samples.......

Fragment of one of my small samplers. Top right, some tweed from my dad; top left black cotton discharged with bleach; bottom; a lovely old hankerchief which has original embroidery on it that I've embellished. It was put into an avocado, and put into the compost heap last year. The blotches come from that process. This is one more work in progress........ 

compost dyeing; avocado

The whole piece of silk; wrapped around the stone of the avocado, then placed inside the 2 halves of the skin and tied, then popped into the compost bin this summer. 

 Detail of the piece of silk that was closest to the composting material.

Close up of the silk that was wrapped furthest inside the avocado skin. Who would've thought I'd get such lovely delicate shades of yellow! The silk is still wet, from the rinsing, and has dried a bit paler.  A lovely surprise. The summer has been very hot and sunny, so the compost has been particularly active. I think I'd like to fold and tie up some fabric, and place it into the compost just as it is, to see what patterns emerge. Will consider that for next summer.
Meantime; myself, brother-in-law and niece have been to St Helen's church to the service for All Soul's Day, in remembrance of those who have died. I called up at the cemetery after, to put some flowers on the grave where mum's ashes are. It's a wild and wuthering day; windy, wet, and cold. Winter is a-coming in.

sink

The sink at my textiles course; paint & dyed

A 'technological first' for me! This photo was taken on my fone; downloaded onto the new pooter; and uploaded into my blog. Phew, I'm quite embracing the technological world these days!
The course is coming to the final 3 weeks now. I still have some samples to complete, and my final piece to work on. It's starting to get a bit urgent. Gotta spend a good part of my upcoming weekend on the textile work.
My portfolio needs to go in next week, for preliminary verification. So this weekend coming will be especially busy working on that, as well as the textiles.

I have a piece of silk wrapped around an avocado stone, and encased in the skin; popped into the compost, to see if there's any different results from my first go. I have a backlog of photos I need to upload; and sort out the changeover from one pooter to this one.

I got a bargain from the newspaper, The Guardian; 2 books for a song. Robert Macfarlane's 'The Old Ways', which I've been promising myself for a while, along with 'Holloway' by Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood, and Dan Richards. This latter book is a beautiful slim hardback book, with illustrations. Treats in store for me there!

sample #5

Working on my next sample for the City & Guilds course.
I was busy in the 'alchemical kitchen' last week. Went out to pick cow parsley, and make a dye for some of the re-cycled silk (wedding dress). Success! It's a gorgeous yellow. Though the colour in the dye-pot may be more intense than the final fabric colour? Well, there's enough cow parsley out there to do another dye-pot.
I also bought an avocado, to eat, then use the skin and stone to try compost dye-ing again. As the weather is so much warmer, it might have better results.
The 'Time Team' programme focused on Star Carr last week. Showed the reindeer masks that were found there. There's a display of some of the finds from Star Carr at the Yorkshire Museum, so I'm hoping to go visit over the summer. 
I began a painting after I visited Star Carr last summer. Once I've completed this course, I'll get that painting out again. Work out what I want to do with it. I'm looking forward to painting again, after the last 9 months of textiles.
  

Avocado Compost Dye-ing!

Compost Dye-ing!

SLOW DYE-ING! This avocado has been 'wrapped' around a piece of fabric, and put into my compost bin for the last 3 months. Today, I hoiked it out, to have a looksee. I think I would have left it for longer. But for a first tryout, I'm happy with it. There are lots of brown/black marks; it's more a mark-making result than a dyed fabric.

This is a wet close-up of the fabric as it was drying on the line. The vivid blue colour has faded; there are some holes, which gives it a nice texture; the brown marks are quite subtle.