The sun is back!

We finally have the weather we are intended to ahe in France at this time of the year, so I'm a bit reluctant to be inside the studio.Nevertheless, my large fabric piece is at last finished, using all my dye samples from Sydney and Denmark.Now I am working on a pattern for a garment to make with the cloth.

Somehow, the colours look washed out here-maybe too much sun shining on it-but they are the usual rusts and woads.The cloth fills a whole table in the studio, so there is plenty to play with.As I don't want to waste an inch, it may be a case of one of those garments which just have two armholes cut into a rectangle and then draped artfully around the body-can I do draped artfully, I wonder? Does anyone out there have rough measurements as to where the armholes go?

new work

Inspired by my visit to the linen museum near Odense during Felt in Focus ,I've started  some new work-sort of based on the old work for the Snow Queen, in that it is modular and assembled from small patches of felt, old fabric and lace.A visit to a local Vide Grenier gave me some wonderful pieces of hemp and linen fabric, for once going for a song, so I've embarqued on another journey.Who knows where this one will end?



This is a close up,showing the knitting and the printed knit.



I've always been fascinated by old samplers and that is what I'm aiming for,at the same time as making apple jam,so the house is full of sweet jam smells and old fashioned lace work!The weather is a bit autumnal considering it's July, so maybe staying inside and working is the only way to take my mind off the lack of sun.

avocados

Look at this amazing colour from avocado skins and rust on organza!
Need to use it in felt now, but it really is strong and dark-picture doesn't really do it justice.

More Felt in Focus

More print and lovely colours.

a richly rusted sample

More student work and finally,a picture of the large hot water bath which was very convenient for drying and rusting our fabric.All my rust and woad books sold quickly and am now waiting for a new batch and working on further developments with the technique.My Snow queen exhibit was beautifully hung-thanks to the organisers-and i have been in the studio today,researching ways to progress the devore/felt techniques i used in the piece.It's always inspiring to go to a symposium, but this one has been amazingly stimulating.Hope they ask me back next time!

BACK IN THE COUNTRY AGAIN

My classroom at Felt in Focus! Met some lovely people,reunited with old friends and was inspired by other feltmakers.Now i need to relax and take stock of what was done and what i learned myself.

Some of the work done by students,using my techniques of felt collage and the dyed woad and rust fabrics,overprinted with natural dye extracts.More pictures etc later.