The original three year old painted paper.  

Another today print from old stuff. Notice the difference in texture from the light and dark stamping.  

Same painted paper but printed three years ago when the paper was originally painted!  

Printed today about 15 minutes ago from 'old papers' 

Disperse dyeing!

Micki has asked me what I meant by 'old papers' so I am going to do a quick explanation of the disperse dyeing process. So for all you to whom this is old hat stop reading now or be bored out of your tree.

I buy powder dyes and make these up into a liquid like ink. This liquid dye will last for ever if mixed properly to begin with. Disperse dyes are used to dye man-made fibres and the technique is different to normal dyeing. For a start one paints one's design onto paper. I use copy paper for this and the best paper I find is continuous sheet printing paper. It is just the right thickness. It is no good using thick paper as the heat won't penetrate it. You can paint anything you like, or stamp or write with a pen. Anything that takes your fancy but remember if you are writing that the word/s will appear backwards unless you mirror image them. I find the easiest way to do this is to write on the back of the paper with a pencil or crayon and then turn it over and copy it onto the reverse side using disperse dye. When you have painted the papers then you let them dry. It is important to let them dry thoroughly. When dry you then iron them with a very hot iron, face down onto the fabric you have chosen.This might take a minute or two or five as it requires a lot of heat to set the dye. You can use more than one piece of painted paper on one piece of fabric. Dyeing and over dyeing. You can cut out shapes to use and you can scrumple your fabric and then dye it so that you get different effects. There are no end of things that you can do. And what is brilliant is that the papers can be used over and over again until they are too faint to print. Plus they will last. I was using papers I'd painted three years ago and they were still doing the job! This is what I meant by old papers! I use poly/cotton on the whole as it takes the dye well but any man-made will do. I don't like inserting pictures as they go all over the place so I will post pictures and comments above. Do ask questions as this is only a quick explanation. I love this method of dyeing as it is so quick. If I want a quick motif or pattern this is the way to go!

Moving On!

Didn't find my samples even though I asked my angel for help so I shall have to do some more. I started a few pieces which didn't take long to do so I will work out what I need and have a few evenings hand stitching. The old papers from disperse dyeing that I found, sidetracked me and I had to try printing them out. I have called the resulting mess 'Chaos' as that is what my workroom looks like now and what the pieces of fabric reminded me of. But it gee'd up the spirit and I feel resigned to not having found my samples. Sometimes we just have to move on...and I have. What is interesting about disperse dyeing is that the colour of the papers are never the same as the dyed fabric. But they are lovely in their own right and worth keeping for making journal covers or using in collage work. When I have got this workshop under my belt, samples done and dusted, then I will have another go with disperse dyes and be more organised. I found some gold and copper foil in my search so I can have fun with that too. There are always silver linings!

Chaos #1. Disperse dye on poly/cotton using old papers. These will be used as backgrounds and I will add to them.  

Chaos #2 A piece of disperse dyed fabric using old papers that I found in my search for the samples.  

Blue painted paper with bleach dropped on it.  

Painted paper after cling film has been laid over it.  

As I haven't found my samples I have been having to do more. These are painted shapes filled in with stitches. Look like maggots to me! Or caterpillars!  

Painted fabric stitched over using fly stitch.  

Painted greaseproof paper sewn together with herringbone stitch. I can see great applications for this. I shall do more. This was just a sample.  

Why am I posting this odd picture? Because this is a lantern in my garden that only works if it has had enough sunlight. It hasn't worked all winter but tonight its glowing like a good 'un! So we had sun today! Ain't that grand!  

Not the best of days!

This isn't the best of days for blogging as I am still searching for my lost samples. My mind can only focus on their loss so I am going to go now and turn both my workrooms upside down. Sadly I fear that because I can't actually remember seeing them the last time I had a large scale re-organisation they might have gone walk about. It is very common for students to 'borrow' stuff and unless you remember who has borrowed what it is unlikely to be returned. Not all students are like this but some are. But before I start maligning past students I am going to go and excavate! Wish me luck!

And a half started silk painted piece of ribbon embroidery. That gate desperately needs some dirt and moss on it! I have never seen a gate so white! What ever was I thinking of! And not brilliant compostion. But perhaps it can be saved! What do you think?

A very useful box of hand-dyed wools which I did last year. How they came to be in the attic I really don't know.  

I found this design board which I did as a mock up for a City and Guilds Fashion Design course. I was into leaves even then and some of the ideas I think I will extend and use.  

Attic finds!

Today I went into the attic as a last resort in finding some samples I needed for a workshop I'm doing at the end of the month. I found lots of interesting things but not the samples. So now I will have to turn my workshop upside down again as I know they must be somewhere. This is so annoying as I don't have time to do them again. They weren't where they should have been which makes me wonder if I've had them for a class and then not put them back or horror of horrors, lost them! At least I have three weeks to find them in!

