Still loving mending Dad's blanket!

In Autumn 2019 I started a project using an old woollen blanket that belonged to my dear late Dad. I cut pieces from the blanket, dyed the pieces and some threads with plant dyes, and stitched, remembering times with my Dad. I completed a piece that Autumn and in winter 2020 to 2021 completed another piece.

I still haven’t mastered adding to my blog, I’ve been trying to make these photos smaller but have given up, for the moment anyway! The second photo is the stitching in progress, enjoying a winter evening with needle and thread, reminiscing.

Today, although it’s Summer solstice, it’s not warm in the garden, but I spent some time in my garden on my very comfortable garden bench remembering Dad, embellishing another piece of his blanket.

Last summer I’d dyed this piece with buddliea, ivy and a tad of iron water, which is a dye bath which gives one of my favourite greens.

Over the next few weeks I’ll sit out and stitch and complete this third piece, another Mending Dad’s Blanket piece.

I’m looking forward to showing these pieces late Summer in the exhibition Nature’s Hidden Beauty, Saturday 28th August to Saturday 4th September., at Cowslip Workshops, Launceston, Cornwall, PLJ 8JX.

The exhibition features the work of artists in the exhibiting group Natural Selection, nine artists from America, Sweden, Netherlands and United Kingdom, who use ecologically sustainable plant based printing and dyeing processes to colour cloth.

Thank you for looking. Wishing everyone well this Summer Solstice evening x

Remembering Dad

At the end of December I wrote about mending Dad’s blanket. Recently I completed the second piece, which I’ve stitched through this winter.

My Dad was lovely company, a listener and with a great sense of humour. In the last two years of his life I often sat with him, I usually knitted or stitched as we chatted and sometimes as he slept. He was such a positive and kind man, he would say to me as I stitched, time and time again “Lizzie aren’t you clever! Did you really make that, oh you are so clever”.. Due to his dementia he would repeat himself over and over, I didn’t mind at all!

I have thought of my lovely Dad and smiled so much as I’ve completed this piece. It’s just part of an old blanket of his, soon I’ll be dyeing and embellishing another piece of the old blanket, this time inspired by Spring.

Thank you River Jones for asking me about this piece and calling the work a form of memorial ritual.

Thank you for reading. Keep well everyone and enjoy this promising time of year x

Enjoying preserved leaves.

Several years ago I learnt from my friend Debbie how to preserve leaves, using the old technique of soaking them in vegetable glycerin. Since I started practicing this technique I’ve been pleased to learn that many older people used to preserve leaves this way, and I’ve enjoyed listening to women talking about the home decorations they used to make with leaves they gathered and preserved.

I’ve also enjoyed gathering leaves as I walk, and preserving them. The photo above is of some of my preserved leaves, not a photo of the forest floor!

They are beautifully supple, perfect for stitching into. I’ve started making a book, using some pages I’ve had sitting in my workroom for years and enjoying stitching with my plant dyed threads.

I also cut some leaves up and made some leaf patchworks, or are they more like puzzles? I wondered about making a quilt with leaves..

Thank you for looking! This activity just brings me joy, being creative with what I find and save. I was asked recently what I’ll do with them. I really don’t know! I feel engaged as I make these pieces, loving the shapes, colours and the feel of the leaves, and as always I enjoy stitching.

Sending love to all at this difficult time, hoping you’re safe and able to feel engaged at times with what brings you some happiness.

xxx

Mending Dad's blanket

One of the things I brought home from my late dear Dad’s home was an old woollen blanket. Pure wool and very well used, so perfect for colouring with plant dyes.

Last Autumn, in 2019, after dyeing it with ivy leaves, iron water and buddliea, which give a soft green, I stitched into it, darned it in places. As always I so enjoyed the calming rhythm of working with needle and thread, doodling, no plan, loving giving another life to a blanket that might have been discarded.

This November I decided to dye another piece of Dad’s blanket. It was late November, nearly all the Autumnal colours had gone, and this time of year I am very inspired by the greys, whites, blues and often pinks, of the moody sky.

I dyed a piece of the blanket with some iron water and spent logwood dye bath, I like the blue-greys this mixture can give.

(Sorry I’m not managing to downsize this photo!)

This next photo was taken just a few days ago, as I sat for hours in front of the fire, with my stitching. Embellishing Dad’s blanket.

