Indigo Dyeing and a Padded Elephant

Yesterday I had a dyeing day here for some members of the Midlands Textile Forum. It was intended for acid dyeing but I had an indigo vat on the burner too. Both were popular and lots of things were produced. The photo showed what I produced which amounted to

• Two pieces of silk/cotton shibori dyed. The top one was done as we did in Okinawa. Folded then flat pieces of wood used to clamp the final folded bundle. The piece below, just visible, has circles on it
• Cotton yarn 2/12 dyed in indigo for the weft of an ikat warp already prepared and waiting for me to do something about it.
• Various skeins of unknown slubby yarn dyed in indigo which look rather nice as the slubs have taken the dye up differently
• two skeins of fine wool (2/28) painted with acid dyes in purple and two shades of blue for trials in a microwave oven. I now own three electrical steamers which is fine but, when I was offered a microwave oven by Rosie Price, I accepted at once and experimented with it yesterday. The answer is that 8 minutes at High for a 70 gm skein works well as you can see. There are advantages for me  in using a microwave although I would not use this for a class. The advantage for me is that it only takes 8 minutes and does a small amount. The advantage of the steamers for a large group is that I can get a large amount of material in and it takes 40 mintes to process the lot.

I had a big shock yesterday. The Midlands Textile Forum is holding an exhibition at West Bromwich, in The Public no less. Entry date is November 5th and I was proposing to enter three pieces, the Candles woven on Diversified Plain Weave, the Fireworks ditto and the triple weave cloth for Michael's enamels. It turns out that photos and details have to be submitted on October 1st. I have to add a hanging device to the Candles, paint some more on the Fireworks  and add a hanging device- and warp up for the enamels!!! Never mind weave them - and I had intended to weave a complete sample using painting on 300gsm watercolour paper instead of the enamels. All by Monday when I have Bournville tomorrow and Madi and Chris arriving for the weekend on Saturday and everyone else coming to lunch on Sunday. At least William Hall's cotton has arrived. I think I will start by asking for a stay of execution until Wednesday. Once warped up, it will not take long as it will need about 18 inches in woven length.

I made up two more cushions to replace the blue wool ones on the studio window seat. They look fine. All the blue wool ones have been shifted to the sitting room   and look good there - it is a very beige colour scheme and quiet whereas the studio is definitely loud.

I wondered about using this Burmese textile for a cushion. It is very suitable but the elephant is padded and it about 4 cms thick. I think it will get damaged if sat on. Also when I looked at the back and edges carefully, it is all backed and there are no raw edges. I think I will pin it up on the walls instead as it fits with the curtains so well. I never intended that the studio should look like this but I do like the curtains.

I have signed up for anothe year of Tied Weaves with Complex Weavers. I think I know enough about Diversified Plain Weave and shall go on to another type of tied weave. 

Off to start warping up the Megado. Three warps and two warp beams.

Gloat! Gloat!!

As weavers have stashes of yarn, so bookbinders have stashes of paper. The difference is that, if badly treated as in the photo on the left, paper gets damaged. It gets torn or folded. And it ought to be kept flat unlike the pile of patterned papers on the right of the photo. 

This morning, my new paper chest was delivered and installed. And all that paper stash has gone into it  with quite a bit of spare room. I had a happy time sorting the paper and putting it away and found all sorts of wonderful things. I am a bit short on chiyogami (patterned Japanese paper) but I have enough other patterned paper to cover books for the rest of my life. Not so much handmade paper for the text blocks though.

I ordered it in early summer from a local furniture maker and it was designed to my specification for the space it sits in. The drawers hold A1 size paper with a margin. The drawers are of sycamore and the carcase of black walnut.

And as a bonus, he is sure they have offcuts which I could have for the wooden covers of Coptic books. I am to visit their works later this week!

I am planning the latest changes to the studio, including rearranging the books on book shelves. The weaving/dyeing/etc books were brought down from upstairs some months ago and just heaved into the shelves in no order so I must sort them first. At the moment, I have to look through everything to find a book. I did design the triple weave piece intended for Michael's larger enamels last night and then discovered that I had no 12/2 cotton in black or blue. I have ordered what I need from William Halls and it will be here this week. So I will make up two cushions this afternoon and sort the textile books tomorrow.

