~ Stitching ~ Sunshine ~ and a Motorbike Ride ~

Some things finished, some things on the go, some, just barely started. It is possible that most of these will become part of the Magic Diaries Cloth. The piece at top left, is my first ever star.....which developed from this 'playground'.....

I've had great enjoyment with natural dyeing.....the pinks are from avocado skins. I'm not keen on pink, but I love the dyeing and that was one of the things I had plenty of! There are greys in there that came from a large bundle of old, dried bay leaves I was about to throw out, but thankfully the thought popped into my head to try them as a dye.


The browns are from acorns, which my Man and I enjoyed collecting. The pale yellow and that green silk on the top are from carrot tops from my father-in-law's garden....the silk was an over~dye of a very pale grey and it makes me really happy :~)

The blue....well, I do not have indigo or woad plants here yet, but blue is a must in just about anything I do, so I use what I've got, which is cyanotype. I use it both for making prints, and also just paint it on the cloth and leave it in the sun to create its alchemical magic.


Some more dyeing ~

Soya milk soaked

red cabbage and black bean dyes

black bean dyed linen: can~wrapped

before washing in machine

dried before washing

after washing in machine

Talking of sun ~ sol ~ haul.....for many years I have kept a daily journal and I include a daily weather report. For December, we had grey, dull, heavy and dark for 28 days, with just 3 (THREE) days of hazy brightness...no wonder we Brits are mad :~)

s-o-o-o-o


January is already whipping December's butt.....last night's sky, after a SUNNY day...

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happy me, happy bird in tree, and happy Man.....he got to take this last night.....

Jupiter ~ photo by Mark Lee

Today was glorious and we went out on the motorbike, stopping for tea on the way.....

~ Happy ~

Cyanotype ~ a blue that makes me want to dive in, inhale deeply and swim through its healing hue

Things that have made me happy these last couple of days ~

* Mr Blackbird singing his Spring song so sweetly
* Making bead and driftwood hangings in my studio
* Continuing to experiment with cyanotype....oh! I'm in love!...clever, clever Sir Mr Herschel
* Hand stitching on blue in front of the open fire while listening to an Art Show on the radio
* Being gifted a baby Kombucha ~ oh! oh! oh! Tooo long since I last made Kombucha tea....the whole   process so fundamentally satisfying
* Burning the rosemary and sage smudge stick I made
* Seeing the moon mere hours before she was full
* Snowdrops, primroses and crocuses in bloom in our garden
* The longer hours of daylight ~ eleven hours now ~ ~ ~
* Saving worms from drowning
* Finding a large one of these in the boot sale for 50 pence this morning
* Our Boy coming to give me a hug just now!
* Making delicious Chai Tea from scratch
* A synergy of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clove smells wisping through our house, tantalizing noses, and teasing taste buds
* Preparing for a mini exhibition in the library showcase on March 1st
* Preparing items for Etsy
* Slowly, and with full attention, journeying through this lady's amazing blog
* Smelling the sweet smell of dusky pink primroses
* Wearing purple today
* Laughing with My Man
* Playing tug-o-war with Tilly~dog