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Dyeing Fabric & Fibre with Harakeke Pods : February 2018

10/3/2018

 
January weather was amazing & we spent time most of our days just hanging out & going to the beach to swim which was superb & is really all I ever want to do in summer anyway.

By the time February arrived I was well rested & ready to do some explorations into using NZ native plants for dyeing fabric & fibre.

The harakeke seed pods were at their best for harvesting for making a dye bath too & I was lucky enough to have my friend, Isla, walk me thru the process, which is very easy but it is a process which takes a few days.
Here's a link to a post on Isla's website which outlines the process we used; natural-dyeing-with-harakeke-seed-pods
In the dye bath I made from the pods I had harvested I dyed a few lengths of muka, 3xDMC cotton embroidery threads of various thickness, a 60cm square of calico, a 30cm square of cotton drill & various sized rectangles of cotton drill fabric I had cut out with a view to sewing a purl soho boxy tee.
It seems the harakeke pods are high in tannins so no surprise with the colours the cottons & cotton fabrics came out but it was lovely to see the variation in the colours of the muka fibres.
Rather than dyeing a single large piece of fabric which would have been awkward to fit in my dye pot, I pre-cut the pieces of fabric for my sewing.

What I hadn't considered was the extra shrinkage of the fabric courtesy of simmering for an hour in hot water.
I had already washed & dried the fabric BUT I do cold washes & line dry ! What a bastard trap for rookies !

I sewed up my top anyway & fortunately the pattern makes a generous size garment so the only problem area is the armhole depth which is a little too tight to be comfortable.
But I have a plan !
I think I'll open that seam, on each side, & insert a gusset just to give me a bit more space.

And now, finally, we get to the point of why I wanted to sew this particular top.
It's all about the bottom panel. Which is a separate piece.
A beautifully proportioned rectangle of fabric which lends itself to embellishment.
I was watching Sashiko Stitching taught by Lisa Solomon on Creativebug & in one part of the class she is wearing a top she has made with a sashiko embroidered bottom.
I had the fabric : I had the threads : I had the pattern I wanted to embroider & now I have a top which is the memory piece of my very 1st foray into dyeing with harakeke seed pods.

Celebrating My Creative Year (2016)

12/1/2017

 
My creative goal for 2016 was to end the year with a body of art work that I love & happily, I have.
Trilogy Circle #1 detail undyed muka
Trilogy Circle #2 detail muka dyed with natural plant dye
Trilogy Circle #3 detail muka dyed with commercial dye
'Trilogy' muka & cotton thread on cotton fabric
'Pachyrrhynchus Congestus Detail' cotton thread on cotton fabric
'Seasons' a series of abstract embroideries depicting the annual seasons. Textile paint, cotton thread on cotton fabric
I've used traditional techniques from different cultures & brought them together in innovative ways.
​I've also learnt new techniques & adapted techniques to suit the different materials.
I've used materials which are readily available, some I've made myself.
Winter
Winter, detail
Winter, detail
Autumn
Autumn, detail
Winter, detail
I've been able to take ideas from concept to completion which is enormously satisfying.
Summer
Summer, detail
Summer, detail
Spring
Spring, detail
Spring, detail
​I've enjoyed the pleasure of being engrossed in the process.
Cross Pollination #1
muka & cotton thread on cotton fabric
Cross Pollination #1 detail
Cross Pollination #2
muka & cotton thread on cotton fabric
Cross Pollination #2 detail
Cross Pollination #3
muka & cotton thread on cotton fabric
Cross Pollination #3 detail
I am genuinely content with where I'm at & already totally engrossed in this years explorations.

Cross Pollination 2 - a large circle of laced & crossing threads

10/9/2016

 
lacing
stitches
muka - natural, plied & woven
this is the 2nd large circular work in this series which uses muka (fibre from harakeke) & embroidery floss

when i completed the 1st in july 2016 i didn't know there was even going to be a 2nd

but i'm glad there is because this is one is my favourite

​. . . & there will be a 3rd


here is a photo journal of the process
    About
    ​
    Picture
    Hi, I'm Sally
    I'm a fibre artist who loves botanicals - especially NZ native plants
    you can find me on 
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