dyepot explorations

Samples dyed with variety of eucalyptus leaves found on the ground near my home.

Drying in our laundry, where the photographed colours are not true to life due to the pink glow...interesting results (the owners of this home must have really liked pink - that's not me. I'm not opposed to pink normally, just on my walls in this particular hue is...something. Something).

After a night of 'grumpiness' Eowyn seems to be fairly well today, Peter back to work.

Hope everyone who celebrates has a very Happy Thanksgiving, today or tomorrow, whichever it be for you in your time zone...

J

More creative spaces at kootoyoo

a sweet one

Thank you so much Teresa for the beautiful note cards. I love them :)

A quick post for I am 'nurse.' Peter home sick for a few days, now Eowyn seems to have some trouble too.

J

cobwebs

on our garden gate. When I saw this photo in my files last night I thought it described well the state of my head lately. Fortunately, having the time and a welcome coolness in the house, this weekend I sat down on our lounge under an unfinished quilt (abandoned earlier in the year in favour of finishing assignments) and started to stitch ... the cobwebs sorting themselves out into ponderings, the way they do for me with a slow repetitive stitch. It felt nice, to sit and stitch and think audible thoughts.

On another note, I found these words of Walker Evans over at Photo/Arts Magazine insightful and encouraging. If you do pop over to have a read let me know what you think :)

Here is also a link to some of his photographs - Walker Evans.

Hope your weekend was a good one.

Love,
Jeana

today

~was long but very busy

~Made a pig and a rabbit from pompoms with the girls. Both pig and rabbit suffered dismemberment at the hands of Leilani while I pegged washing.

~rose bushes suffered dismemberment at hands of both my gleeful children.

~photographed petals.

~nani went through three sets of swimmers (only once for an accident). she's wearing the 4th just off the line. no child should have that many, really...

~we started making felt on the table and finished in the bathtub

~Barbie dolls (yes we have some, a thrifted gift from my grandpa before he died - how can you refuse?) helped with the felt.

~I felt the age gap between my children suddenly widen and close, whilst the void filled with slight chaos several times. I can't explain this.

~it started to rain.

~tried several times to sit here and take care of passport/flight business. Was interrupted. Blogged instead. Twice today, just felt like it.

~followed my grandma's recipe for chocolate chip cookies and tasted home.

Soon, soon.

And tomorrow is Saturday ~ bless!

palette

The sun is drying everything out around here, but I think the fallen rose petals make a nice palette.

Seems 'bushfire season' has come to Australia once again, all too soon. Our prayers go out for those fighting fires this weekend.

{For those of you far away who may worry, we are no where near the fires I linked to}

creative space

The vessel making continues at my place. As the forms take shape in my hands one after the other so it is that my own little felting routine is starting to emerge. The process to me feels contemplative and absorbing with always an element of the unexpected.

This time I've felted the wool fibres to doilies - just to see. The crochet seems to come through the wool and appear almost as barnacles in places. I like that.

I think these three might find themselves in a dye pot sometime soon :)

J

More creative spaces at Kootoyoo

travel

I thought I would just show you my poppies today (which I coincidentally had to correct the spelling as I typed 'poopies.' Yes, toilet training is an all-consuming sort of thing). I am skipping around a bit - from vessels yesterday to some photos from the recent past.

A few weeks ago I began making some prints and marks on paper and cloth with some of the plants in my garden - poppies and rose petals mostly. These turned into a tiny book, and a letter to send to a friend. My girls have wrapped up a couple parcels using their hair ribbons for the same friend. The book is as small as a bottle top, found rusty ones were used as covers, first covered in crochet.

{I must admit I am growing excited over the anticipation of parcels and gift giving in the near future}

I began this post with the intention of telling you all about my travel plans in the near future, but it looks as though I've gone elsewhere ...

and now I try to write it out, but am stuck. Let's save it for another post shall we? In the meantime I am picking up lots of pieces from the past year; studying my first year for a diploma of textile arts was fantastic, fast paced creating with deadlines - I could barely keep up with myself and my little ones, Peter, the house - all have fallen into a mild state of neglect. Well, the house has suffered the most. I really cannot use the word mild there, but it is rather my last concern most days.

It is a bitter sweet relief to have finished my first year; next year I will defer. I need to catch my breath. But the creating continues as do the lovely friendships developed over a year creating together - links to but a few, those online :)

Barb
Dawn
Penny - So Sew Poppy


Thank you dear friends for an amazing year!

J

transition vessels

Wet, nuno, resist felted vessels, in progress. Wool and silk fibres, cotton, silk, vegetable and compost dyed fabric.The light fixture (not used as a resist) is making a nice mould for the largest, I think.

My life suddenly feels in transition once again.

So what does one do? I make - even if for no other reason than the making. We will see what comes of it. My girls seem to enjoy the soapy business of felting any ways - that's olive oil soap in the photos. Smells nice.

Somehow it is funny to me posting these after the photo of our loo yesterday ... not intentionally related, however :)

Thinking once more of memories, how I came to be where I am.

Looking at the art of Chiharu Shiota (link also in sidebar) via ignant.

this is our world

right now.

a blurry one to disguise the dirty wall.

Was just trying to think what this would look like from a small person's, say Nani's? perspective. And yes, pulling toilet paper from the roll to all over the rest of the house does seem pretty golden from here ...

Toilet training is going well for my munchkin - with lots of help from mum and dad. She will take herself sometimes, but she usually forgets to pull down her undies, or doesn't make it quite far enough onto the seat...

J

creative space

Goodness me! I've sat down what feels like 15 times to finish writing my post today. I began last night thinking this morning I'd quick fix it up, add the photos and publish about 3 hrs ago ... but ... the small people - they have great needs today!

We have even been out for a bread & milk shopping expedition in between several trips to the toilet for my little one in training (she's doing so well!) which turned into morning tea at our favourite cafe ... with more morning tea when we arrived home, and now it's nearly lunch time. Phrase of the day via Eowyn - "I'm hungry!" I'd write it off as 'bored' but she is voraciously eating everything (even pears) I put in front of her.

Must be a growth spurt.

In fact, I think I'll just go ahead and say it: my children are driving me slightly (ha) batty today.

Any who...

A new bracelet made by a dear friend required a new top (thanks KB - I love it!).

An op-shopped/thrifted top, linen - bought for the fabric; collar and buttons cut out, replaced with spotty patches. Peaceful, evening in front of a movie I now cannot remember; sitting next to Peter, stitching.

Very satisfying work. The result just right for this hot weather we are having.

(my inspiration for the refashion came from Mim Art Life via My Story - two lovely blogs I'm enjoying, fairly new to me :)

I'm also glad to hear from you that I am not alone in the tongue sticking out/lip/cheek biting while concentrating thing! A good thing to know, indeed. The consensus - it must be genetic ;)

(photos by Peter)

I'd better go cook a feast for lunch or something, E is moaning again.

J

More creative spaces at kootoyoo