walnut ink

My mother has been requesting some for years. Every time she looks up into the canopy of my walnut trees she asks about it. Well, today is her birthday… and knowing all the walnut cooking I've been doing, what do you think her humble birthday request has been?

 "Just a little pot of ink… please!" 

I have a feeling very few mothers have asked for such a birthday present… but my mother is unlike any other. I'm so darn lucky! She pushes me to my creative edges, she's held my heart when it's been broken, she guides my parenting if I feel lost, and she always can make me laugh until my sides hurt. You know that wild uncontrollable belly laugh that only comes when you fully let loose… the one that heals and makes the tears flow… that's what she gives my sister and me on a regular basis. It's the best medicine, for sure. And as her children- we are the only one's who she has literally held closer to her heart than any other. We have also had the honor of listening to her heart from the inside. So isn't it fitting that the ink she's asked for comes from the fruit with a heart at its center. She knew… I'm sure of it!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Do you want to make walnut ink too? Use the same instructions from this post but only pour a few cups of liquid into the pot. Boil it down for several hours. I've heard that you can add a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol to the mixture to preserve it. Will give that a try when this cools completely.

walnut basket

I couldn't wait for the weekend to sew up some of the walnut dyed rope!  When I woke me up far too early this morning (darn kitties!), I used it as an opportunity to run down to my studio. Can't wait for the weekend to spend some more time stitching. As much as I adore indigo and enjoy turmeric- the subtler shades of black walnut suit me best. Kind of in love!

 There's still a few spots in my rope basket class next week at Craftstitute. So excited to spend the evening teaching how to create my favorite vessels. Sign up here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

walnut dye

Walnuts are the oldest tree food known to humankind, dating back to 7000BC. The eastern Black Walnut produces something called Juglone, which is toxic to many plants and other trees, but also keeps them resistant to most diseases and pests. This must account for their ability to survive and grow so tall and majestic. Our land is surrounded and filled with ancient Black Walnuts and their descendants, which we've watched grown from saplings to young sturdy trees over the years. This walnut forest has been both a blessing and a curse, as they've dictated where we can plant our vegetable garden(only one spot throughout acres of land is safe) and wreaked havoc on any fruit trees we've attempted to plant. But their beauty and strength is something I never tire of. And their walnuts make a wonderful natural dye.

From August through late October we hear the frequent and familiar thump of one walnut after another hitting the ground. There is also daily thunder as they strike the tin roof on our little barn. So, as you can imagine, I have a huge source for creating a walnut dye.

Here's some shots from this weekend's project and last night's dye bath. I give my step by step approach after the pics. NOTE: I wear plastic gloves for every part of the process and caution you to do the same or your hands will be stained for at least a week!

1. Collect green walnuts.
2. Squish off the outer hulls and separate from the nuts. (see video here)
3. Place hulls in a 5 gallon bucket and cover with water.
4. Soak for several days.
5. Strain (I use an old t-shirt) enough liquid to fill 3/4 of a stainless steel pot.
6. Boil liquid for an hour or two. 
7. Add rope and/or fabric to pot and boil for at least an hour. (Let it sit over night for a stronger and darker color.) I used cotton for both.
8. Remove material from liquid dye and rinse until water runs clear.
9. Wash in machine on cold cycle and tumble dry to set color.

Isn't it gorgeous? I'm loving the soft brown/grey/khaki of this batch and can't wait to get into my studio to make something with it all!

mama blues

 Creating with my mom is always so much fun! Her granddaughter agrees. She loves working with all of my mother's materials and textiles. Her bunny was made completely by hand- that girl is a blanket stitch wiz! My mother was intrigued with all of our indigo dyeing, so we set up a bucket for her. She was all about dip-dyeing vintage fabrics, and now I want to do more of it too!

 

 My absolute favorite is this blue boho bag from a vintage bedspread and thick piping cord for handles. She sewed it and I dipped it.

She continues to be my greatest source of inspiration. My mother is my hero!

baskets and skirts

Happy Monday friends! It's the last full week of school around here and I'm hustling to make the most of it in my studio. Summer is definitely upon us and there's been swimming, horseback riding and ice cream cone eating aplenty… but I haven't slowed down my sewing machine. There are baskets listed for the first time in my shop!  They are each naturally dyed in summer hues of water and sunshine. I've also listed some feathered indigo pouches. YES!  Go take a peek right here.