A couple of people have asked me why stitch, especially as we haven’t been able to exhibit at all this year. I stitch because I so enjoy the process. It was very timely indeed when a few days a go I read a quote from Jude Hill, whose work and words I enjoy. “You don’t need a reason to stitch”.

Wishing everyone well, hoping you’re feeling calm and loved, as we continue to face a time of such uncertainty. Love xxx

Impermanence

Yesterday morning was a beautiful blue sky morning, and I took the opportunity of a free morning to go to Sneyd Woods, keen to see the trees now we’re in November, and to see how the art work we’d left there a week ago had changed with time and with the weather.

As always I loved the walk there, past fields of horses, into the woods, enjoying the glorious colours of the beech leaves.

The beech leaves are stunning, always beautiful, but this time of year they can be quite breathtaking, a joy to stand under the trees and look up to the sky.

The ivy branch, which had carried recent beautiful additions, had fallen. Maybe it wasn’t strong enough to hold the pieces we’d added. At first I felt disappointed, looked briefly to see whether I could fix it back up, but then I began to like its new shape. Remembering that there’s constant change in nature.

I went on down to the fallen beech trees, where I’ve enjoyed so many hours these last 6 months, since late March. The forestry commission have been here, with their power tools, it must have been last week.

The trunks and branches have been sawn up.

Initially I felt sad. But I sat for a while with the sawn trunks, hoping that people had passed by, stopped and enjoyed the words, hopefully inspired to rest and maybe reflect on the beautiful, peaceful beech trees that make this quiet place so special.

I wondered whether I could take a part of the sawn branches home, to have in my garden and work with. They are very heavy. I took just a couple of smaller branches with me.

I have enjoyed seeing how the colours of the text have changed over time, darkened.

I do think the folk with their power tools stopped and read some of my words, leaving some of them in tact. Not all of them, I don’t want to add the photo of it, but one of my favourite words had been sawn right through…

Most of Wendy’s beautiful bouquet had gone, as we’d expect, I enjoyed adding to it.

I left the woods feeling pleased I’d enjoyed so many hours in this special place, that both on my own and with friends we’d collaborated with these trees, had a bit of a project. And I have a lot of preserved beech leaves, hundreds in fact, and several bottles of beech leaf gin.

A creative Autumnal trip to Sneyd Woods with friends

Five of us set off on this beautiful morning to Sneyd Woods. Ray had been there before with me, but Carolyn, Louise and Wendy had seen some photos of some of my work there, but hadn’t visited it. The walk from the top of Cinderford is beautiful, past well loved horses, with fine views of the Cotswolds and Wales.

I thoroughly enjoyed observing them all add some work of their own.

The sun shone, we shared stories, and how lucky were we, as I arrived home and put the kettle on, the heavens opened!

Thank you Ray, Wendy, Carolyn and Louise for your great company and your art work in Sneyd Woods. More collaboration, it makes me happy, and hopeful xxx

Wendy gathered some leaves and grasses and made this rather lovely posy, found a crevice in the trunk to lodge it in.

Inspired by circular white spots in the beech trunks, Carolyn used the chalk to add more white spots.

Louise added some pieces she’d brought along to the line I’d made with some ivy branches.

Ray made a piece with grasses she gathered.

Carolyn had brought along some chalk and charcoal. Wendy made some marks into this trunk, enjoying the natural patterns.

Using charcoal, Carolyn enjoyed exaggerating the labia in this beech trunk.

Some of Louise’s lovely additions.

Using chalk I added some mark on this fallen trunk.

More Collaboration at Sneyd Wood

I went to Sneyd Wood with friend and textile artist Annie. She added a found piece of glass to the dead beech tree, snuggled up next to the piece left by Aileen a couple of weeks ago.

I was excited to see that very recently some folk are building another structure, quite near to where I’ve been working.

It’s being thoughtfully constructed.

I’d love to meet these people who are loving using natural materials in this beautiful beech grove.

I left a message. I wonder when they’ll find it.

Their work looks so beautiful in the early evening light. I’m so hoping I meet them some time.

Visiting Sneyd Wood with friends

Yesterday I went with some friends to the beautiful beech grove Sneyd Wood, where I’ve been doing some work.

Last week I spent some time carving some words into the trunks of fallen beech trees.

I wonder if anyone has noticed the work. I imagine it’s only being noticed by friends who know what I’m doing. The work is, in Jenny’s words, humble.

