Lichen and samples

Lana brought a stick with different sorts of lichen on it to the natural dyeing workshop. The colours on the lichen were very similar to the colours on one of the samples. This sample is two layers of fabric cotton and silk organza, layered, dyed with a quick dip of indigo, a quick steep in weld and then over dyed with with iron and tannin. Then I bleached it back with lemon juice. 

We will be trying some of these techniques at the next workshop.

Our first natural Dyeing workshop

I was very pleased with how our first natural dyeing workshop went. As you can see we did indigo dyeing and also ferrous sulphate with tannin.
We did some tray dyeing, tying round a core and jam jar dyeing. This lovely piece was folded and tyed, that gives the lovely repeat pattern and then it was indigo dyed.
This piece is silk that has been dyed in a jam jar with iron and tannin. It has beautiful patterns on it.
Another person has dyed this piece of silk organza to go with some of the artificial flowers that had blown off some of the graves in Kensal Green. An imaginative and delightful idea.

Peeling angels

My favorite at Kensal Green was a large marble angel. Above is a photo of her. Marble doesn't stand up to the English weather well and so the stone has begun to peel off in places. Its also got polluted by the near by gas works and in some places has turned black. The second picture is a sketch of part of her where the marble is polluted and peeling.

This sample is made by flour paste resist on cotton. First of all I dyed part of it with a quick dip of indigo. Then I painted iron and tannin natural dyes on to the flour paste to make the crackle effect. The very dark areas are silk carrier rods dyed with tannin and iron.   

A close up on lichen.

Suzanne has been looking at lichen under her digital microscope, it is amazing how modern technology can help us to see the beatiful intrictae world of nature much more easily. Here is one of her photo's it looks like coral.
  Lichens are are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic relationship between fungus and usually greem alga. they are very successful and very widespread because of this usual partner ship.

More views of Kensal Green

It is very interesting to get different peoples views, sometimes I just miss something really special. Suzanne has shown me some of the aspects she took note of on the walk in October.
On the right is a detail of a grave stone with the marks left from where the ivy has been removed. This reminds me of Susan Jarmain's work that I saw at the Knitting and Stitch Show. It was called Worm Words and was about the marks left by worms on wood. the photo could be called Ivy Words.
This is an  unusual grave on the left, it is very white. The shapes on it are also very unusual, the are fish that are swimming up towards the top of the grave.

Natural Dyeing Demonstration

Yesterday I did a natural dyeing demonstration for the the Hertfordshire members of ERTF. We looked at flour paste resist, crumple dyeing and bleaching back indigo with potassium permanganate followed by citric acid.

This photo on the right is the indigo fabric tied, I have just applied the potassium permanganate and the fabric is changing colour. When is is rinsed in citric acid it will turn white or pale blue.

Thanks very much Barbara for the photo's. I thought it went well and it was good practice for the natural dyeing workshops in two weeks.

Autumn Watch at Abney Park Cemetery

Yesterdays Autumn Watch was partly shot in Abney Park Cemetery. I visited Abney Park earlier in the year, it is certainly wild and wonderful.

There is lots of undergrowth for wildlife.

Unfortunately it is quite a long journey from where I live.
I liked this little snail curled into the stone ivy in this photo above.

This photo on the right is what I used for the sketch for the flier for Secret cemeteries. I very much like the idea of the stone ivy on one side and the real ivy on the other side of the grave stone.




There are lots of things in the media about cemeteries, I've just started reading Audrey Niffengger's book 'Her Fearful Symmetry'. It is set in Highgate Cemetery. Its very atmospheric and really gives an impression of the Cemetery and what it is like to be there.
Kensal Green, Abney park and Highgate are all part of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries that were built around London in the 1830 and 40's. Kensal Green was the first to be opened.