have some quills in a cochineal bath and am hoping they will come out carnation pink, just like the silk cocoons. They are taking color up already so there's hope anyway. They won't be as dark as the cocoons, unfortunately. Quills seem to take up dye at a different rate, often requiring more dyestuffs than silk or wool.
I'm still splitting quills, so my temps must still be too high, I need to work on this.
No I haven't decided what to do with the quills yet, and no I don't want to sell them.
They - the quills - haven't told me what they want to be yet. So I keep dyeing and sorting them. Those little fishing tackle boxes from the local big box store work well for this. I have several that have 6 long verticle slots in them, perfect for 6 sizes of quills.
That's right I don't sort them before I dye them, it's luck of the draw! This also ensures that I have lots of colors in all sizes for a multitude of projects.
Quite frankly what I find annoying is the run all of a sudden on "Native American" craft supplies. Most folks have no idea (and sometimes they don't care) what the items they are using mean or that their misuse is an afront to others.
Silk Carrier Rods
I wish you could see the pink ones in person, they are a deep carnation pink with yellow highlights. Needless to say don't ever put silk carrier rods into a Kamla dyebath! Instant mush. I managed to save them, rinsed them really well and threw them into an exhausting cochineal bath. This beautiful color was aqcuired!
The gorgeous gold behind is from Osage Orange Extract, it was a strong bath need I say more. They glisten, and so do the cocoons that were in the same bath.
The cocoons below are indigo dyed (blue ones 5 dips), quebracho yellow and wattle (orange ones), cohineal that found iron some how or another (purple ones), and cochineal with COT and alum (carnation pink ones).
Tomorrow I have a lot of fabric, wool, and yarns to dye. Right now I"m tired.
The gorgeous gold behind is from Osage Orange Extract, it was a strong bath need I say more. They glisten, and so do the cocoons that were in the same bath.
The cocoons below are indigo dyed (blue ones 5 dips), quebracho yellow and wattle (orange ones), cohineal that found iron some how or another (purple ones), and cochineal with COT and alum (carnation pink ones).
Tomorrow I have a lot of fabric, wool, and yarns to dye. Right now I"m tired.
Pics and Dyeing
I'll try to post some more pics as I know a few folks are having severe withdrawls. The pic with the rainbow was taken over Memorial Day Weekend somwhere in Illinois.
I acquired a to-dye-for burnt orange on silk cocoons today using Quebracho Yellow and some other dye, I'll have to look at my list but it may have been Wattle. So now I have quills in the dye vat to see if the dye will penetrate the quills, so far it doesn't look like it will do anything but I could be wrong.
I have to wait for the Osage Orange bath to cool down enough to put in the quills. I'm learning that too high a heat will split the quills right down the middle.
I acquired a to-dye-for burnt orange on silk cocoons today using Quebracho Yellow and some other dye, I'll have to look at my list but it may have been Wattle. So now I have quills in the dye vat to see if the dye will penetrate the quills, so far it doesn't look like it will do anything but I could be wrong.
I have to wait for the Osage Orange bath to cool down enough to put in the quills. I'm learning that too high a heat will split the quills right down the middle.
Gourds no more!
My gourd plants were doing well, as in "were" doing well. I admit its my fault I didn't mark them, lets just say they are a lot shorter now. So I'm starting over, I planted more seeds a bit ago, which was a good idea considering our impending gully washer that is about on us.
The other bad thing: in an effort to beat the rain all of my packages of gourd seeds, of about five varieties, spilled into the box and I don't know what is what anymore! Hubby informed me that I now have gourd soup, not funny dear, not funny.
The other bad thing: in an effort to beat the rain all of my packages of gourd seeds, of about five varieties, spilled into the box and I don't know what is what anymore! Hubby informed me that I now have gourd soup, not funny dear, not funny.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Natural Dye Workshop June 11
I will be teaching a dye workshop next Saturday, June 11, in Adel ,Iowa, at the Iowa Summer Sheep & Wool Festival. (too many commas)
The workshop is 6 hours long and entails Surface Design Techniques with Natural Dyes. Now I just need to get all of the fabrics prepped and the dye bathes started. Prairie Fibers will also be there vending the 11-12th. Adel is just west of Des Moines Iowa. Pray it doesn't rain or and the wind is calm and that it's not too awful hot outside!
For more info go to: http://www.iowasheep.com/Festival.html
The workshop will include yarns as well as fabrics! As there are many fiber and papermakers around here it's hard telling what will end up getting colored! We may even make some felt while waiting on pots to get hot.
I do have lots of bound resist and other surface techniques planned so that participants will leave with colorful patterned cloth!
I busted my right knee up again last night, the one I had surgery on in Janurary of this year, and April of last year. I'm movin, but really really slow, so if yah ever wanted to see a turtle dye fabric come on down!
Kimberly
http://www.prairiefibers.com
http://www.kbaxterpackwood.com
http://www.prairiefibers.blogspot.com
The workshop is 6 hours long and entails Surface Design Techniques with Natural Dyes. Now I just need to get all of the fabrics prepped and the dye bathes started. Prairie Fibers will also be there vending the 11-12th. Adel is just west of Des Moines Iowa. Pray it doesn't rain or and the wind is calm and that it's not too awful hot outside!
For more info go to: http://www.iowasheep.com/Festival.html
The workshop will include yarns as well as fabrics! As there are many fiber and papermakers around here it's hard telling what will end up getting colored! We may even make some felt while waiting on pots to get hot.
I do have lots of bound resist and other surface techniques planned so that participants will leave with colorful patterned cloth!
I busted my right knee up again last night, the one I had surgery on in Janurary of this year, and April of last year. I'm movin, but really really slow, so if yah ever wanted to see a turtle dye fabric come on down!
Kimberly
http://www.prairiefibers.com
http://www.kbaxterpackwood.com
http://www.prairiefibers.blogspot.com
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