Studio Bling

On Wednesday morning, Cally Booker and I brought our notes and drafts from Bonnie Inouye's course up to date. Later that day we went to Dulles International Airport where Cally met her husband, Stuart, off a plane from Europe and they went off to explore the Applachians while I flew back to Heathrow. The next day, Thursday, is a blur. Friday I went to a class at Bournville mostly asleep. Saturday I woke up, realised the studio was a tip and set about finishing the studio curtains. There are five separate curtains and each has a separate lining. I had only made two curatins so there was quite a bit to do. However by Sunday lunchtime, I had finished.

This is one corner showing three curtains. The red and gold sari had a much more ornate pattern at one end for a blouse so that is by itself. All the curtains have been weighted.

And this is a shot of the window end of the studio. And now you can see what I mean by bling. The window seat was covered with cushions, mostly with handwoven covers in wool and they just do not go with curtains. The only one which looks okay is the one you can see in the right hand corner which just happens to be in songket from Kuala Lumpur. I have got a piece of mola work from Guatemala which I intend to make into a cushion and that would go with the curtains. And there is another piece of suitable material around but what about my lovely wool cushions!!! And I am going to make other changes in the studio this week. I could do with a notice board and I have two in the office where only one is used so the other one can be moved. But this does involve a lot of picture moving. I will have someone here on Tuesday who can help me with this.

At Complex  Weavers, there was a Silent Auction  on Friday evening and I bought a rather nice paper Chinese sewing kit. The photo on the left shows it with some of the compartments open.

And this is it closed. It is about four inches by 1.5 inches when closed.

I have done a lot of admin and am about to start on weaving Michael's remaining three enamels into a triple weave piece. I am not going away for any seriously long holidays until next April and I am looking forward to getting lots of projects finished.

Tomorrow a paper chest arrives. This will sit on a bench upstairs and hold all (I hope) my stash of special paper up to A2 for bookbinding. The A4 stash sits on shelves above the printers. I hope to be able to find things more easily and keep them safer when it is in place.    

Tomorrow I have four appointments including one with a lawyer to re-write my will.

There is an interesting article in this month's Garden (The Royal Horticultural Sociey's magazine) which says that everyone should realise that gardens are not static and need (occasionally) serious changes. When we moved into this house  26 years ago, the garden was badly designed and planted and mostly everything was swept away. Michael had brought with us a collection of miniature conifers which he planted all over the garden. Nothing was taller  than 3 feet. For the last ten years, I have been at him to have two taken out as they were next to each other and both over 20 feet and blocking the view. He would have none of it. I have had one taken out in the last year which opened up the garden so much that other one comes out this winter and a birch goes in their place. A less tall conifer which is very wide will come out this week. It is growing into the beech hedge and spoiling it. Several smaller conifers have already been removed. The gardener said sadly when we had finished taking four out, 'It hasn't made a lot of difference, has it?' which shows how crowded everything was. I am working on the principle that we take one plant out and live with the garden for a few weeks before taking the next plant out. 

There is room for a few more shrubs now although the bed under the new studio windows has been redesigned and partially planted up. Bourbon roses are going in there along with tulips (planted) and an edging of small hostas. The roses have been ordered for November delivery. I might go the RHS Autumn Show which is a mile away from the house and look for suitable shrubs.

I am off to check the drafts and thredaings for Michael's enamels now.

Bonnie Inouye's Course

Cally Booker and I went to Bonnie Inouye's house for a two day course in four colour double weave. This was hard work!! (Probably for Bonnie as well as us.) We did a lot of practise drafting and did some weaving on her 24 shaft AVL as well. She had set up a warp beforehand and we did several different drafts on it all four colour double weave. We learnt enormous amount. This was reinforced by practising so much at drafting. Today we are leaving Hyattsville but are both spending the morning amplifying our notes, labelling the many newly created drafts and checking the write up says what I think it should. At least that's what I am doing and Cally is bowed over her laptop silent so I assume she is doing the same. There are photos below with captions.

Some of Bonnie's work in four colour double weave

Two scarves by Bonnie in four colour double weave.

A four colour double weave draft on 32 shafts (PRF)

A four colour double weave draft on 32 shafts (PRF)

THis is the same as the last photo, that is, the same threading but trealded trompe as writ. Same colours wildly different appearance. One thing I did learn was that there is an infinite variety of threadling for the same threading.

