February Flowers

I’m making ‘February’ flowers with India Flint this month as part of her online workshop “A Clearing in the Woods”. The class is designed to bring some light and joy to February … whether its in the freezing Northern Hemisphere or sweltering heat of the South! You can checkout India’s online classes at her website https://www.indiaflint.com

I’m loving the making of each flower … one each day (in theory). Here are some of the ones I’ve made so far ….

It’s sometimes hard to know when a flower is finished, its tempting to keep adding more ……

Lot’s more flowers to make before the end of the month! Will show you the end result when its done!

Thanks for reading …… CC

New Work Naturally .....

Over the last month, as well as working on the FiveBySix Challenge,  I have been finishing some new work which incorporates some of my nature prints.  

I started with a nature print overlaid with some applique.  Then I decided to try some mirror image nature prints using silk and silk organza  and a range of plant material from my garden ... the results were lovely ... so these prints became the focus of two compositions.  To add texture and another layer of interest to the pieces I've hand stitched the background of the nature prints and added some hand stitched leaf outlines ... a little slow stitching which was very enjoyable....

One of these works together with two of my nature print scarves (something a bit different) are included in the 'Reflections' group show at Jing Jo's Cafe/Gallery in Kangaroo Valley which opened last week and runs till 29 April.  The scarves, are printed on a silk/wool mix and are lovely to wear, both light and warm!

This is the flyer for the exhibition which opened last week ... I'm looking forward visiting Kangaroo Valley in the next couple of weeks to see how it all looks.   If you are in the vicinity do drop by for a coffee or a bite to eat and enjoy 'Reflections' ....

With this new work I decided to update my website with a fresh layout and new galleries.  I hope you will have a look at the rest of the site,  I think it's an improvement!  There are more updates and content to come ....

Thanks for reading and for your interest in my work ...CC

FiveBySix Challenge ...

My friend Melissa and I decided to take a 30 day challenge during the month of February (plus a few days!),  Melissa wanted to work with embroidery stitches and  I decided this would be a good opportunity to experiment with the nature prints I have been using recently.

We set up a Facebook group which we've called  'FiveBySix Challenge'  and asked a few  friends to join us.  It will be really fun to see how it all comes together! 

I've been working in batches, experimenting with various silk fabrics, variations in techniques and testing out all the likely plants in my garden and in the local environment.  The most likely candidates seem to be deciduous plants and those that have a scent .... so plenty to work with!

After the first few batches, it was clear that part of the magic of nature prints comes from the combination of plants used which infuses the print with extra color and depth.    The combinations of fabric weight/density and printing technique also has a significant impact on the end result ... so I've been trying to work out the best combinations .......

After many batches and experiments I now have a nice lot of prints on the design wall .....

I've been playing with layout options and I'm currently thinking I will put the prints together in three panels of 12  (I know that'll be more than 30!) ....  here's what they look like on my design wall so far ... still need to be trimmed and some need some extra stabilizer but you'll get the idea....

I'm not happy with some of the prints ... so there are a few more batches planned before the end of the month!! 

While the 30 days is up soon ...  we have given ourselves a month to finish off and work on the presentation.  Will post the final result in April.   

Thanks for reading  CC

Dye Happy with Natural Dyeing

I recently spent a very fun weekend in nearby Jamberoo trying some natural dyeing techniques with Alice Springs based artist Deb Clarke.

This introduction to natural dyeing techniques covered the basics.  On day one we learned about plants, fabrics, mordants and dyeing processes including boiling, steaming and some shibori techniques and we made our first silk scarf.

For my scarf I used red and brown onion skins encased in the silk and then twisted and wrapped around a rusty bolt.  The resulting bundle was then heated in a dye bath of purple carrot!   

Here is the bundle and the resulting scarf ...

Deb had loads of samples and examples of different techniques/dyes and mordants ... so much to take in ....  very amazing and fascinating! 

On the second day we worked with Eucalyptus leaves - a very special plant in the world of dyeing and readily on tap here!   We were introduced to a wonderful resource developed by artist Sally Blake, who has tested a large range of Eucalyptus species for their dye potential.

Here is a link to her website  https://sallyblake.com/eucalyptus-dyes-1/ 

I chose to work with a fine wool scarf and a  range of Eucalyptus leaves of different sizes and shapes for the direct print.  The leaves were arranged on the scarf and then covered with some cotton sheeting soaked in iron sulphate, then wrapped and tied firmly around some plastic piping.  The resulting bundle was then steamed.

The leaves, the bundle and the amazing result ...

This workshop demonstrated an inspiring range of opportunities offered by natural dyeing techniques and it was so much fun!  I will definitely be exploring these techniques and contemplating how I might incorporate them into my work. 

Have you tried your hand at natural dyeing and printing ? and how have you used the results in your work?

Thanks for reading .....CC