'hands'

This collagraphy print is on silk dyed with cow parsley. Since I dyed this, and printed onto it, I've added more fabric; and am stitching onto it. There are no hands in this photo, but the hands are emerging out of the stitching. More photos will be added as I work on it.

the mother-of-all-dye

Silk dyed with cow-parsley flowers, from last summer. A delicate yellow. Hard to remember the beautiful hot summer we had in 2013, when we're having such a wet, dreary winter.
I've printed onto it, using the collography plate I've made; I'm using it on a lot of the 'samples' I'm stitching currently. The darker area, has come from some bleeding through from a fabric I dyed with procian dye. I like the random-ness of it. It's just sitting there, waiting for the next idea. It's unknown; a mystery.

Dug out from the pile of detritus behind the compost bins.....a lovely post finial; at least I think that's what it is? I've nowt to attach it to, so it's sitting beside the door to my studio, looking pretty. It's ceramic, and a wee bit chipped at the top, but still looks nice.

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.