Side 1 of a sample woven by Cally and me on Bonnie's AVL (her draft)

   Side 2 of the sample woven by Cally and me on Bonnie's AVL (her draft).

I have trawled through all my drafts and notes adding notes everywhere and inserting jpegs. That's it for now.

So I must pack up now as I am going back home today. We went to a vegetarian Indian restaurant on Monday evening - excellent. And to a Salvadorean one last night. I could live without that cuisine - but then I really do not like eggs. Cheerie bye.

Washington Mall

On Sunday, 16th September, a bus took a party of Complex Weavers into Washington and dropped us in the Mall where I headed for the Frier and Sackler Galleries which are Far Eastern Art. The Frier also contains the famous Whistler Peacock Room (see above). I was surprised at how well this photo came out given how dark it was.

Everything in the Frier is exquisite, the very best of its kind. This is the lid of a lacquer writing box. It is about ten inches square. No textiles though. The Sackler next door is a bit different and has travelling exhibitions. A lovely exhibition of Indian manuscripts with beautiful miniature paintings - and magnifying glasses to examine them with!!

Then coffee and a muffin in the Smithsonian Castle next door where the pot plants and the gardens are very striking. All along this section of the Mall, all the spaces between the Museums are filled with little gardens - and seats to rest on. Lots of lantana in flower. I have always loved lantanas and have tried to grow them but failed. Very tender.Which leads me to wonder whether they treat them as a bedding plants here. They would not survive the winters in Washington.

Then to the Hirschhorn Scuplture Gallery full of

spectacular things - and they allow photography!! This is by Robert Muller and is about 30 inches high. The interior contains mostly small things but by Henry Moore, Jean Arp et cetera etcera.

And a whole room full of Calders!! I was surprised that the photo came out well but it has. Just think of a large room with six of seven of these!! There were a number of modern paintings as well and outside, there was the Hirschhorn Scuplture Garden full of glorious things, though these were mostly not modern.

After that I went to the Museum of Native Americans. I did not have much time there and I am not sure I like it. It was difficult to find my way around as it was mostly full of special exhibitions. There was one on The Horse. I wanted to look at the baskets and the weaving but did not find a display devoted to these. By this time, it was time to find the bus again and go to the Textile Museum where we had a lecture on South American weaving and then a conducted tour of an exhibition about Nagas and Dragons. The exhibition was on the fact that most cultures include dragons. So there about 20 pieces from the Museum's collection which related to dragons and simialr mythical beasts. These ranged from a Chinese Imperial robe with dragons everywhere to a Japanese banner woven with gold paper thread and an early Coptic piece with a Nereid riding on a water dragon. This was linen warp and wool weft in white and dark brown. There were woven carpets and batik pieces and - - -. Interesting with every item a masterpiece of its technique. Then off to the shop. You don't want to know about that!!

After that it was back to the Conference Center and then off to Hyattsville to stay at the Marriott. But we took in a Thai restaurant which was excellent. The Marriott is on the campus of the University of Maryland and seems a bit odd.  It was very quiet. There is a Starbucks and the hotel restaurant in another building across the way. But no bar.

I did not mention that on Saturday evening a group of us went to Bethesda (a few miles away) and had a first-rate meal in a Tapas bar along with two bottles of wine!!

Monday and Tuesday were spent at Bonnie Inouye's house being taught and I will do a separate blog on that

More on CW Seminars

Last night was the Complex Weavers AGM (business rapidly conducted by Wendy Morris) followed by a fashion show. This was compered by Daryl Lancaster - who wore a dress which left all the runway submissions in the shade!!  It was made from woven scarves,  all of which were striped in bright colours. Anyway it was a great show. I have been to four seminars so far of which the best was a man telling us how to create weaving drafts in Photoshop. I can't wait to get home and try this method out.  The other three seminars were so-so but I had a lot of good ideas about weaving projects while they were in progress so the time was not wasted.. I also had to help out with one of the Study Groups, Tied Weaves which went off well. Today there was an exhibitors' session over lunch. Not many exhibitors there but I did buy some Tencel from Just Our Yarns - two of a pale lavender and one of pale green. And I have projects to use these in.

