Things I Do To Pass The Time

I've been stitching away, slowly and thoughtfully, on the piece in the previous post.
Here's another area or two that I've got around to running thread through.

I liked the darker area when I added it but not so much now

A blend of DMC thread and natural dyed (gray) thread.

A small scrap of well worn canvas being stitched onto the piece.

I am still stitching circles on everything.

beautiful silk thread over organza and a bamboo blend fabric

So I will continue to take my time with this piece since it is feeling right to do that.

I do have an idea for display on this one. I'll have to try it out soon.

I wanted to dye some thread with walnut leaves and decided to throw some paper in there as well.

Oh, walnut, how I love thee!

The color are so rich and I am always surprised by the variety of colors that I get.

I needed a darker color of thread, so I clipped my paper with binder clips. That is such an easy way to change the colors that nature offers to us.

Here's a few photos of the paper (watercolor).

Be sure to click on this one to see the color variety on the paper.

Look at those beautiful lines!

a note reminding me that I left thread in the pot

I just stuck the entire stem into the paper signature.
Won't this be beautiful to sketch into?

marks from the binder clips

If you click o the photos, you can really see the different colors that I obtained.

I had not done anything to the paper (other than allow it to dry) so the pages are wrinkled and warped.

Some pressure under a stack of books and a little heat from the iron should take care of that though.

I've also been updating my Etsy shop with more thermofax screens.

I'll do another post with some images from that.

It's cooler here in South Carolina and I am loving it.

Kinda...

I love the cooler temps and the crisp air but it sure does play havoc on achy joints.

Getting old is not for sissies, is it?

Busy Hands, Happy Heart

I am like a lot of you, dear readers, that can't seem to sit quietly without working on something.
My friends and family would say that I can't sit still and be quiet. Period.
Hmm...maybe they are correct.

I've been using up my eco dyed/natural dyed scraps (and I do mean scraps) on a small piece of handwork.
I used pieces that are about 2-3 inches long (and wide) and put them on a canvas base.
Then began stitching.
I also used my natural dyed threads (except one piece of rust DMC thread) and they look wonderful on the fabrics!
The natural dyes seem to glow from within.

I am using a hoop this time since the fabric weights are so different.
Here's a few in-progress peeks.

See the pieces of thread on the left?
All of those were dyed with plants and metals.

Rust stained thread

I couldn't help but slip this bold color of thread in...

Vintage homespun fabric!

Lovely rust

Colors of Iron

Cottons, linens, jersey

Looks like a bee hive

Silk

A monoprint from something in my bin of goodies

Rusted fabric, rusted thread

I took this thread out of my "rust bin" too early
but I couldn't help myself.
I have more cooking.

It's a work in progress for sure.

Pecan Stems and Silk

I love the impression that the stems
make on the fabric when they have been steamed.

Hints of the print that the pecan will create.

Beautiful, beautiful color, and shapes.

This silk fabric is still wet. I rolled it back up and will allow it to dry as an intact bundle.
Can't wait to see what it looks like!