Gracie

Gracie, 2017. Indigo and horsehair on muslin. 30.5 " x  7".

The hair on this doll was made using strands of horse tail hair from a horse I love named Gracie. 

September & October

A spider in the zinnia.

Postcard to Norilsk, Russia

A doll I've been working on. 

People of the Horse

Erika Larson, People of the Horse- I am continually struck by the power of this series. Each viewing is always as good as the first.  http://www.erikalarsenphoto.com/works/people-of-the-horse/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/horse-tribes/larsen-photography
article that accompanied Larson's photography in National Geographic
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/horse-tribes/quammen-text

Photograph by Erika Larsen

Destiny Buck, of the Wanapum tribe, rides her mare, Daisy, in the yearly Indian princess competition in Pendleton, Oregon. Embraced first for war, hunting, and transport, horses became partners in pageantry and a way to show tribal pride.-via National Geographic

April & May

                                                 

" The Three Graces," by Dirk De Quade Van Ravesteyn. Dutch, c. 1590-1612.

No date on painting. Oil on wood panel. On display at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

A muslin version of a dress that I think I may make at some point. I stick avocado dyed triangles on a lot of things now. Perhaps I will move onto different shapes at some point.

Second Scarf

So I've finished my second knitting project, another scarf using the same video by Wool and the Gang that I used for my previous scarf. I used thinner, wool alpaca yarn from Bell House Alpacas . My last scarf was made from a thicker synthetic yarn, and I felt with this newer yarn I had a harder time maintaining enough tension. My rows are very loose and I dropped some stitches, but I love how this yarn is dyed. The scarf makes me want to submerge myself in the ocean. 

February & March

Lately.

Pg. 225 of The Temple of the Golden Pavillon  by Yukio Mishima

Prayers to Pluto

Today I started planting for spring! Last spring I ordered some Black Devil Pansy seeds from Alchemy Works http://www.alchemy-works.com/viola_x_wittrockiana.html , or Viola x Wittrockiana. I became interested in them for their use in rain and love magic, but most notably for their relationship to Pluto. In flower language pansies mean "think of me." I didn't get them planted in time last year, but this year I've started all 20 seeds, so hopefully they will germinate!

 
Last year I did manage to grow the California Poppies http://www.alchemy-works.com/eschscholzia_californica.html . I made some blog posts documenting their progress.

Appliqué

Pink triangles for a skirt that I've started cutting out fabric for. My plan is to sew them on using the appliqué technique. The technique, taken from the french word appliquer meaning to cover up, was originally used to cover up holes or tears in clothing or other pieces of usable fabric. Gradually it came to become used for artistic effect. 

Appliqué on a Turkish Whirling Dervish cotton dress.

House of Dior (French, founded 1947), Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957). “Venus” Dress, autumn/winter 1949–50, Haute Couture. Machine–sewn, hand–finished gray silk taffeta and tulle; hand–applique of gray silk tulle and horsehair petals, hand–embroidered with opalescent, gold, and silver gelatin sequins, feather paillettes, synthetic pearls, and clear crystals. Photo © Nicholas Alan Cope. Via the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Rumāl

Embroidered Rumāl, Hanging or Tablecloth. 1840-1880. India. Wool ground, silk embroidery threads. In the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Rumāls are similar to handkerchiefs or bandannas. They are worn by Sikh men who cut their hair and do not wear a turban. Outside of Sikhism, they are commonly understood to be  bandannas or handkerchiefs and are worn as such, and no connection to Sikhism is implied. This one at the Baltimore Museum of Art was believed to have been used as a tablecloth or as more of a decorative hanging piece.

Blush

These are some of the results from my last dye session. Previous avocado batches have yielded salmony, orange colored fabrics (from the fabric that is boiled in the bath, not just soaked overnight), so it is nice to have some pieces that range from a very light pink to a blush color. This batch was boiled in the bath for an hour and left overnight to further saturate. I didn't use as many avocado pits as in previous attempts so I suspect that may be the cause of the lighter pink. Overall I am happy with the results. Aside from the shirt and felt in the upper right color, the rest of the fabrics are varying types of muslin.  

Happy New Year

On the final day of 2016 I did a final avocado dye bath. Some pieces had already been dyed once, but most had their first bath. I hung them up to dry this morning on the line. I figured this is a good way to ring in the new year. At this point, I've amassed a good amount of fabric dyed with avocado, so I think I will experiment with different types of dye in 2017. I have an indigo dye kit that I've been waiting to dive into.