This evening there is a Silent Auction and an exhibition called Off the Runway. I have put something into the Silent Auction and two things (one scarf in wool and silk and a book) in the show. The Show is not open yet so I will visit it in an hour or so. Tomorrow there are two more seminars.

Apart from that I am reconciling myself to US habits such as supper at 0530. I would not mind at all if I could get a hot drink later on but I can't. In fact you can't get a hot drink except at mealtimes. No tea and coffee in the rooms, this is a Youth Convention Centre - so no alcohol is allowed.  I can't wait to attend the Guild residential weekend at Wokefield Park. I need access to a bar!!!

Got There!

And not for want of British Airways trying to sabotage my efforts. The plane from Heathrow left more than two hours late which meant I got to Washington later than the time I said to the Shuttle operator. So I hurried (as much as I could dragging a large suitcase with another bag over my shoulder) out to the car park, got to the right place and there was Cally Booker talking to the driver of a van!! So we got to Chevy Chase at 5 pm, signed in, had supper and set off in a bus to see the CW exhibition 'Glamour, Glitter, Glitz'. But first we had the keynote speech about the state of weaving today. I was reeling a bit by this time but took lots of photos. When I looked at them this morning, they were surprisingly good. The one on the left took the major prize and is a stole by the UK's very own Wendy Morris.

There were lots of other good things but I fear I liked the books best.  The above was one by Alice Schlein and Barbara Walker who made the fastening in plysplit braiding. A photo of a second book by these two weavers is shown below. Barbara Walker told me that teh paper in this one is black!

And then there is another book which Alice Schlein did alone.

This just has a simple (but very effective cord).

I have not asked permission to show these pictures but I did ask if photography was allowed and it was - as much as you like I was told.

So just to make it absolutely clear, these photographs were taken by me of work done by the people named above, Wendy Morris, Alice Schlein and Barbara Walker who own all the copyright in these works.  I have always been careful not to show photos of other peoples work but just to refer to it. The trouble with this exhibition is that I do not know if photos have been included on any official website.

Just eaten an all- American breakfast!! Now off to our first seminar.

Packing

Over the last two days, I have made and hung some of the studio curtains shown on the left. This is fabric from Tunisia - a small non-touristy shop in the souk at Sousse. There is an identical curtain at the other end of the windows. The shop clearly did not expect to sell lengths of curtain material to tourists!! And all conversation was in French. The fabric is russet brown with gold thread in the pattern sections. It is not wide enough for the whole window space but I have a red and gold sari in thick material which will be the other three curtains. I have over 6 metres of that.  It was bought in Little India in Kuala Lumpur.

Interesting that I bought both lengths with no idea what I was going to do with them - and now they make me happy as curtains!!

On the window seat below the curtain is a cushion covered in songket from KL which fits nicely in colour.  I have just realised that I have an artistic problem in interior decor. Cushions in wool just do not go with curtains in gold. Only this one cushion looks okay. A rethink is needed.

The last day or so have been spent sorting out paperwork for the States trip. I discovered late last night - on my way to bed - that I should have done something about filling in forms for flying to the States and, after completing them, found to my horror that I needed to get a visa for entry to the USA. Fortunately my application went smoothly and I am now all set up. I was so exhausted by the effort of an hour's filling in forms on the web, that I decided I would pay for choosing a seat so I did. I now feel as though I am all set up to go.

Except that, suddenly,  a decision has to be made about the flights for the Silk Route trip in spring 2013 and I don't think I can leave that till I return.  The trouble is that I have not decided what to do. I was idly thinking that I might stay on a few days in China as I would probably not be back but, apart from having a hunt on the web and not finding what I wanted, I have not even made a decision on this. Woe is me!!

I have little piles of 'stuff' around the house, all various categories, which I need to check and pack. In fact I must look for the red midsized suitcase. 

I am taking laptop, camera, cables with me and hope to be able to blog over there. My mind is so taken up with the journey  that I can't see to Thursday when the Complex Weavers Seminars begin. But no doubt when the time comes, I will be alert enough. The first seminar I am attending is on using Photoshop for drafting!! 

Double Sided Ikat

On Friday, I drove to Sunningdale stopping off in Stonehouse to buy this fabric. I went there to buy my sister, Dorothy, some metres of  black cotton as she says it is the best she knows for doing patterning with bleach on. The shop is called Abigail's crafts and I recommend it. Some time ago I bought a length of cotton printed with beach huts from this shop. I used it for covering a journal on bookbinding which is already very nearly full so I wanted some more for another book. They had none of the beach huts but did have this which I liked.