I was pleased that friends added some work.

Aileen brought a piece of crockery that she’d found in her garden, and lodged it into the trunk of the dead tree which I’ve been embellishing.

Jane made a tassel with found rope, she hung it from the line of ivy that I’d put up a few weeks ago, the line where I’ve been hanging stitched beech leaves.

Jenny made some small mounds with stones gathered in the grove, cairns I guess you’d call them.

What a treat to spend time with friends at the beautiful beech grove on this beautiful early September day, my birthday.

Collaborating at Sneyd Wood, Cinderford

This morning I walked to the beautiful beech grove Sneyd Wood with a fine friend, Jenny. I so love going to this special, quiet place with friends.

The stream of stitched beech leaves that I’d left had gone. They might have been taken by the wind, or by a passer by who saw their beauty. Either way feels fine by me, I do hope they’re being enjoyed if they were taken by someone.

I took along more streams of stitched beech leaves and attached them to the line I’d made with ivy.

I wrapped some thread round some of the stones at the edge of the path which leads to the spot where I’ve been working.

I’d wrapped a branch with plant dyed threads, and incorporated a leaf which I’d stitched into. I’ve found several of the leaves have spots which I think might be rust spots - I added to them with some French knots. If you know me you know I love French knots!

I love seeing the streams of stitched leaves hanging in the trees, in the grove that they came from, seeing the light shining through.

I hope the work blends in, I’m happy if passers by notice it, I’m happy if they don’t.

I am so happy that Jenny joined in. There’s one very young beech tree growing in the path. Jenny laid small stones and Autumnal coloured leaves around it.

A project in Sneyd Wood, Cinderford, the Forest of Dean

Since the beginning of lock down I’ve been feeling more grateful than ever to be living in the beautiful Forest of Dean. I have done a lot of walking, and taken the opportunity of having more time to explore a route which I’ve wanted to get to know for a while, the route from the top of Cinderford down to Soudley Ponds.

Leaving Cinderford I walk through fields of horses, to the East I look across to the Cotswolds and to the West I can see the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It always makes me happy to see horses living together.

Leaving the fields I walk on an old cobbled path. I imagine it was a route from Littledean, and Soudley too maybe, to Cinderford.

As I enter the woods I feel as if the trees are welcoming me. Their branches bend and meet each other.

As I walk into the woods on the route to Soudley, I come into a beautiful beech grove. I so love the beech tree. The light coming through their shining green leaves is a wonder of the woods. So many beech trees in this grove, of so many ages and sizes. I find myself walking more slowly as I walk through beech groves, often spontaneously closing my eyes and breathing more deeply.

I have been excited and intrigued to come across several structures in the wood, built using old branches. Since coming across them I’ve asked around and a friend said she thought they’d been put up by local Scouts, before the beginning of lock down. Most of them have stayed up well to weather. It does make me happy, to imagine a group of young people being creative out here in the woods.

They have also laid stones and fallen twigs and branches along the edges of the footpaths.

Here one of the footpaths leads down to some fallen, large beech trees. The roots of beech are shallow, and apparently they fall easily when there are strong winds. I imagine these trees fell recently, the leaves are very green and fresh, still alive on the fallen trees.

Since coming across this place in the woods, I have started to visit it regularly, so loving being with the beech, being in the green, quiet space, enjoying the evidence of the creativity of some young people.

I have decided I’d like to add to the space. I have taken some leaves from the fallen trees, which I am drying before I soak them in vegetable glycerine, an old technique of preserving leaves. I hope to do some work using them, and bring them back to this special place in the woods.

I have chosen a dead tree that I’d like to embellish. I have taken some plant dyed thread along and wrapped it round some of the ivy growing up the dead tree.

I added a few French knots to the dead tree.

I have more ideas of how I’d like to add to this special place. I would be happy if passers by came across what I was doing, and chose to add to it. I’d also be happy if my work went unnoticed!

I’m interested to see what will happen with time, how much the space will change with the weather, the passing of the seasons.

Since coming here In have learnt that the woods are known as Sneyd Wood. I am lucky to have been awarded a bursary by Canopy Creative Network. I hope to add to this project over the next few months.

Thank you for reading! Wishing you well in this very uncertain time.

The magical inner bark of Wych Elm

I was given some inner bark of the Wych Elm tree, by local artist, forager and guru Tom. There are a few Wych Elm trees in the forest but they get Dutch Elm disease and usually die at about 15 years old. Tom had foraged and stored some inner bark from dying trees, and offered me some.