Shopping Night!

Today was the evening we go shopping at Asda. This picture was taken in the day time but its just the same only dark. Food shopping is such a bore especially when one hasn't eaten and is dying of hunger. I always end up buying more than I actually want or need which is bad planning on my behalf. I start with a list but it gets superseded by the choices around me.
And then of course there is the book section. Tonight I bought another Dan Brown book. I do enjoy them and I can't wait to get started on this one. After all that boring shopping I deserve a book! And they are so cheap...cheaper than Amazon even!

Monday, Monday, Again!

Isn't it amazing how often Mondays come round. They are as regular as clockwork and arrive so quickly. Hardly have I breathed a sigh of relief that it is Friday evening and that two whole days stretch ahead of me to play (well work of a kind) in than it is Monday again. I can't believe it, as Victor Meldrew would say. Talking of VM I have just watched the video 'Wisdom of the Witch' and nearly died laughing. I haven't seen it for years and it was just as funny as the first time I saw it if not more so. I love that man...he is so un-pc! For those who don't know this was from the TV series One Foot in the Grave. So old as I haven't had a television for about 15 years!
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I was unable to continue with the clearing out today as I had to go to a meeting this morning and then work all afternoon so I was out of the house all day. Very tiring. The meeting was better than most meetings I've been to lately and I didn't fall asleep in my corner for a change. In fact I actually spoke! But I now have to make a big effort tomorrow to get stuck into the clearing out. And it is a mistake to actually mention that one is going to do something on the blog as sure as eggs are eggs it won't get done. I'm talking about the waxing of my fabrics. They are still unwaxed and likely to remain so until next weekend now. There has been so much going on here that is uncreative that I'm beginning to feel pangs of loss. We have two new sets of neighbours- both of Irish descent. The one immediately next door to us jokingly remarked that the Irish mafia was moving in. I hope he was joking! You know many a true word is spoken in jest! Grin! I have met both the new men but not a sight nor sound of their wives yet. I'm presuming that they do have wives! And the neighbour on the other side is selling up as well so we will have new folks in there eventually. I wonder what we are doing to make everyone start selling up and moving away! We are really very nice quiet people! Grin! After all we are the ones with the drain rods for when the drains back up! Bigger grin! And, I hasten to add, we are right on the end of the drain line so its not us causing problems!
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Oh well enough of drains. I want to say a big thank you to all who emailed me with regard to the rubbing plates. I have been able to find a very basic set that is sold in the UK and I have them here in front of me as we speak. They arn't what I wanted but they are a start and hopefully I will be able to add to them in the fullness of time when I find other sources either in this country or across the pond (that will mail to the UK). The set I have does basic texture patterns of dots, grids, parallel lines, squiggles, and waves. I have yet to try them out but I will as soon as I get a moment.
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I'm going to leave you with a quiz. I couldn't resist. So sorry!

You Should Get a MFA (Masters of Fine Arts)

You're a blooming artistic talent, even if you aren't quite convinced. You'd make an incredible artist, photographer, or film maker.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Problems, problems!

My computer wouldn't let me post anything yesterday. Don't ask me why...I don't know. I tried turning it off and starting again but it didn't want to know. It wouldn't even let me download email but it seems OK this morning. Perhaps it didn't like the late hour and thought it would turn into a pumpkin if I didn't switch it off before midnight! Who knows! Martin is home today so he can check it out for me to see that it doesn't have a malfunction going on.

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In my clearing up I found a lot of fabric already cut into 1/2 metre strips that needed dyeing plus I found a load of old dyes left over from a workshop so I put the two together and was quite pleased with the results. I now have a heap of very useful colours which I shall fuse immediately for future use. There are some yummy browns and a range of greens from yellowy to dark winter green plus blues and reds and a good black. One of the best blacks I've ever dyed. I think this must be because I was just dumping the whole dye in the pot as I didn't know how strong it was going to be and therefore it was able to do its thing properly which isn't always the case as I am mean with dyes. I get bright and deep colours anyway and I always expect a double dose of black to give me a deep dark black but one in ten is the ratio so far! Mrs Meanie that's me when it comes to dye powder. So I'm pleased with this black.

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Today I'm going to wax some of these pieces ready for the next dyeing session. I have some interesting bits of metal that I have picked up over time and will see how these work with the wax. I have an electric tjanting with different nozzle sizes but I need to get myself a pot for melting wax as well, as my set up at the moment is very Heath Robinson.

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No pictures as I haven't taken any yet but when I'm finished I will do so.

I love this one which believe it or not is the velvet pad plus pen etc.  

Different version of velvet pad etc.. 

Playing with some of the pictures I took.  

Well away from the original 

Simple Still Life...Red

I had great difficulty finding red things for this month's SSL. I have three possible pictures. I'll go with the one that lends itself most to distortion I think as I want to get away from the actual look of the pieces.

