Textile Workshop

Today was our dying workshop up at the Ad Maiora studios.

everyone got a hand-made name tag

First the big walk up the hill.

Then lots of stitching before the dying part.

Marina concentrated on showing how the stitch size, the thread size, the tightness of stitch and the length of stitch plays a part in the final design.

Then the surprises!

Amazing teacher...as always.

We had lunch up at the studio. Jenni made fabulous orrecchiete! Hand made, of course!

Recipe from her family from Puglia. She made it with the traditional sauce- cimi di rape and anchovies, onions.

Better than delicious!!

The weather suddenly turned and Barb and I made it into the museum just in time.

No filter!

Hand made, Maria Rosaria Nola
exhibit in the Museum of Natural History
inspired by the stone floors of Italy

inspired by floors in Abruzzo, Italy
made by Chiara Biraghi

We managed to see a few more exhibits from Verona Tessile before getting together for an apericena.

Umbria Day 4

What a fabulous day we all had. Another fabulous day!!

Dying fabric.

Viewing the collection of antique textile from different parts of the world, collected over the years by Sofia Verna

A fabulous lunch! WAY too much food!!:-)

A talk on Umbrian history by retired University of Toronto professor Antonio Verna.

Part of this trip is about experiencing the  italian ways. One of the favourite things to do in Italy is the passeggiata in Foligno.

The group's producing amazing stuff in their journals! Che brave donne!!

Easter Colours

I learned how to make the Ukrainian Easter eggs (Pysanky) when I was 6 years old from my best friend's older sister.

I continued to make them when I had children and passed on this tradition to them.

Coloured eggs made ages ago by my little children.
We kept them all from year to year.

This year, I wasn't going to get all the supplies out but my daughter asked for them.

She wanted to teach her boyfriend. What a sport he was! His egg was great!! (shown below)

He did say it was really difficult controlling the kistka (tool for drawing with beeswax). He now appreciates the craft even more.

I guess that is always the case. After one realizes how much effort it is to make a quilt or how long it takes to hand stitch a panel there is always that extra awe.

More Dying

I dyed another piece of thin, open weave, white muslin.

I used different sizes of elastics to tie the fabric before I submerged it in the dye bath, something that I have experimented with before.

That gave me the shapes.

I did fill some of the shapes with seeds. Last time I did that I got some interesting designs but not so much this time.

I may use it for my on-line class.

Ms Emma still designs

My friend, Sofia Verna, was in Toronto recently. She is the owner of Ms Emma Designs but more importantly she is the designer, painter, the artist behind the clothes.

Ms Emma Designs, 543 College Street, Toronto

While she was in town, she was busy sewing up a storm!

Her fabrics are as beautiful as ever! She paints and dyes them in her studio in Italy. She has a great colour sense!

She also makes wonderful jackets out of the wool from her sheep!

crocheted jackets

photo taken several years ago at Sofia's farm/residence

In September, 2013, I will be taking a group of quilters/textile artists to Umbria, Italy, for 10 days.

our destination for September 2013

The itinerary for this trip will include a day at Sofia's gorgeous home and property. We will be having a class with her in her studio!

Start saving!

Final Results

The results of my dying experiment were disappointing.

The fabric was a kind of red-purple colour before I rinsed it. Now the cloth looks dirty with a hint of pink.

There are a few interesting line designs that transfered onto the fabric pieces.

Maybe I can do something with those.

The string changed colour. It is subtle but I can use it to couch with.

Did I not leave my fabric packets sitting long enough? Was it the wrong vegetable? 

I like to "GO BIG OR GO HOME" so I won't be repeating that procedure anytime soon!

Dying

I always use what I have and repurpose things. I know that is part of my upbringing. My italian grandparents always had "inventive" ways to re-use things. Consciously, or not, they avoided making garbage.

Today's "garbage" was used to dye fabric.

beet leaves and peel

I made a roast with vegetables for dinner. The beets turned my fingers red.

I wonder what the leaves will do for my fabric!

I'll be posting the results later.

How can this be?

I am working on a new piece in my series, MAPS. I have had this work, shown below, on my design wall for about one week as I think of how to proceed.

The base fabric is yellow which I dyed myself. It was dyed with a natural dye of skin of pomegranate and tumeric.

the yellow is a little stronger than in this photograph

I painted the yellow fabric using a colour I created myself with the Colour Vie paint system. I stamped it using repurposed plastic to create a pattern.

so far I am very pleased with it

Then I took a walk downtown and saw this!!!!!

paper used as lining in the store window at Chanel in Toronto

How can it look so similar to what I am doing? Isn't there anything original anymore?

I will still continue on my path with this piece but how discouraging!