MIA

I feel like I have been missing in action. Certainly there hasn't been much sewing action but summer usually brings a whole other set of activities that historically (as in my history) tend to take precedence.......

There's the tennis for a start, so the TV is on for many more hours than is usual. It's also a time for catching up with family and friends and usually a short trip away to the Snowy Mountains. (This time with lots of photos of eucalyptus trees and leaves for one of my upcoming projects.....

For me this trip signals Christmas is over and I can put my feet up with a good book or two.....(see 'Happy New Year' post), notably these.....and start to plan new projects.

.......very different but I enjoyed both.    

There have been some houseguests, with more due soon..........

......and two batches of crabapple jelly, the second one twice cooked as it didn't properly set the first time - which has intensified both the glorious colour and the flavour.

We have been to three very different but highly rated movies - 'The Book Thief', The Railway Man' and 'Saving Mr Banks'............

.........and another batch of greyscale fabric dyeing (which needs its own post).

Add to that a couple of swims and a few walks and it has been a busy but pleasureable time - just not much blogging......

I am making a concerted effort to get back on track before my head bursts - it is so full of ideas - and it's time for some action instead of thinking and reading.

Hopefully back soon,

Sue xxxx

Lesson 1 - Grey scale

Or in my case, let's call it blue-grey scale.......

The dyeing session itself was both fun and informative, however the results were a little different to what was anticipated - my fabrics are much bluer than expected........the photos don't do the true colours justice - you may have to take my word on that.

 Next to a commercial grey fabric they definitely look bluer.......

However, next to a blue fabric they look greyer......

So follows a bit of analysis and the answer I think lies here......my PFD fabric (sheeting) is slightly more ivory / cream than white which I'm pretty sure has skewed the results a bit......(not that I'm complaining, I actually prefer creams to stark white and the colours I have are beautiful - and in fact very 'me'.....

Here they are in the photo edited into B&W.....

I can see a couple of issues with the gradation as well - there could be more differentiation between the various stages.

I also left them overnight with the soda ash solution on them so maybe that is something else to change.

I found some white cotton in my stash so I think the experiment bears repeating after I wash it in case it's not PFD.

Whatever the result I have some lovely additions to my stash of hand-dyed fabric and a bit more knowledge under my belt about the process of fabric dyeing and the relative relationships between colours. They should be fine for my 'homework' when I get to it - a few things to do before then,

Sue xxxx

New Year, New Creative Challenges.....

At last there has been time to dive into the new challenges that have been waiting patiently in the wings. Yesterday a little monoprinting (more on that another time) and today the first foray into the new dyeing (with an 'e') process as per our online class with Elizabeth Barton.

Lesson one involves dyeing a grey scale using various amounts of black dye....

Initial results in the sketch book look promising........

These little promises of beauty can slumber overnight and we'll see what comes out in the wash tomorrow....

Sue xxxx