Eucalyptus dyeing and wandering thoughts

 It was a beautiful morning so the dye pot had to make an appearance. I had planted a eucalyptus in the garden about three years ago, it wasn't happy but this year it has really taken off. I don't want it growing large so I pruned it yesterday, probably the wrong time of the year but it needs holding back a bit. My garden isn't huge. Anyway three scarves in the pot, two silk jersey cowls and one cotton scarf.

My studio table is looking a mess, my excuse is that this is all work related and actually most of it is.
I am now on Instagram, twice accidentally and I don't know how to remove the wrong one, I think you will find me under djpawle, still learning this slightly mysterious to me app, I don't think I am ever going to become tech savvy, I am also on Pinterest twice, how did I do that?

Gardens of the Heart

My contribution to the Gardens of the Heart project by India Flint for h.ART.  My line says 'and through the wood the wandering path'. Each participant is stitching a line of poetry, which will be stitched together with two other lines to make a three line poem. None of us know the contributions of others the results should be fascinating.
Follow this link to find out more about it http://prophet-of-bloom.blogspot.com/2018/02/gardens-of-heart.html

West Country Quilt and Textile Show 2018

 Two more images of my work for Liz Hewitt and my exhibition 'Colours of Africa' at the show. http://westcountryquiltshow.co.uk/  Set up day tomorrow, finished stitching today.

 The Garden is beginning to recover from two months without rain, am so pleased with my quince tree, now we need no winds until they ripen. Hoping to make quince jam or jelly, a new experience for me, the first year I have had usable quinces. Roses having a second flowering after the rain.

Small progressions towards Colours of Africa

More designs towards the large piece I am making and a weaving waiting to be tidied up and mounted.

Working towards the next exhibition

Close up of stitched piece

The beginnings of another piece

I am finally managing to start work on pieces for the next exhibition I am taking part in with Liz Hewitt at the West Country Quilt and Textile show at the end of August, to close for comfort. Luckily I can use a few pieces I have already but both of these will be new pieces. The exhibition is called 'Colours of Africa', neither of us have been to Africa so this will be based on our interpretation of it. Liz also has a collection of African textiles she is working on.

The top piece is a landscape with plant dyed silk noil fabric and commercial thread. The second piece will be a large cloth with patches stitched with African designs, the one above is by the Ibo people and is in the Pitts Rivers collection in Oxford. If I remember correctly it was part of a collection of designs for tattoos.

This is also plant dyed but is mainly old cotton sheeting which I am already regretting using as stitching in to it is quite hard and my carpel tunnel operation is not fully healed yet and I suspect not one hundred per cent successful either as I am still getting a lot of pain in my wrist. The silk is so much easier to sew. Anyway I will  persevere and maybe even remember to post sometimes.

An update on my bag progress

  I have finally finished hemming the 25 squares for my bag and am now beginning to stitch them together. I may be sometime, the finished bag will materialise at some stage.

Bagstories

Basic bag

Wrapping cloth

I am following India Flint's Fb group for people who have purchased her book Bagstories. There are extra lessons on the page, one of which involves hemming 25 squares. I have started doing these with hand stitch but have had to give up for a while. I really wanted to make a bag so have made the easiest one from the book, mostly machined but hand finished. It is made from Indian cotton tab topped curtains I bought in a sale. The handle is made from one of the tabs and the button is one I kept from a 1970's coat.. I have more fabric and buttons so may make a larger one as well.
The wrapping cloth is also based on a Japanese concept and is made from another curtain I bought at the same time. I like to wrap presents in cloth, it is reusable or can be made into something else.

Portrait Shuffle

Self portrait

This is my portrait for the portrait shuffle organised by Through our Hands. All the portraits will be on show at the Festival of Quilts in August at the NEC.

Eco printed fabric and silk yarn

The idea is to fundraise for Save the Children. Everybody who enters gets a portrait by another participant after the show. The closing date for portraits to be received is 31st July 2017 so I guess you can still enter.
When I started this piece I was going to do something clever and complicated to represent my work. In the end I did something simple, the me I would like to be and sometimes am. So someone will bet a portrait of the uncomplicated me along with my wonky stitching.
The words are by Mary Oliver and say 'When I am alone I can become invisible.