SSL #2. Velvet wrist rest, pen, decoration and tape. Not so sure about this one.  

Choices for Simple Still Life....Red. #1 

SSL #3 Cotton and screwdriver  

This, that and t'other.

I went to Deb Lactiva's site and followed this link. Apparently the song that was #1 the week you were 18 has relevence for the rest of your life. As if! But I was game to give it a go so I dutifully did it and the song that was #1 in the UK charts was Good Luck Charm by Elvis and Deb, dear of her, wrote to me saying I couldn't possibly be that old, hadn't I made a mistake with my calculations. What a sweet child! Made my day! Thanks Deb. The song is obviously working! Incidentally the US #1 was I Can't Stop Loving You by Ray Charles! They are both good theme songs.

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Apart from that small comment nothing momentous has happened to me today. I could wax philosophical but I'll spare you. I need every reader I can get! Grin! I am going to watch a DVD in a minute. Desperately Seeking Susan. Suitably mindless enough that it won't tax my overworked Friday brain. And I have a book to read...Remembrance by Jude Deveraux. Again not brain taxing stuff but fun. I've ordered the Phil Rickman trilogy which includes Midwinter of the Spirit so a big thank you to the person who got me into this new (to me) writer. I forget who you are now but many thanks.

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Also I have some wonderful Mint Chocolate icecream so I can be indulgent as well and regret it tomorrow. It has real 70% chocolate pieces in it. I'm drooling already. So I'm going to slob out tonight for tomorrow I shall dye! Oh, I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist that. Grin. Hint of things to come....I'm going to play with wax!

Lookee, lookee!

Isn't it amazing what can turn up when least expected. I was trawling through my overspill room looking for samples I'd done last year for the lesson I'm going to do tomorrow when I came across a big tub of men's ties. One of the joys of having been teaching for years is that one has a great load of samples already done to supplement new stuff...well that's if they can be found! Anyway back to the ties. Lots of them are silk and there are some great designs and some brocades and some textured fabrics. Altogether a great find. I'm so tempted to start a large piece of crazy patchwork. This would be something I could pick up and do when I'm just sitting chatting; either with my Mum or Martin or anyone else come to that. So I'm a very happy camper. And I found some hand-dyed pieces of silk. I obviously had dyed them for something specific I had in mind but whatever it was it wasn't important enough for me to get started at the time and now I don't remember. They are lovely and will add to my silk stash.

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I have been having difficulties in getting rid of stuff. It has been worrying me that I have SO MUCH stuff of all descriptions but parting with it has been a headache. However I think I've cracked it. Instead of saying what shall I throw out, I'm now going to say what must I keep! This is a much more positive attitude because it will sort the very important out from the rather mundane. There is more stuff than I will use in the rest of my lifetime so I know I can safely move stuff on but the anxiety lies in making the right decisions and not making a mistake and chucking stuff I'll need in a few months time. So I'm going to go for the 'I can't live without things' first and see how we do.

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I have actually come to a fork in the road when it comes to my aspirations and I'm not sure which one to choose. Part of me wants to cut out a lot of the stuff I've been doing to date and concentrate purely on the dyeing and the painting, with the small works that go with this/these, eventually starting to exhibit. But the other part of me wants to continue as I am (is this because its easy?) and not make any effort to change but just gradually do more of one and less of the other. At least I know I'm not being motivated by fear as quite frankly my dear I don't give a damn! What I mean by that is that I have the day job and if all else fails I am supported, and nothing will stop me from being creative even if it is only for me. So consciously I should be able to clear out the clutter but deep inside me is a small voice saying be careful, one day you might want this and not be able to get it! Oh well it will all work out eventually with or without my assistance I expect!

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Oh dear nearly forgot the paragraphs. Black mark! Mrs Mel wouldn't be pleased! Especially as she gave me such good advice on making sure I got paragraphs. I bless her daily! Grin!

I also found two lengths of hand-dyed slipper satin in gorgeous peachy tones. I wonder what I had in mind when I dyed these.  

Look what I found while looking for something else! A tub full of ties, lots of them silk! And a gorgeous piece of hand-dyed silk. I love apple green and pink together.  

Can't resist!

Its no good I've just got to read the book! Digital Fortress isn't as good as Angels and Demons but its pretty riveting for all that. And I can't put it down - not even to blog! Especially as my car ran out of battery because the courtesy light was on all afternoon. I had to call my friendly neighbourhood mechanic aka Martin, to come and get me out of the ordure. And didn't he go on about leaving lights on and idiots and so forth. But I was grateful to him for coming to my rescue. And the thing is I can swear blind that the light wasn't on last night when I stuck the car in the garage as I would have noticed the light in the dark. And I didn't need it in daylight so how did it put itself on? So I'm feeling a bit miffed! So must escape into the book. Bye for now.