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on January 31, 2011

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Oh, to be a frog on the wall at Maiwa's Master Class in Bengal.
Photo is from the article.

dyeing

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Shifu! Shifu! Shifu!

I have long been intrigued by shifu, the Japanese paper thread. It seems to be all the rage right now - for a look at what's possible see Heather Sauer's experiments (including a miniature knitted lace dress) and Lizz Aston's incredibly smooth, fine yarns. Velma Bolyard has posted about an awesome looking class on shifu she taught last month. There was an article in the Spring 2011 Spin Off about spinning pattern tissue paper that made it seem quite possible. But it was the weaving of Jean Betts that finally pushed me over the edge into the realm of "must try". So, having (typically) misplaced the Spin Off article, I barged ahead, working with my vague recollections. I tried cutting strips from the folded pattern tissue of a free store find - first with an X-Acto and ruler (PITA) and then with a rotary cutter (much better). I didn't dampen them, as the current humidity is so high that moss could grow indoors. Spinning was surprisingly pleasant and easy - I...

Lichen Dyeing

Actual size of this piece of lichen is about 10 inches across. Let me introduce you to Lobaria pulmonaria , the Queen of Lichens. This distinctive beauty can often be found on the ground at this time of year, blown down from her home high up in the maples. The bright lime green of the underside stands out amongst the rusts, oranges and golds of the fallen leaves. Lobaria pulmonaria was traditionally used by the Coast Salish people as a dye for wool. I was first told about this excellent dyestuff by Katherine Tye , an amazing Fraser Valley woman who was involved in the revitalization of spinning, weaving and natural dyeing amongst the First Nations communities in that region, back in the early 1970's. I met Katherine as part of my research into dyeing with native plants that I was doing for a high school science project. (She now has an ecological reserve named after her.) Lobaria pulmonaria does not require any mordants to give up a lovely, fast, orange-y tan colour on...

Mercy and Security

This weekend, I participated in the Veteran's Day Sewing Circle , a project created by Sherri Lynn Wood. (The photo above belongs to her.) I used to actively participate in the peace movement, but became discouraged and cynical, particularly since 2001. For the last nine years I have felt that any efforts of protest that I could make would be meaningless. Sherri's project is the first thing I have seen in a long time that spoke to me. Simply, names of U.S. soldiers killed in the Iraq war, as well as those of Iraqi civilians killed during the same conflict, are embroidered on coffin shaped patches, which are then assembled into memorial banners. These were my patches. Sherri supplied the pre-cut cloth, embroidery floss and five names. The Iraqi names were in Arabic. I embroidered them in an afternoon, freehand. It was a good time to reflect on what my contribution might mean to the families of who died. Although seeing their loved one's name on a little scrap of cloth is inf...

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