The Answer

Papaver 'Patty's Plum' still one of my favourite flowers
15 flower heads this year

Detail of a rust piece

Whilst struggling to hand stitch wearing a wrist splint for Carpel Tunnel I have answered a question that has been troubling me for a while. Whether the work I produce should be practical and useful. I answered myself today, it just doesn't matter, if you can you should do what you love while you can.

Dyeing experiments and a bit of patchwork

1 Dandelion, silk noil, silk and wool mix yarn

2 Cushion, old linen and hand stitch

3 Silk noil, from left wool, silk, wool and silk mix yarns

4 Silk noil, from left wool, wool and silk mix, silk yarn

5 Silk noil, from left wool, silk and wool mix, silk yarn

Dandelion dyed in an aluminium saucepan, very pretty pale yellow, if these had been fresh they may have dyed darker but I had collected them over several days.

Images 3, 4, 5, are all experiments using Logwood powder, a little goes a long way so I still have loads left. I probably wouldn't buy it again as I understand that the whole tree has to be cut down to obtain the dye but it does yield some lovely colours. Apparently it is slightly fugitive as well. All cooked in a stainless steel pan.

3 All of these had been previously dyed with rust and bark, the wool yarn on the left being the resulting colour, the rest were over dyed with the logwood and came out these lovely blues.

4 Logwood cooked for an hour and then left overnight in the pan, love these colours.

5 Using the left over dye with copper added, supposed to bring out the blues which it sort of has, it turned the dye into a very nasty looking soup.

I will have another go soon to try and get some lighter fresher colours.

Not weaving but drowning

Actually that is rather an exaggeration but I am having trouble coming up with ideas for larger pieces, the tapestry and the stitched piece are both based on patching and are for the upcoming exhibition with Liz Hewitt, Rusted, Weathered and Worn.
The tapestry is in different shades of grey with a fine maroon line between each patch, difficult to see, this is the first larger piece I have started.
The stitched piece will probably be a cushion cover and is made from an old linen skirt backed with part of an old sheet, which is a joy to stitch, very soft.

Here's something I made earlier

New version (square)

On the right a piece I made a few years ago from rusted cotton and rusted yarn on bark cloth. Last week I worked up the courage to cut it up into strips and alter it.  I used Jude Hill's method of woven patchwork. This meant I lost some of the stitching but managed to save some odd woven bits to use for cards.
 I have consolidated the piece by adding new stitching. New piece on the left, I will try and get a better photo sometime. this piece will be framed.

Old version (long and thin)

This is from another piece I am cutting up. This is complete as it is and will also be framed,  I will then use the rest of the original for another piece.















Detail of another piece I have just finished which is made up from old denim pieces I have kept over the years. It is a wall piece or throw.

At the moment I am into stitching I am sure I will be weaving again soon so will update on the branch piece soon. Not the best photos but the weather has been very dull.

Quarry Exhibition

Cards in progress

Sinclair Taylor

Stephanie Wooster

Vici Campbell

Joan Hall and Helen Nock

Gail Darke and Linda Haile

Linda Haile

Debbie Pawle, Gail Darke, Simon Taylor

My stand

Jack Hicks

Gail Darke, Simon Taylor and Emma Lomax

Sorry if I have omitted any names, but I think that is everybody. Some amazing and unusual work here. There are some more images on my fb page: www.facebook.com/debbie.weaver.1884
and details of opening times etc on the poster.

South West Textile Group at Westonbirt

Skirt, top and scarf

This is my piece for the SWTG exhibition at Westonbirt Arboretum which opens today from 10 until 4 finishing on 20th of this month.
 I have seen some of the other work being displayed and it looks like its well worth a visit. See their website for general information http://www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt

Sad

Still life now has a background and is waiting
to be framed.

I have been feeling very sad today after our Brexit vote and have not been able to concentrate on much. I have been wandering around in and out of the garden between showers and just doing some finishing off on framing some of the pieces for our Shoreline exhibition of which I have taken some pictures. Some finished and nearly finished work

Finished piece

Well what to say about this, it is in a state of disarray
while I work out what to do with it. Its supposed to be
one of those tangles of seaweed seen on the strand line.

Another strand line piece forgot the photo until I had put the glass on

A small piece for a driftwood looking frame.