Fun in the Sun

Despite the heat wave and the drought some good things have come out my efforts this summer:  one--to make new work for an upcoming show and two--to work with my friend Elizabeth Adams Marks. She wanted to learn about rust and both of us wanted to experiment with eco printing. Elizabeth came for 3 days in July about the time that the temperature hit well above 100 degrees F for several days in a row. She has written a wonderful blog post on the experience. Swing by to see all the pictures and read the story here.

A year ago June I had hoped that Elizabeth would join me at India Flint's workshop at Craft Alliance in St. Louis, but travel plans to Cornwall, England had already been set. As a papermaker who works with natural materials and plants, Elizabeth's interest in the eco dyeing/printing process could no longer be contained. So, in between rusting spells we gathered what we could from the scorched garden and set about making bundles.

Elizabeth brought a large wool shawl with her and did an impressive job of bundling on one of my solid iron window sash weights.  After cooking all of our bundles on the patio we hung them from plant hangers. That was July 19. Then she flitted down to Florida and I was left to contemplate the bundles outside my back door and itching to open them. Actually I confess I jumped the gun and opened one of mine on the 20th and then was immediately sorry I didn't let it cure sufficiently.

Today was the grand unveiling. Elizabeth arrived mid morning and we rushed out to the studio. She had bundled some goodies at home before flying south and so had many more presents to open.  Mine are on the right.  The following pictures are of her shawl.

 The golden brown color is from tea.

The big bundle was cooked in my oblong container-the only one big enough to hold the iron rod. A lot of echinacea and other dried flowers had been added to the brew eventually turning the water black.

Walnut leaf cluster left a beautiful resist print, a maple leaf turned black. Walnut stems left wonderful lines behind and I'm sure more subtle prints will be revealed when the wool is washed and pressed.

I only had two bundles to unwrap--this silk hanky square was wrapped on copper and is imprinted with walnut leaf clusters.

I also bundled a silk satin scarf with sliced red cabbage, flower petals, onion skins and leaves on a walnut twig. The bundle shrunk quickly in the heat and felt hollow when I touched it unlike all the other bundles which were tight. I was afraid all the work was going to come to nothing if the bundle was loose. But appearances can be deceiving.

Was very pleasantly surprised to see all the color on the interior of this very dark bundle.  I've got blues, violets, oranges, greens, pinks.  Really excited now.

Work by my classmates--India Flint part 4

We came from all over the place--representing 9 states--converging on Craft Alliance / Grand Center in St. Loiuis for four wonderful days of Fieldwork with India Flint.  We didn't actually go far afield -- the greenery and flowers came to us, but that only gave us more time to bundle and brew, which I think we did with great success as seen below.  I've only heard from a few people so far to identify their work, but I wanted to get this post up as soon as possible.  If you recognize your samples, drop me a line and I will be glad to post your name.

Darcy Ritzau from California made this piece.  It's wool challis with some incredible eucalyptus.

Ellen Flachmann of St. Louis did this group of samplers.

Suzy Farren of Missouri removes onion skins from fabric that she eco printed.  Thanks to Theresa Goetz for supplying the photo.

These 4 samples were made by Theresa Goetz of Missouri

Carolyn Lesser of St. Louis made these samplers.

Judy Newland of Arizona did some ice flower dyeing with hollyhocks to create the lavender strips before she came to the workshop. 

These samples were already turned into a mini patchwork by the last day.  Made by Peggy Cox of Pennsylvania.

I've heard from one person that she's been bundling and brewing up eco prints every day since the workshop.  Sorry to say, I haven't been able to indulge myself yet but I do have the copper cauldron and am itching to try out some larger fabric.

If you are visiting for the first time, scroll down to see parts 1, 2 and 3 about the India Flint workshop.  I had the time of my life and learned so much.  Now I'm waiting delivery of Second Skin, India's new book hot off the presses. 

Lucky enough--India Flint Part 3

Fascinating demo and a detail of the finished cloth

After twenty years of experience one just automatically knows how to take full advantage of a process.  Believe me, India knows.  Hundreds of people around the globe have been lucky enough to see India in action in person. I am one of them.  Hundreds more, if not thousands have been pouring over her book Eco Colour in hopes of gaining insight into this very simple, and yet paradoxically complex method of dyeing cloth.  I'm one of those too. 

I marveled at India's folding process for this large piece of fabric to make best use of the power of the leaf and the fact that most times (except for eucalyptus) only the back side or veined side of a leaf will print.  It's not as simple as it might appear.

The demonstration was done on a piece of light golden drapery silk she bought at a thrift store up north (at least that's what stuck in my memory).   What gave me particular pleasure is that India accepted my offer to borrow a flat piece of rusted metal I brought from home to bundle the fabric around.

India's groovy addition to pants

I revel in arty clothes.  These pants
were adorned with eco printed patches,
but India had to hike up the apron
to show them off.

My first samples were bundled around twigs but were simmered with pieces that did have iron in them.  The upper left piece which is nearly cropped out of the picture was an old linen hanky with crocheted lace edging.  It was wrapped around copper and simmered in the copper only pot.  It has some bright yellow color.  

