Workshops
The last workshop of the summer with Michele Wipplinger of Earthues,
focused on natural red dyes: cochineal, madder, lac and quebracho red.
Michele brought textiles from around the globe to draw inspiration from.
She always sets a beautiful stage.
even the farm barns got to brag this year.
With a bit of careful suggestion and guidance
students began to express red on cloth.
Some with brush, some with screens and stencils.
Natural red dye pigments and washes
were applied.
Amidst the creativity
it was Old Home Day in Westmoreland
with a grand country parade!
One study in reds started
and finished.
Some pieces went into indigo.
Below the final result from the beginnings above.
Thank you Roxanne Ecklund for sharing photos
of your work…
The morning after class finished
the feel of autumn swept in.
I see a tinge of red in the mist.
Workshops
once there was a way
to get back
to the land
and an incredible woman,
papermaker and steward of the land,
Velma
took us on a journey
with some tools
some plant stuff from the farm
the pressing of the natural creations
we made paper
it was HOT (90 degrees)
and beautiful.
cold cement kept the belly cool
as we splashed in watery pulp vats.
papers sheets.
like flat mid-summer leaves.
milkweed, cedar bark, day lilly, abaca
and more
pressed to board like noses
to the candy store window
and lo…paper for books or special treasures made.
and from Velma, this dear book.
don’t miss a chance to study with Velma.
and yes, she will be back in 2013
Workshops
with a few simple tools,
a few guiding principles,
brought the techniques of arashi shibori
[Japanese pole binding] to Long Ridge Farm,
coupled with
three unique indigo dye vats.
the work was so sweet.
poles were wrapped
manipulated and twisted
then dipped in indigo vats
as so desired.
and left to rest under an indigo moon
only to awaken to woad [isatis tinctoria] dips
individual natural indigo vat creations
all arriving at finished work:
tattersal
woodgrain
twisted on pole
woodgrain variation
time was spent drifting through
raindrops, study, laughter and accomplishment.
magnificent growth.
splendid results.
Workshops
a special workshop began today here at the farm.
it’s always serendipity when a class comes together.
and this is a sweet and peaceful gathering.
from California, Kansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania,
New York and New England
the energy to create is focused.
arashi shibori techniques
with one very natural hue added
indigo.
tonight it fills the whole night sky.
Natural Dyeing
thinking of the book from so long ago
“Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”
where Sissy Hankshaw is a woman born with a mutation
of enormously large thumbs, though she considers it a gift…
mine are not so big but lately bluer than usual.
the woad bed is growing quite nicely.
here it is at
the end of June
I harvested some of the plants that needed thinning
and gathered up 3.5 pounds
simmered the leaves up
the dye liquor produced the right brown shade
I adjusted the pH and it changed to a lovely green
reduced the oxygen
the pigment settled
and was drained off
and is now drying to a powdered extract
bottom line numbers
3.5 pounds of leaves yields 2-4 grams of woad extract
I need 30 grams of extract to make a stock to then dye with.
it’s slow and peaceful.
it’s happy work for me.
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