The traffic was quite horrible as it was Friday going home time and it took more than three hours - it took me two hours to come home!

Ruth returned from Mumbai on Saturday morning with a lovely birthday present for me. She inquired in her office for the addresses of places to buy handwoven cloth. She told me that, since they were all men, they all rang up their wives!!  A place well off the beaten track was recommended and she was escorted there. She said it was wonderful. The photo shows one piece in cotton which has been block printed with resist. If you look  carefully- expand the picture- you can see the shape of the wood  block which covers 4 by 5 wheels. The fabric has been been indigoed dyed and then the resist washed out. It is lovely and soft.

There is a label which says the fabric is Ajrakh from Kutch

This is the second piece and it is quite extraordinary. First it is ikat, no doubt about that. Second the centre section is reversible - two totally different patterns and colours, one red and white of dancing figures and one green and white of an arabesque pattern - and yet it is ikat. The edge section, about 2 inches wide is not ikat  and is twill in red and white and it is the same on both sides. Both sides are stunning. Also it looks as if it is weft itkat. My theory is that the centre section is a stitched double cloth and the weft threads have been  dyed in two lots with different patterns and different colours and then woven alternately. You can't see it in the photo but there is a small section at each end where the two cloths have been reversed, that is, top cloth becomes bottom cloth. I think I can see an area at the junction of the plainer edge and the centre section where there is something very complicated going on which must be the turning round of the ikat wefts. The red colourof the edge section is quite different from the red of the centre section. The centre section does not seem thicker than the edges and, if anything, the edge section is stiffer. I wonder if a thicker weft has been used in the edge section. How exciting!!

After all the explanations and exclamations, I went off to the Early Music Shop to deliver the lute and then to La Porte Des Indies for a lovely lunch. The entire family was there which was great - lots of presents and cards. It was a very long lunch and afterwards some of us went shopping and ended up in a champagne bar while the others were all cultural and went to the Photography Museum. I stuck with the champagne.

So now I am home and I need to check that all is prepared for the US trip which starts on Tuesday.

DPW Waistcoat

This is the campsis flowering well. They take a long time to flower properly but this plant has made it. It must be at least 8 years old and has never done this before. The odd flower cluster, maybe, two but that's all. It does have a prime southfacing position. It is a favorite climber in the south of France. To me, it is a memory of hot French holidays.

I started on the waistcoat on Tuesday and found the feather print cotton. I made up the lining first to remind myself of how to sew!  It really does have a pale lavender background. The feathers were stencilled  in blue-grey and a few feathers are red.

And this is the completed waistcoat. It looks better on me than flat like this. You can see where I have used a piece of the feather-printed lining under the arms. The Diversified Plain Weave is a bit loosely woven and so I applied a fusible interlining to both pieces of fabric before starting on the cutting out. This has the advantage that I can get it all squared up at that stage. I also applied the same lining to the pieces of feather-printed cotton on the front to bring up the weight a bit. Note the Chinese style fastenings. I got these in a back street in Kuala Lumpur. I was not at all keen on making buttonholes in this fabric and these fastening are less obtrusive than buttons would have been.

And this is the back which has a different design of feathers. The neck at the back has two small darts in it to fit my shape but it looks bad when photographed flat like this.

It is far from perfectly made but I put that down to not having made any clothes for at least 2 years, maybe more. I got the fusible lining and the grain right and the front is okay. The thing that is wrong is the symmetry of the back. I wonder if I just didn't cut it out correctly. I was so careful to align the front pieces too!

I will have to make a jacket or something when I get back from the States.

I have just about got everything ready for attending Complex Weavers in Washington DC next week. There has been much correspondence about our class with Bonnie Inouye after CW (our = Cally Booker + me) and with Sandra Rude about one of her pictures I have arranged to buy.

