Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for so many things.

Thank you for your visits and your company as we journey on our art filled lives!

PS...I used the Paper Source catalog as a background on the photo...

Indigo Shibori workshop at French General with Kaari Meng

There is just something wonderful about indigo blue! So how could we resist a whole day dyeing cloth indigo blue at French General with Kaari Meng? Colleen and I headed down to L.A. and had a great day with about 15 other enthusiastic fiber lovers dyeing different types of cloth and learning about the different shibori techniques. The photo above is one of my pieces and the following photos are from our classmates showing the different methods we used.

We had different dye pots with varying shades of indigo. To get the rich deep blue color several dips were necessary.

Cloth needs to hang and oxidize between dips to get the nice blue color.

Some finished cloth drying. Some folks did samplers of the different techniques we were taught...folding, stitching and tying.

Books for more information....

And one more piece. We all had such a fun day...if I lived closer I would be taking a workshop every weekend! 

And if you are in the area I am thrilled to be able to teach a rug hooking workshop there this coming Spring! We will be making a small hooked rabbit in time for Easter.

 Class is scheduled for April 12, 2014. Join us if you can.

Some new things...

I finally finished this mobile for a friend's new grandchild. Made from linen with a little embroidery, it has a sort of subdued softness to it.

I've been finishing up other projects that have been waiting in my sewing basket, like this striped wool cat.

....and this rabbit made from some vintage quilt fabric and real leather glove ears.

A new black wool kitty and an owl hiding behind the pumpkin will make their way over to the store in Solvang soon.

In the meantime we are making plans for our next art adventure to Oaxaca in February 2014!