A Challenge

Q: How do you photograph an enormous floor cushion when your floors are black and London is covered by dark and moody clouds?

A: With great difficulty!

Add to that, that I want to show both the back and front together, and I realise I've set myself quite a challenge. However, with the use of mirrors, drawer handles (to give a sense of scale) a ladder and a sheepskin rug, I think I've just about managed to do justice to my boro inspired cushion. Of course, I could have waited until the sun came out, but Willow has been eyeing the cushion covetously, so I had to take photographs before she gets her claws into it, and, quite literally reduces my work to scraps and rags. (Before you say that we should be stricter with her, Patrick and I try, but she is viciously defiant–we have the scars to prove it).

As you can see, the back is fairly plain. I've used part of a linen metis sheet, which is crisp and gloriously heavy, for the backing, and have added a band of very simple shashiko. I had plans for a hemp leaf design, but in the end thought this overcomplicated and at odds with the cushion top. I fully intend to try a more challenging shashiko project, possibly a drawstring purse of some kind, but at the moment I'm in love with straight lines, and how effective they are when used en masse.

For the fastenings, I've made I-cord from the same variegated cotton perle I used to embroider the cushion, and a few of my indigo dyed Dorset buttons.

I'm really happy with how my cushion turned out, and will make a few more, in the same style. Unfortunately, all the best bits of my indigo dyed fabrics have been used up, so I'll either have to buy some, or find somewhere with the facilities where I can make another batch. Alas, a gardenless flat just doesn't cut it.

Elizabeth,
x.

Into the Blue

Everything is blue, my Dorset buttons, some once brightly coloured little pegs. Even my fingers, and it's not just because it's so cold outside. Rather, it's because I've been on an indigo dyeing course, and unbeknown to me, there was a small hole in one of my rubber gloves.

The course was run by my old patchwork & quilting tutor, and it did not disappoint, although at times, it felt as if I had been transported back to school chemistry lessons. (It came as quite a surprise to discover that I'd be dealing with chemicals such as Caustic soda and Sodium Hydrosulphite!).

Of course, it is possible to indigo dye at home, but you do need decent facilities – preferably a dedicated utility area, with a large sink to rinse out the the excess dye, drying areas, and somewhere to store and mix the chemicals, but who really has that much spare space? Certainly not me, so a fully equipped art studio was the ideal environment to start, even though the real skill is in how artfully you twist, fold and tie the fabric, which can be done pretty much anywhere and then taken along to class.

My attempts at Shibori (twisting, stitching, folding, compressing and tying fabric) were mixed, but then I am a beginner. The patterns in the above three pictures were achieved by twisting silks and linens then  either stitching them into place, or binding them with jewellery wire. In some cases, beads were inserted in between the twists to create another barrier (or resist) to the dye.

The above image proves that more effort doesn't necessarily produce better results. I spent hours wrapping cocktail sticks in pieces of knotted string, thinking It would give me a repeated twiglet like pattern. Instead, all I got is this drippy, mottled sludge!

My attempts at folding fabric and placing objects between the layers to produce interesting effects, needs work too. You can – just about – see the impression of some Dorset buttons, in the above pic, but I really should have left the fabric to dry completely, and settle into crisp, sharp lines but impatience got the better of me. (When I look at this fabric, I can't help but think of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in their matching stone wash denim heyday).

Now, I just have to do something with my indigo dyed fabrics, but part of me is reluctant to cut into them, as even the less successful ones, feel so precious to me. I have a large patchwork cushion in mind. I'd like it to feature raw edges (almost as if you're looking at the reverse of the patchwork in places) and then build up layers of fabric in other areas. I also want to include Kantha stitching (or some very simple Shashiko, if I'm feeling brave) but perhaps I'm letting my ambition and imagination run away with me! This one definitely needs more thinking about before I pick up my rotary cutter.

Elizabeth,
x.

PS: I'm linking up with Nat at Made in Home, why not join in?