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