Plant dyed yarns and a new weaving

Just a quick catch up. I am not really using blogger much now except to read everybody's post. I have mainly moved over to Instagram, its easier. If you are interested in taking a look my address is ://www.instagram.com/djpawle

New work

New weaving on the loom

New computer, took me ages and a lesson from the other half to get these uploaded. Nothing to say for the last month or so, other stuff filling up my headspace, its been a difficult few months.

Anyway some new work to keep me and my thoughts occupied. This is the second piece of work for the eco textile exhibition I am taking part in at The Quilt Show in the NEC in Birmingham next year. All naturally dyed yarns and fabrics. Old sheets, Shetland lambs wool and nettle yarns. I am hoping to add some seeds, bark and shells later.

Colour palette

Small steps

 The cleaning up of the driftwood is progressing slowly, there are some lovely colours which will be brought out when I reach the waxing stage.

The beginning of my weaving for The Quilt Show at the NEC next year where I am taking part in a joint exhibition. The piece uses nettle and plant dyed british wool yarn. Certain similarities in shaping to the driftwood perhaps.

Update of West Country Quilt and Textile Show

Exhausting first day at the festival, lots of very positive comments and the offer of a gallery space to take the exhibition forward.

Planted dyed recycled cotton with african symbols

Above Kuba cloth, below my interpretation,
leather on bark cloth

Piece made from african fabric and cowrie shells
all sourced from The African Fabric Shop

Weavings

Add caption

View of stand and my work

View of stand and Liz Hewitt's work

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.

New Exhibition

This is a very roundabout way of trying to get an image on Facebook. The next exhibition I am involved in opens on the 28th April and includes artists with many different talents from the South West of the UK.
There is another poster with more work on it but haven't managed to convert that into a usable file yet.

Transformation: Earth Matters

A detail from my nearly finished weaving for an exhibition next year with the above title. The weft is woven with plastic from the beach and plastic from the home, title 'Plastic Sea'.

Quilt and Textile show

We would like to thank everybody who visited our stand. We had a fantastic time talking to such interested and interesting people,  so many lovely compliments about our space. Hope to see you all again next year.

and some weaving

Rust dyed woven fabric

On the loom, rusty colours

This piece is finished now

Close ups of some pieces for Liz Hewitt's and my exhibition at Weston Quarry which is then travelling on to the West of England Quilt and Textile show.
Sorry the colours are a bit dark.

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.

Rust, weathered and worn

Leaf print

Tea and Rust

Sun flares

Some more work for our exhibition, I forgot to take photos before I framed two of these so sorry for the reflections. The skeleton leaf is a print, something I learnt at an Alice Fox course http://www.alicefox.co.uk and then had a fun day practicing with my friend Liz Hewitt. The picture includes the original leaf.
The weaving is a small piece with rusty pieces and tea stained.
The last photo is another reassembled bark cloth piece and rusted cotton piece.

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.

For Barbara

A view of the piece of driftwood the nest is attached to and the beginnings of another piece of weaving on the same branch. This is all tied on to my upright loom so I hope you can make sense of the photos.
Mo and Grace both liked the way the hag stones looked on the nest when I was using them as weights, they will end up being part of another piece but I think I will try and make another delicate
structure, it did seem to work quite well.

Nest making

Using witches stones as weights

Finished nest

I am gradually getting back into making, this little nest was a right pain to make. I have made it directly onto a piece of driftwood and weighted the warp threads with stones. It is woven from the top down something I have never done before and although it is weighted there is no tension. Normally weaving is done under tension, it is also partly woven from grass. I guess for a first time try it was a rather stupid thing to start on. I probably should have experimented first but thats' not how I work, I have an idea I want to do it immediately. Keeping any sort of tension was hard, the yarn and especially the grass did not want to stay put the warp kept getting muddled and I was sorely tempted to just give up. In the end though its passable.
This is part of a much larger piece of driftwood so more weaving to come. I am making this for our exhibition next year at Weston quarry.

I am also working on another piece for the Festival of Quilts next year as part of a group show of the southwesttextilegroup.org this is under wraps for the time being.

Open studio

 I have been dyeing scarves for my studio opening, woad and pomegranate.

Eco dyed clothes and cushions

 Some photos from the studio opening, last day tomorrow.

Liz Hewitt, eco dyed and indigo dyed scarves

And a small piece of weaving, working towards future exhibitions now.

So excited

View from the Shore

I have just had this piece selected for the exhibition 'Threads' at Salisbury Arts Centre on from 1st October to the 12 November. The selection panel were
 Polly Leonard, Founder and Editor of Selvedge Magazine, Michael Brennand-Wood, Textile Artist, Lecturer and Arts Consultant and Louise Evans, Visual Arts Manager, Salisbury Arts Centre. 

Conundrum

 How do you tell when a black tomato is ripe? I can't find the packet so don't know what they are or how big they are supposed to get. We have had glorious weather recently so I have been out in the garden most days.
Still managing to do odd crafty things as well, two dyed scarves curing before being washed, hope they will retain the colour.

Dyed with mare's tail and hibiscus

 Rusted covers for notebooks awaiting their waxed finish

Rusted washers and tin lids

 Another one hopefully rusting away

disposable barbecue found on the beach

 Woven friendship type bracelets

Cotton ribbon and silk threads

 Bundles in an indigo bath heating in the garden.

This is a liquid indigo extract that I bought from http://www.dtcrafts.co.uk/

A couple of days before the weather changes and it starts raining, desperately needed, but a few more sunny days would have been appreciated as I have quite a lot of clothing waiting for the dyepot.