from failure to something better

My snow-dyeing experiment was fun
but the results were very pale,
in fact you could say :
a total failure.

( I don't know what exactly went wrong,
I will try another time with ice cubes
and look for some more advise.)

folded, with dye powder, with snow.

REALLY pale !!!

But
why not use this failed piece of cotton
for another go at the Jude Kingshott workshop !

So I outlined the vague forms that were there
and cut lots of little circles
after I first ironed vliesofix (wonder-under) onto the fabric.
I played around a bit with various options
and started stitching the shapes that were ironed into place.

And after a lot of stitching . . .

I got this far
(resting for the moment)

the backside

What fun when you look against the light !

*

Though it looks already like spring in the garden
the birds still love to come to the feeders.
Some of them are true acrobats :

and while these two are having synchronized fun "in the air"
some others are happy with the mess they make on the ground :

goldfinch as well as moorhen !

a BIG difference

When I think of this last weekend
and the one before that
. . . . .
there couldn't be a greater difference :
in temperature
and the activities outside !
One was   WINTER  
the next was   SPRING  

You can hardly imagine a  BIGGER  difference in one week  !!!


For the Stitch Club this week had a workshop by Jude Kingshott
and she designed for us to make a small book
out of cotton organdie
(which is rather transparent)
with coloured shapes and neat stitching in it.

Well, that organdie was a problem for many of us :

it is not a material that is normally in your stash,
but of course you could use any other materials

that you did have at home.

I was thinking and planning

when I had a conversation with another Stitch-member

and then I suddenly remembered the dark purple table runner

that I bought years ago just for the strange fabric : cotton organdie !
Together with some greenish stretchy fabric
and my home dyed silk thread I could make a start.

My first page

Some other pages of the final booklet

It was very special to work on such thin material
where you can see trough one page to the next.

ice ... and stitch ... and dye

ICE

and The Netherlands goes crazy !

Though there are still a lot of restrictions
due to Corona (Covid)
everybody wants to take part in the ice fun !!!!!
Ice skating is HOT here !

For me it was a great opportunity
to prune some branches of the Buddleja and Malus (wild apple)
that hung too far over the water to reach from the garden !

So yesterday I was out on the ice with my garden shears
(earlier the sun was out but just then it was bitter cold !)

Ha, later the sun was back
and it all looks a lot friendlier

(some more needs to be taken off)


And because the sun gave a lot of depth to the stitching
I made another picture of the finished eco-printed linen piece

Now I "only" have to make the A4 book
for which this will be the front cover.

Then, today,

just when I was ready to start a new eco-print lay-out,
family arrived !
So much fun to be able to use the back door, haha !

Time for the boys to put on skates
and for me to make some tea and hot chocolate
and find some cookies.

FUN for everyone !

After they were gone I had time for the printing
but also for some snow dyeing
(a first for me)

The first lay-out and the result after steaming

the end result
(already dry because it is very thin silk)

eco - printing

Almost ten years ago
I did a felting workshop with the Australian felter
Pam de Groot
combined with eco-printing.
I loved Pam's work and didn't think too much
about the eco-printing.
It turned into a real flop, a failure
and it took quite some time
before I finished the little waistcoat I made there.
Later I tried on my own
but never had any great success with eco-printing.

Until this Stitch Club workshop of
Caroline Nixon
came along !

Wonderful thorough explanations
in her long video !
A LOT of preparations were needed before I could start.


preparing the second bundle
(with the first I was too busy to take pictures hahaha)


A big old pot from the thrift store

Unwrapping the first bundle later that night,
picture with and without leaves.

And the second one,

on two long strips next to each other.

Still wet (so darker) but definitely :
PRINTS !!!

When washed and dry
there will be some stitching on them !!!


But before I had time for that
there was first another bird to finish :
my colourful Jay !
I love that shy bird that visits the peanut garland
in our garden.
(and surprises us with new little oak trees
of forgotten acorns !)

(a little bit brighter, but why not !)