The word wych means ‘pliant’ or ‘supple’ in old English, and was used for making bows in Wales. Tom told me that his son Jazz had used it to weave a chair seat 10 years ago, a chair that’s been sat on just about every day, and it’s still going strong. So I felt intrigued.

Here I am in my back garden with a long piece of the inner bark, enjoying making it bounce, enjoying the shadows. Though it bounces easily, it’s quite hard as well. Tom had suggested soaking it for several hours, which makes it very pliable.

So I soaked it, and wow it’s a beautiful material, pliable and strong, like leather. Using some garden twine that I kept from my dear late Dad’s shed 4 years ago, I enjoyed stitching some pieces together, It’s lovely to stitch into and I did a bit of a patchwork.

I felt quite excited about using this new material, it really is beautiful to work with. I went on to make a small household plant pot cover.

I need to learn the difference between an English elm and a Wych Elm. I’m hoping to find some in flower, apparently they have pretty purple flowers.

During this time of the world changing event that we’re all experiencing, more than ever I feel we need to use what we have, use what nature gives us. I feel very lucky, I have the beauty of the Forest of Dean at my doorstep.

Thank you for reading. Sending much love to all.

Using what comes our way!

I am lucky to be supporting the lovely Helen Parkinson, who teaches the course An Introduction to Willow Weaving at Cinderford Artspace. I’m slowly learning this beautiful craft, Helen’s work is gorgeous, and I love working with natural materials. I come home wondering whether I can make time to properly learn this craft myself.

I bring home bits of willow that are too small for people’s weaving projects and have been cut from the longer willow pieces for basket making. I am enjoying experimenting with ways of using pieces that would have gone to waste.

Sewing small woven pieces into one of my ideas books. I love the shadows cast in this photo.

This piece of willow was taken out of someone’s basket as it split in places and so has kept this rather lovely shape.. I added some interest by wrapping some plant dyed thread round a section of it.

Thank you for looking at my small experiments!

This tiny wisp so needed to be saved and loved. I found some card in the box of items to be recycled at Artspace, and made a small greetings card.

Plant Dyed Fabric and Thread

I am often asked if I sell plant dyed fabric and thread, and over the last few weeks have put together several packages and posted to folk..

Here’s a photo of the package I sent yesterday.

The cotton and wool fabrics are all recycled. The package includes some shibori and some plainer fabric. The threads are plant dyed raw silk threads. (If you’ve never stitched with raw silk threads, do try it, it’s a joy!)

The package costs £14 including p&p. Do be in touch if you’d like me to put a package together for you.

Thanks for looking and enjoy these early Spring days!

Indigo - The Queen of Dyes. A workshop with Caroline Bell

Here’s something to really look forward to! On 18th - 19th April Caroline Bell will be coming to run a two day workshop on the magical dye, Indigo.

We will be using 3 different recipes based on Michel Garcias 1-2-3 organic vats.

There will be recipes and methods for the 3 different vats – we will be managing, trouble shooting and reviving vats.

We will be using some basic shibori and other resist techniques for example flour paste resists.

We will be able to overdye unsatisfactory rust and eco prints.

We will be overdyeing with other natural dyes including some surprising and unexpected results!

We will be dyeing, on the whole to produce sample sized pieces. Huge meterage tends to kill the vat for several hours. Instruction is given regarding this so participants can continue at home.

The two day course will cost £110, and will be in Cinderford, the Forest of Dean.

Please be in touch with me at lizzie@lizziegoddentextiles.co.uk to enrol and for more information.

Knitting and Stitching Show

I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show in London in October. My main reason for going to these big shows is to meet artists and see their work. I wasn’t disappointed.

I met the artist Kate Whitehead. Kate loves to work with old items, treasuring what we have. Here is an old purse, dyed, mended beautifully with hand stitch.

This piece was a year long piece, at the end of nearly every day, Kate stitched into it, reflecting on the day. Beautiful simple stitch, telling a story, like a diary.

Kate’s show was serene and calming, I revisited it twice during the afternoon that I was there. The title was Tell the Truth, a statement that resonates with most of us at the moment, as we ask the governments to tell the truth about Climate Change.

I also met the talented, enthusiastic and energetic recent graduate Alex Vincent Turner.

