From the Indigo Vat

Here are the pieces I dyed at Fenland Textile Studio yesterday.  As well as trying lace, thread and the buttons and shells in the synthetic indigo vat I wanted to do a selection of shibori patterns.  Some were more successful than others, I have rather more white in some than I hoped and rather less in others, but I was generally pleased.  It was interesting to learn what my fellow students thought of each piece too, our tastes and opinions varied considerably, it's such a personal thing isn't it and the excitement of unfolding a piece and of watching the indigo develop is magic every time.  Enjoy my indigo exhibition:

Blue Sky, Blue Dye

What a wonderful day I had yesterday, in the Lincolnshire countryside, in the sunshine, in the indigo vat.  Wow, as soon as I caught the aroma of the vat I was transported right back to Japan, to dipping in the vat with my Indigo Sisters.
I was fortunate to get a last minute place on Angela Daymond's Indigo Blues workshop at her Fenland Textile Studio near Spalding.  Situated in old farm buildings at Unique Cottage Studios it was an inspiring place to be.  Coincidentally, there was an exhibition of student work on during the afternoon and so we were joined by many people, some of whom sneaked a dip in the vat and were inspired to sign up for workshops.

The main focus of Angela's workshop was to enable us to have the confidence to make our own indigo vats, using a very straightforward recipe.  Once the vats were ready we got quite carried away with dyeing cloth, lace, wool and with trying various folding and tying, "shibori" resist techniques (Angela teaches a specific workshop on that).  Our dyeing dried quickly in the September sunshine (it was 27C at lunchtime) and don't they look wonderful against that old brick wall?

We also experimented with dyeing non-fabric items, I was pleased with the success I had with buttons and shells:

At the end of the day we had time to look at the exhibition, a lovely collection of textiles, ceramics and glass.

And can you see that little bowl on the left of the picture above?  I couldn't resist it, it looked quite Japanese to me and being blue and white it was a lovely item to bring home from the day.

I also brought home my very own mini indigo vat -and yes, Angela, it survived the journey home :-)  This was a great idea of Angela's, to send us home with a way to continue indigo dyeing easily and to give us all the information we needed to rejuvenate our vat as required.  It may not be an enormous Japanese indigo vat, in a stunning ceramic jar, or set into the ground, but it does have the same evocative aroma, the same effect and it is rather more manageable in my little cottage in Lincolnshire.

Today I shall sort out and press all the pieces I dyed yesterday and then photograph them and share them with you in a separate post.  In the meantime, have a look at Angela's website and her blog post about yesterday's workshop and make a note that her next Indigo workshop will be on 20th April 2013 - I'd book now if I were you. 

Art at Spurn Point

I have just found out about this exhibition

and hope I will be able to get to see it.  Have a look at Alice's blog for more about her art.

My Next Big Project

Cindy Brick

Womenfolk

Hart Cottage quilts

Choosing fabrics and How to sew

I am assembling some information and ideas for my next big project - a Double Wedding Ring quilt for my DS and DDiL to be.  I have until April 2013 to get this one done - sounds like a long time, famous last words!
I am terrified of this pattern but it has to be DWR doesn't it?  At the weekend I visited my LQS and ordered a template set - they don't have them in stock as Barbara explained, they are expensive and hardly anybody does DWR these days!  Alarm bells.
I have looked at Susan Stein's book, Double Wedding Ring Quilts-Coming Full Circle, and am inspired by her ideas although I know David and Jessica would like a very traditional look to their quilt, as if Jane Austen herself had stitched it ;-)
I am definitely doing a trial run of this pattern and would appreciate any advice that fellow quilters can offer.

This DWR is from McCalls quilting

Pojagi and Basins

I've been a terrible blogger recently and have only just caught up with your lovely comments and emails on my recent posts, thank you one and all.  Hetty sent me a link from pojabi.jp that I thought I'd share with you, especially those of you who appreciated my not strictly correct pojagi seams.  This shows you how to do the seams properly.  The text is in Japanese but the diagrams are excellent.  Click on the orange box at the bottom right of the first page to continue.

http://pojagi.jp/html/TEC/technic01.html

DH got the all clear from the doctors and is off on his trip to New Zealand tomorrow and I will have two months of me-time when I will hopefully get a lot of sewing, blogging and reading done as well as a little gardening if I have energy left.  Speaking of reading, have you discovered Good Reads ?  DD put me onto it. Instead of writing lists, or forgetting what I've read, I now add my books to these virtual bookshelves and also get books recommended based on my reading preferences.  Thank goodness the site doesn't have a direct link to Amazon!
Normal blogging service will be resumed as soon as possible and here's a little something to make you smile - the handbasins in Dobbies garden centre in Peterborough:

World Textile Day

I've just been reading Susan Briscoe's blog where she has announced the dates and website for World Textile Day 2013.  Most excitingly for me there will be a World Textile Day England and it's going to be in Norfolk.  Here's the information taken from the website at http://www.worldtextileday.co.uk  Put the dates in your new diary for next year, it's going to be great.