I seem to be organising a lot of last minute jobs. The builder came yesterday and dealt with the front doorbell. The carpet layers come today to finish off the studio. All it will need then are the curtains! I have the fabric. I do not have the rufflette tape or the lining and I might get that today when I fetch the US dollars. Tomorrow I am driving to Ruth's. On Saturday I am taking up the last of the musical instruments for sale and then going on for lunch to La Porte des Indes which is a fantastic Indian restaurant. The entire family will be there as it is my birthday and this is my birthday present!! There is a slight disagreement over what to do after lunch. Various parties have suggested Regent Park Zoo, the Photographic Museum, and Kew. Everyone is rubbishing all suggestions but their own. I suspect I would like a doze!!

Michael's wines are up for sale at Christies today.



Wrung Out but with Halo

I have spent the last two days doing paperwork and have got to the end! A day to celebrate! When Michael died, I was left/landed with three current accounts and money stashed in  places that did not pay much for the privilege of having our money. My accountant was quite censorious about this. Last Friday I managed to close down the outstanding current account (I started the process in June 2012!!!), leaving me with just one. So this afternoon, I sorted out the last problems at the bank and it is all done, fini, completed!!

In addition, I did a lot of work on wif files for Kennet Valley members who cannot read such files and pictures were all shipped out. I answered all the post and sorted out the Society of Bookbinders accounts (Birmingham region only).

The other thing I did which reduced me to a gibbering wreck was to organise transport between Dulles Airport and Chevy Chase where the Complex Weavers Seminars are being held. But I managed to book it, pay for it and have some very lucid instructions about finding the transport at Dulles. I also emailed Bonnie Inouye to check she was still expecting Cally Booker and myself for two days tuition and she is!!!

In fact the emails have flooding in and, unlike normal times, they were interesting.

Firstly my Chinese friend in Kuala Lumpur says the writing on the Chinese door curtain says Good Fortune in 100 old characters.  So I can hang it.

Secondly my Burmese friend has to go to Rangoon and asked if there was any Burmese weaving I would like brought back.  I googled 'Burmese textiles' and the first two entries were from my own blog. I was miffed. But eventually I learnt a lot. Acheik is the stuff - multicoloured silk!

Amongst all of this, I have considered textiles. I decided that I would make a gilet out of some Diversified Plain Weave fabric.  I found the pattern, laid it all out and try as I can, there is not enough fabric unless one front is upside down so no go.  So I looked out a pattern for a fitted waistcoat where the front is in two pieces so I can get the back and the two bigger pieces of the front out of what I have but I need to find suitable fabric for the smaller piece.  At this point, I had to go to the bank and, while driving there, remembered that I have some very nice cotton fabric which I printed with feathers. I must find it but my memory is that I could get a lining and the two front pieces out of it. I am always nervous about cutting into handwoven fabric so I will spend this evening ironing on interlining to all the DWP fabric I have. That way I can square it all up  and cut out the pieces with correct grain. I have just bought some powder to mix with textile medium which will give me gold and I might just paint a feather or two gold!!!

No photos today but there should be some tomorrow.

Lots of presents

Yesterday (Saturday) was 'present-to-Pat' day! This gorgeous cock, printed on cotton, was given to me by Linda Scurr because I had been talking in my blog about African cotton printed with cocks and  hens. Not enough to make a dress out of but just right for a studio cushion. I shall cut off the frieze of poultry and do something else with it.

And these elegant chopsticks and rest came from Manchester where my friends have been enjoying the Braid Society's conference. Lots of Japanese ladies in the attendees enjoying themselves enormously which gets round to the next present - from China. My daughter, Anne, and family are just back from China and full of what they had seen, heard and eaten. The grand-children were also very taken and I got a graphic description of cookery lessons somewhere in Beijing from my grand daughter.

It's a Chinese noren - door curtain. It is cotton dyed in indigo. I think a resist had been put on for the calligraphy which was washed out after dyeing.  I would like to know what it says and have emailed a photo to a Chinese friend in Kuala Lumpur. I don't want to hang it up if it says 'Death to You All'!!!!

And I got another very welcome present - some Lee's macaroon bars from Maggie Mockeridge. You can't get these in England, only Scotland and I told Maggie about them - after all she is a Scot! Well she's hooked too and I gather her husband is taking a dim view of this obsession.

I have been revising my presentation at Complex Weavers. It is about one of the Study Groups and the mentor cannot be present so two of us and standing in. Linda Madden who does beautiful weaving is the other one. Logistical problems have arisen about using a projector so back-up plans have been put together - based on printing everything out!!