On Saturday I taught some lovely ladies how to refashion a t-shirt into a skirt at Craftstitute. I'm in love with their studio space… Clear, clean and flooded with natural light from gorgeous windows everywhere. 

We're talking about another rope basket class, so I'll keep you posted. Ithaca is a fabulous weekend destination this time of year!

Have a great start to your week!

more!

More baskets! More joy! More fun! I can't stop… just trying to document them all for future making and to record their beauty. There are still others that didn't make it into this shot. I have a bunch of solids- blues, golds, and cream! So good. These will go to Squam, but any leftovers and a whole new crop will be filling my shop mid June. Happy Monday!

sky scarves

 Some of my indigo dyed linen called to be scarves… 

Two kinds:
-long strips of sky and clouds to wrap around or
 -circles to create an infinity of the wide blue yonder

The infinity has a french seam and intentionally frayed edges. The standard has hemmed sides and frayed ends. Both so pretty that they are being snatched up before they even make it to their destination next week at Squam. Yikes! I just ordered more indigo and am hunting down some linen so that I can repeat this delicious process for mid June in my shop. 

The the bridal wreath spirea bush bloomed as always during this last week in May. I forgive it for the few years that it plagued me as the reminder of my former wedding anniversary. It's gorgeous- so glad that I didn't chop it down when I wanted to. Now- it's just another beautiful component of my garden and a lovely backdrop for scarves. It was resilient after our hard winter and seems stronger than ever- just like me! We are all so much like a garden… something my yoga teacher is focusing on this week. We are filled with as much beauty as we cultivate. Without tending, weeding and caring for ourselves we all know what happens. So here's to creating our own beautiful inner and outer landscapes… and wearing the sky, of course!

the color of bliss

 I am not usually drawn to working with a lot of colors. Although my palette has consisted of white and neutral for so long, there has always been a place for blue. In dabbling with indigo dye, I've discovered how touching, rinsing, hanging, winding, folding, stitching with blue is extremely soothing. There is a sense of serenity and bliss while working each day with the color of the sky and water in my hands. Yes. The color of sky and water in my hands. I wonder if that feeling can be felt through this screen, because I want to offer it everyone… not keep it for myself.

 I will be bringing these blue bliss bowls to the Squam Art Fair, but will be making more for my shop this summer. I can't stop making them. I love the striping- the color blocking surprises that happen along the way. It makes each one feel like magic… as if they have a spirit of their own, and I am just guiding the rope through the machine. Isn't that so cool?!

 Look at how captivating the interiors are! I know I sound a bit crazy in love with my own making. I kind of am! And how can that not be a wonderful thing?!

 Below is a bowl containing the rope that I double dyed this week for a richer blue. It's subtly different, and I love both shades equally. Luckily, I made sure to double dye hundreds and hundreds of feet in this shade, just in case it was a good one..

  And while I was at it, I wound and folded, twisted and rubber banded all of my white linen to throw into my dye vat. I've got plans!

weekend blues

What a beautiful weekend it was! The only blues were in my dye bucket. Indigo is one of the oldest dyes used in history for textiles and printing. It was high time I gave it a try. I used a very simple method as a test to see if it was something worth pursuing. Oh yes! This kit from Dharma Trading Co. was so accessible and fun… as a bonus the dye vat lasts for a while.  So- I got more rope! 

 The relationship indigo has with oxygen was the most fascinating part… the dye bath is actually green.

 It's only after it the rope/fabric tastes the air that it begins transforming to blue. It gets oxidized!

 Watch what happened with this cotton fabric over 10 minutes… so cool!

 Rope was my main ingredient. Cotton clothesline for spiral sewing of beautiful, blue bowls and baskets for summer. One dip gave me a very dark rich shade….

  But upon rinsing- it transformed to something softer and deliciously peaceful. And after drying… it has taken on its own shade of sky blue that can be seen in my instagram shots over in the right side column.

 Something so silly and satisfying about draping the clothesline over my clothesline to dry!

 Can't wait to share my upcoming indigo adventures with some double dipping for darker shades and, of course, the meeting with my sewing machine!