Iron bundles on the left and copper bundles on the right.  We also tried wrapping around rocks.  I had great results with one big flat rock, and a big nothing with a rounder one.  (Center top in the pic below.  Boo Hoo.)

These were my samples unwrapped on the last day.  A large sheet of paper was unrolled the length of the workshop room for us all to show off what we'd done.  On the tables we had spread out some of the samples stitched together...what can I say...I'm a very slow stitcher so didn't get much done in that department.

These were wet when photographed.  The piece on the upper left can be seen here.   The orange of course comes from eucalyptus, but I did get a very nice amber/orange color from sweet gum leaves that India calls liquid amber.  See the piece on the lower left.

Really like how this one turned out.  We have lots of sassafras on our property.  I love the many variations of leaves.  Some have two lobes, some one -- they look like a mitten, and some have none.  Got great green.  Looking forward to making more with sassafras.

Here is another example of the beauty of sweet gum leaves.  What is curious is that one lobe printed amber, and other parts picked up pink from some japanese maple leaves. 

I got a surprise on my first eucalyptus experiment.  I had expected orange but got green because I chose the other variety of leaves that had been donated to the workshop.  Turned out for the best as the green goes well with the purple prints.  Don't ask what they are because I can't be sure what I used.  (Maybe rose leaves?)



Part 4 and the final entry about the workshop with India is coming soon.

A glimpse of possibilities with India Flint--part 1

India Flint-eucalyptus sample

It was announced that India Flint's workshop at Craft Alliance in St. Louis was the first week long adult workshop held there.  I was surprised.  Perhaps the people at Craft Alliance were too as participants in the workshop came from all over the country.  There were a handful of people from St. Louis, one from Columbia, MO and two from Illinois--myself and another from the Chicago area.  Joining us were participants from Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

India shows us a St. Louis windfall piece

The evening before the workshop India took a walk collecting windfall along the way.  She bundled and simmered the fabric in her hotel room and unwrapped it in front of us on day one. 

Minneapolis windfall demonstration piece

She explained a few minutes later about the talk she gave at the recent SDA conference where she unwrapped what I can only describe as an astounding piece of eco printed silk.  I'm sure it knocked the socks off of those in attendance at the conference too.  Wow it was beautiful!

The one disappointment in the workshop was trying to fit in time to eat lunch.  Restaurants in the Grand Center area are rather spread out and none are fast food places.  We quickly learned on the first day that India was focused on work rather than nourishment...but in our attempt to go out we did stumble on this incredible and perfectly rusted manhole cover.  In the cover of darkness I might be tempted to borrow it for my collection.  Friend Suzy Farren took an extra shirt she had with her, eagerly sopped up the rain water collected in the crevices of the manhole cover and rubbed some of the rust onto the shirt for instant mordanting and future dyeing.

Along Olive Street, Grand Center

Distortion through stitching for eco printing

I am not a hand stitcher--usually in too much of a hurry for that.  I use my machine for free motion quilting and my embellisher for felting.  But in the recent workshop with India Flint we were given some beautiful silk/cotton thread and told to do some stitching in the cloth prior to bundling.  We could create pleats or gather up the fabric.  I chose to create a couple of spirals that were gathered along with some curved pleats and darts in a piece of flat crepe.  I photoshopped the original path of my stitching -- I could still see the needle holes.

I pressed the gathers flat before laying on oak leaves and rose petals along with some thin leaves that turned to mush in the simmering pot.  The fabric was bundled and wrapped on a copper spike like one of those below.

Actually the one on the far left is not copper, not sure what the metal is as it is not rusty.  Picked these up at an antique shop nearby.
The cloth was simmered for a minimum of 30 minutes, probably longer.  Then cooled overnight in the pot and unwrapped the next day.  The yellow was unexpected--probably a reaction of the oak leaves and copper together.

Love these spikes!

I'll be posting more pics from the workshop soon.

BTW--visit my friend Elizabeth Adams Marks' lovely blog 2ndhandpaper.  She is a paper maker and book artist and teacher who is currently traveling in Cornwall, England.  She arranged quite a surprise for me in two blog posts this week when she and her hubby visited Port Isaac which stands in for Portwenn on the PBS show I love--Doc Martin.

Having the time of my life!

Learning to eco print with India Flint this week. 

Top: wet sample still holding the stitches I made before bundling with rose petals, eucalyptus and other leaves.

Bottom: stiches out, pressed dry

India Flint is coming to St. Louis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fieldwork Workshop with India Flint

Summer Camp for Adults! Australian fiber artist, India Flint, will be coming to Craft Alliance in Grand Center, St. Louis, MO, to give a 4 day adult intensive workshop from June 21-24, 2011. More details will be posted on the web site soon. Enrollment begins in March and class size is limited.

I have been following India Flint's blog for two years and loving every minute of it.  My friend Luanne Rimel at Craft Alliance in St. Louis was already in talks with India last year when I suggested that she try to bring her to town.  A schedule  could not be worked out then, but its official now!!  You can bet that I'll be #1 on the list for the workshop.  I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. 

Luanne sent me the image above.  I will post information for the workshop as it becomes available.  India also has a beautiful website that you can see here.

Craft Alliance has just updated their website with information for the workshop.  Click here for details, costs, and a word from India about the nature of the class.