Yvonne Stowell, artist and owner of FiberWorks Studio and Gallery, is a beloved and valued member of our fibre arts community, inspiring and mentoring us. She hosts exhibitions, workshops and spin-ins in the yurts of her Studio and Gallery. This summer the deck outside the yurts was brightened by planters filled with colourful dye plants. […]
Read MoreCategory: Dyeing
The Mushroom Seekers’ First Foray
On a rainy Monday in September, a small group of intrepid mushroom hunters ventured out to Chapman Creek watershed to see what we could find. As the morning rains subsided somewhat we convened in the parking lot, rain gear on and baskets ready for collecting our treasures. We ventured into the rainforest accompanied by Sukha, […]
Read MoreJapanese Indigo Dyeing Day at Merrily’s
Japanese Indigo Dyeing Day had arrived! On the evening of August 21, Lynda and I each clipped the leaves from our 2 plants which we had carefully nurtured all summer from seeds gathered the year before. These were placed in a covered glass jar. The next morning, on Merrily’s deck, with gentle breezes blowing off […]
Read MoreNatural Dye Workshop
In August five members of the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild had the opportunity to take a three day workshop on blockprinting, stenciling and resists with natural dyes with talented local artist Janna Maria Vallee. Janna Maria has degrees from Capilano College and Concordia and was home for the summer from New York where […]
Read MoreJuly Dyeing Party
This time of year our gardens are filled with beautiful flowers. On a sunny day in July five members of the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild gathered for a day of dyeing. We all brought contributions of flowers and foliage from our dye gardens. We had many activities going on. We added wool rovings, […]
Read MoreEco-printing Paper with Flowers
This time of year our gardens are filling with beautiful flowers. Blossoms can be layered with paper and steamed to make lovely greeting cards, tags, wrapping paper and gift baskets. There are a number of different ways to eco-print paper and this is a description of a steaming method I use. A variety of papers […]
Read MoreDyeing with Hydnellum aurantiacum
On March 31 we gathered for the third and final dyeing workshop with Ann Harmer (see two previous blog entries for the first two workshops). The mushroom featured was Hydnellum aurantiacum. Hydnellum (which has no common name) grows in the forest floor in moss and duff and in sun or shade. Its upper surface can […]
Read MoreDyeing with Lobster Mushrooms
On March 24 we gathered for Ann Harmer’s second mushroom dyeing workshop. This time the Lobster mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) was featured. (See the March 20 blog for the previous workshop.) The Lobster mushroom is a parasite on other mushrooms. Here on the Sunshine Coast its host is a white mushroom, Russula brevipes, found in older […]
Read MoreDyeing with Dyer’s Polypor
On March 17th some members of the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild gathered for the first in a series of three mushroom dyeing workshops given by Ann Harmer (Mushroom Annie). Ann has a wealth of knowledge and experience with our local mushrooms and their use for eating, dyeing and papermaking. She brought along two […]
Read MoreAnother Season of Japanese Indigo
(Last year the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild had a project growing and dyeing with Japanese indigo. (See “Sea Foam Blue” blog on October 5, 2013.) Some members did some further dyeing and obtained a darker blue using Spectralite in a technique described by Rebecca Burgess in her book “Harvesting Color”. This week at […]
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