World Textile Day England 

7 Sep 2013

The People Behind the Cloth

FREE admission to our exhibition of stitched, embroidered and woven textiles and artefacts from around the world. 10am - 5pm.

11am and 2pm lectures
Jim Gaffney and Magie Relph introduce 'The People Behind the Cloth' and show pieces from their personal collections - £2 per talk.

Five specialist world textile traders:

• Textile Techniques
• The African Fabric Shop
• John Gillow
• Martin Conlan - Slow Loris Textiles
• Susan Briscoe Designs

Refreshments to be confirmed.   Disabled access.  

Mundford Village Hall, St Leonards St, Mundford, Thetford, Norfolk, IP26 5DW

I Was There!

As the main photographer in the family I am rarely in photographs and I don't mind this as I don't like having my picture taken.  I don't think the camera will steal my soul or anything, I just don't look as gorgeous as I know I am once translated into megapixels.  However, it is nice to have one or two pictures to remind myself that I was at any given event.  My Indigo Sisters agreed that we would send each other CDs of the photos we took in Japan and today I have received Jean's having already got Judi's and Cynthia's.  Mine are organised and ready to burn and so will be heading around the world very soon.  Here is a self indulgent post of photos of me on the Japan Textile Study Tour 2012 - I was there!!

And finally a picture of very elusive Fuji san who was also there but appears in very few photographs:

Thank you Judi, Cynthia and Jean.

Displaying Silk

I purchased some vintage silk while I was in Japan and have now found a way to frame, protect and enjoy it.  I bought an acrylic frame from muji which allows a view of both sides of the fabric, the decorative rightside and the interesting wrongside, with the stitches and pieces of lining.  My photographs are not very good but I'm sure you get the idea.  Now I must go back to watching London 2012, Murray v Federer...

Added 6 August 2012:

1.  Many thanks to sensei Bryan who emailed details of my little piece of silk:

It is a piece of Tegakiyuzen on chirimen.(silk crepe) (Hand drawn yuzen dying.) Probably from Kyoto. I think it from after WWII. Maybe in the 50's as the woven quality of the crepe is very high. It is the shoulder piece from a kimono it seems by the cut marks. It looks like the motif is the seven grasses of autumn.  Very nice piece.

 

and 

 

2.  Congratulations to Andy Murray http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18907001
 

A Gift in the Post

Well isn't it interesting how things turn out?  A little while ago Visit Japan from the UK posted a giveaway on Facebook of little mobile phone cleaners.  I fancied one and sent in my details.  Today I have received a package from the Japan National Tourism Organisation containing loads of tempting maps and brochures plus, not a phone cleaner (they quickly ran out when they received 280 applications within the first hour) but this:

They said they didn't want to disappoint applicants who didn't get in soon enough and so found other things to send.  I am delighted!  Inside the little glass bottle on the keyring are grains of Star Sand from Iriomote Beach in Okinawa.  Here is a link to the legend of how these came to be created:
http://okinawa.com/research/folktales/birth-of-star-sand
and while I was Googling "Star Sand" I found the science bit:
http://www.sand-atlas.com/en/finally-star-sand/
Who knew there was a sand atlas?  Cool.

I love walking on the beach and am one of those people you see with head down, scanning the sand or rocks for little treasures. 

 DS in Norfolk, like Mother, like Son!

There are laws about what one is allowed to remove from a beach (sometimes nothing can be taken in which case I will take photographs) but if I can I collect a souvenir from beaches I visit.  I was over the moon when I found my Indigo Sisters collecting pebbles while we were out and about in Japan.  I had taken them all a little sea-polished carnelian from "my" beach in Norfolk.  I'd hesitated over sharing them in case they thought it was daft, as soon as I saw them collecting I knew they'd love the little gems - and they did!
Thank you JNTO, you made my day!

Shifuku 2

I have a couple of Japanese finishes to share today.  Firstly, another little shifuku that was started while I was in Japan.  The first one had a seaweed motif, this one has an elegant willow tree by the water.  I love the colours of the kumihimo, they go well with the willow theme I think.  Again the fabric was dyed in the indigo master's vat, it is very special.

 

I also finished making, not exactly an obi, more of a sash.  It is double-sided, one side has a lovely fabric from Yuzawa-ya in Shinjuku, the other was eco-dyed while I was in Japan.  I stitched it by hand which seemed appropriate to me.  I have several kimono and will wear them casually (as dressing gowns/housecoats) with this belt.