Monday, April 12, 2010

reuse, repurpose, recycle, harvest

these "shibori" scraps are actually gussets from two pair of old gramicci cotton climbing pants. and here's the small coptic bound blank book i made from the "shibori" waistline of one pair. 
pages of mohawk superfine. linen threads, davy board. about 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
outdoors: 

bloodroot, puccoon, sanguinaria canadensis 
freshly broken and "bleeding"
freshly washed and waiting for action

waiting. this is actually quite a modest harvest. i have a hard time digging up this beautiful plant. perhaps because i know that this will kill the plant. i know better, if there is some rhizome left underground, it may regenerate.

i haven't got much energy at the end of this day, after yoga and walking wendy. we did see louise and family out back this evening. 
naturally dyed lokta and kozo, rust, black raspberry, and indigo on shifu (cotton and lokta) textile. i will try bloodroot on some spun paper, as well as cloth.
while this kind of inspiration is kicking around in my imagination. vellum books in arabic, in a leather case. from the inspirational gary frost's future of the book site

11 comments:

  1. I recently read a book called Bloodroot...and it stirred my imagination re: this color derived from the root of a pure white flower. Lovely to see your photographs. Are you having a shifu making workshop this year?

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  2. I look forward to seeing what your bloodroot dye job looks like. I don't know if I could ever pull mine. Is yours wild or cultivated? I have never seen it in the wild and am quite curious.

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  3. well, it seems like your bloodroot expedition was a success! The natural dye colours look so soft and lovely on the spun paper. Love the denim too!

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  4. I have really enjoyed your blog...thanks Velma

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  5. I've often looked for bloodroot to grow in my garden but have never been able to find it. Love the little book!

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  6. love that coptic spine.and the little vellum book too.

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  7. have you tried slicing that root and making ecoprints with it?

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  8. woo-hoo, india, i hadn't, but i will now!!!

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  9. That waistline shibori is good :)
    I don't know the plant only from Rita Buchanan's description in Weaver's Garden - it gave her a bad reaction. I'm very curious how it dyes but worried about you!

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  10. i've worked with it before-rita dyed fleece and carded it-the dry matter is what got to her. i'm using it in a more "liquid" state, therefore avoiding airborne pigment/allergens. at least that's how it's worked for me before. (though i wouldn't repeat her procedure) she knows her stuff.

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  11. The waste line is fantastic! I'm curious about the blood root too...how it turns out.

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