Sundancers, Wild Women and DreamWeavers

Dyeing for Color

I made my daily trek to In a minute ago, in her new index of textile related weblogs, I came across a new blog: Dyeing to Color. It's composed of wonderful links, great articles, resoureces, and information on all facets of dyeing. Give this energetic woman a visit and comment.

My experiments with dyeing have so far been limited... another thing on my proverbial list of things to get back to! I did natural dyeing many years ago in New Mexico. The wool yarns left from those days have mellowed to lovely colors - they're now about 25 years old. Another thing I have been pleased with is overdyeing a batch of odd yarns and fabrics to get a dyepot of nicely related colors.

Other Textiles Weblogs

Just a quick note today... It's springtime in Pueblo and, for a change, the wind isn't blowing (small miracle)! Thought I'd show off a bit of Pueblo's unique culture and art. This part of the Flood Wall by local potters, Ken and Judy Williams, in partnership with a local brickmaking company. Ken and Judy have several public sculptures in town. This one is located on Historic Arkansas Riverwalk

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Today's great link: Sharon b's textiles blog In a Minute Ago, has compiled a list of textile weblogs. These are now categorized into easy-to-find, cross-indexed groups. Why reinvent a great wheel? Go check out Sharon's extensive list!

While you're there, also see Sharon's newly posted 5 photo albums! These are a super addition!

Sharon b, artist - embroidery meets computer

Sharon Boggins is a remarkable, prolific fiberartist in Canberra, Austraila. Her contributions to the world of textile arts and textile arts on the internet are both impressive and important. A tour of her sites will take more than one afternoon of complete self-indulgence... and return trips to savor her artisty. The image above is entitled "Digits Count" from a series she did on the importance of handwork.

Sharon b's personal site holds an archive of her  5 major exhibitions studying "the connections between digital technology and textiles".   She combines computer and embroidery into works that are warm, personal, & beautiful. The detail shots are exquisite.

Each of the 5 exhibitions present her theme in a different way. Her "Shareware Project" and "Playing False" utilize objects from people on the internet. The result is very like a "www.friendship crazy quilt", stitching together very personal "patches" of people who are, otherwise, merely a visitor or homepage design.

In a minute ago is Sharon's weblog. It focuses on contemporary and historical textiles, embroidery, fiber and paper arts, networked art, and textile practice. Sharon b's online Collection of Stitches for Hand Embroidery is thorough, crossed referenced and beautifully illustrated by her own hand.

Her influence encourageded me to begin my this weblog after featuring my stitchery in her weblog here. Be sure to visit Sharon's Links, a huge resource.

Break an old Gestalt today

I find myself returning again and again to danny gregory's weblog Everyday Matters. It makes me chuckle in the most unladylike fashion, and, even worse, muse for 15 minutes and think.

I get all too comfortable with a theme, techniques that I know work, colors I like, using them over and over. "Like" is fine, but at some point, my "likes" become walls. How comfy and safe! It's time to break a few of my Gestalts - those patterns of perceiving that have become so automatic that I really don't see creatively at all.

Everyday Matters nudges me gently to get on with it. I haven't discovered all the fabulous fabrics, threads, colors of the world yet. Yesterday, after reading February 22 - "Counting Blessings", I went on a small journey of discovery to hardware and craft shop, and came home with a fistful of new toys! Pencils that change color, interesting bits of paper & materials to actually start that experimental ideas journel I've been going to start for years.