Indigo Film Premiers in Santa Fe

What a pity we're in the UK not the US.  A new film about indigo was premiered there, on 6 July, featuring Hiroyuki Shindo, a contemporary Japaneses textile artist and master of indigo.  The highlight is the filming of the whole process of making and using a fermentation vat.


This lovely little blog give a glimps of what might be expected in the film: http://kyototrip.blogspot.com/2010/10/hiroyuki-shindo-and-little-indigo.html

Colour Palette of the Month - July!

Last September I took my youngest up to Aberdeen University and we stopped by the Winter Gardens in Duthie Park.  What an amazing afternoon we spent there and I spent most of that time photographing the plants and flowers.

This months inspiration is one of the many beautiful flowers.

I absolutely adore this colour palette and think it might find it’s way into my new fabric collection to be launched in October.  What do you think?

By the way, can any of you identify the flower?

It'll be a challenge to dye with naturals, don't you think, so let me know what dyes you'd use?

Crochet Artist

At Wonderwool Wales this year the lovely Deborah Allen purchased some of our chunky boucle yarn from the discontinued basket.  We can't get anymore of this divine yarn, it's no longer spun, so Deborah bought the lot!

Since then she's been busy crocheting the yarn into a fabulous jacket and I couldn't resist letting you see her handiwork and the beautiful colours.

Well done, Deborah, your work is truly inspiring.

PS you can get the pattern from Garnstudio

Colour Palette of the Month - June!

I know this is an early spring picture but it's so beautiful I couldn't resist using it for the June colour palette, particularly as one or two people thought the April picture was rather dull for a Spring palette.

In March, three colleagues and I were lucky enough to teach a couple of workshops in The Netherlands and between workshops we went to Delft.  These vivid tulips and anemones were in a flower shop we passed and we couldn't resist buying them.

What I love about this picture is the contrast in colours and the rich depth.  The anemone was slightly more purple than is shown here, but even then it's really gorgeous.

So how would dye these colours?  From right to left: 2% lodhra bark to get the lovely soft peach; 5% dhak (tessu flower) and annatto for the vivid yellow; 5% chaste tree and kamala; 5% acacia gum and cutch; 4 dips of indigo; 5% acacia gum over dyed with a couple of dips in indigo.


What would you do?

How would you use these colours?

Learn your ABC with a Dyer!

B is for......

Books!  I don't know about anyone else, but I can't do without them.  I tend to use them as a resource for trying new techniques, problem solving (there's always an answer somewhere on the bookshelf) and as source of inspiration (often travel, gardening or art books).

I've always got a note book in my bag, as well as a small sketchbook, pen, 2B pencil, rubber, sharpener and very small water colour kit as well as my trusty camera!

Novels are my bedtime reading, not crime, though.  I can happily drift off to sleep mid-paragraph.

How about you?  What's your favourite natural dyeing book?

Learn your ABC with a Dyer!

A is for Anthurium, that waxy flower grown throughout the world and, in particular, Hawaii.

I first discovered them when I was looking for inspiration for my final project at Bradford College in 2004. The resulting designs and products I’ve woven as a result of the anthurium inspiration have brought me continued recognition.

This little colour palette, that I worked for a yarn I designed for Yarnmaker magazine, features one of my favourite colours.

We could use Red Lac, for the red and the pink and Cutch Waste for the khaki green, what would you use?

Colour Palette of the Month - May!

Last month I picked an image of a building in The Hague that made me think of rugs for my colour palette inspiration.  However, one or two people thought it was a bit dull for a Spring palette.

This month I've picked a beautiful cornflower image.  I snapped the cornflowers in Rochfort sur Mar while I was on the Wednesday morning excursion at ISEND.

 When trying to replicate the dye colours I'd try:

Green - kamala over-dyed with indigo.

Blue/green - myrobalan over-dyed with indigo.

Bottle green - kamala with two dips in indigo.

Bright blue - five minutes in indigo.

Pale blue - one minute in indigo.

Red - a mix of red lac and kamala.

I hope you like it.  Let me know what you think, does it work for you?  What dyes would you use?