Alex upcycles, stitches elaborately, plant dyes, draws with thread, and more. His upcycled shirts are quite exquisite.

He follows some artists who I also love, for example Alice Fox, Debbie Lyddon.

I really hope to see both these exciting artists again, was so pleased to spend time with them and their work.

When I go to big shows, for example The Festival of Quilts and The Knitting and Stitching Show, I could easily get upset about the amount of reels of new, synthetically dyed cotton, the amount of gunk that is for sale, the crammed isles of people spending money on gadgets and the like. I guess because of these stalls, it means that artists such as Kate and Alex can have space to show their work.

Printing with Natural Dye Extracts

Caroline Bell is running a 2 day workshop in printing with inks made from natural dye extracts at Cinderford Artspace, on 2nd and 3rd November.

She has so much to show us, I’m inspired and excited! Here’s an outline of the course -

Printing with Natural dyes

This is an introductory workshop examining the use of print paste with natural dye extracts in order to achieve a variety of effects using a range of print techniques onto fabric. We will cover preparation of fabric, mixing the print paste and how to add the dye extracts. Print methods will include the use of screens, thermofaxes, gelliplates, stencils and print blocks. If time permits we will also look at how to use the print paste with a mordant onto fabric and then overdye with a natural dye.

Here are some photos of some of Caroline’s prints and from previous workshops she’s run -

Wow you can see how much we’ll learn and be able to achieve!

The course will cost £90 for two days. A deposit of £20 is necessary to secure a place.

Please contact me on lizzie@lizziegoddentextiles.co.uk if you’d like to secure a place. Once you’ve enrolled, I’ll let you know what you need to bring with you for the workshop.

Using wood

When working with my partner in his garden recently, we took down some very old fence panels that were about to come down anyway. I was about to saw them up for kindling, since they do make excellent kindling, when I started looking closely at the marks, colours and textures in the wood. I kept a lot of them, and yesterday sawed some up, sanded them in places since some of the edges were very sharp, and treated them. I used an environmentally friendly wood preservative that I’d been given last year, I need to find out what the make is.

Using a very small drill bit I made some holes into the wood, and yesterday evening I did some stitching, using plant dyed silk threads.

Here’s a close up which I’m not managing to resize!

I love to use discarded items, add to their beauty with my stitching. I have a lot more pieces of fence panel waiting to be embellished. While sorting through them I enjoy seeing their natural marks and indentations.

Again, not managing to resize the photo!

In this piece I see a water bird, a crane probably, with an elegant long neck.

Introduction to Ecoprinting and Natural Dyeing

There are some places available on 2 workshops I’m running in July.

Enjoy the exciting process of using plants to dye and print onto fabric and paper. You will take away dyed and ecoprinted pieces of silk, cotton and cartridge paper. You will also have the opportunity to experiment with some shibori techniques and to dye stitched fabric with natural plant dyes.

On Saturday July 6th at Cinderford Artspace. Phone 01594 825111 for more details and to enrol.

On Wednesday 17th July at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester. Phone 01285 657181 for more details and to enrol.

Printing with tiles

Recently I rescued some water colour paper from the recycling bin at work, keen to use it as I know how well it can take plant dye.

The dye bath that I’ve been using for several weeks now is giving a beautiful green. It’s made up of a mixture of onion skins, ivy, iron water and some dandelion flowers.

I have a lot of old kitchen tiles, friends know I use them in my workshops and so I do get given a lot!

I enjoyed printing with the patterns on the underside of the tiles onto the rescued water colour paper.

Excuse the very grubby work table!

I’m looking forward to maybe stitching into these papers, and maybe making some small books. And I’m seeing lots of patterns now on the “wrong” sides of tiles!

Being-with, Making-with

Last week I had the great opportunity to go with my Friend Debbie Weaver to see this exhibition at Dartington Space Gallery.

The work of the four artists Nicky Cornwell, Karen Hawkins, Judith Israel and Jenny Thorburn was on show. Each artists’ work was unique and all their work sat so beautifully together.

“…. represent(ing) organic, gentle collaborations with nature, osmotic interactions between us and the context of this particular natural environment ( the Dartington estate)”.

Beautiful weaving by Judith Israel

(part of) Alluvial Alphabets by Nicky Cornwell

These photos just give an idea of some of the work displayed. The exhibition ends on Wednesday 1st May, if you’re able to get to see it, I highly recommend it.