Having a Blast with Tanins and Rust! by Maggie Weiss

Last fall I scoured Chicago scrap yards for rusty or rust-able metal in the weeks preceding the start of my Rust, Tannins and Indigo class at Maiwa School of Textiles. Friends donated rusty objects and I even found a nearby source of scrap non-galvanized steel sheetings sold by the pound that helped me with my homework! Some family health issues sprang up so things have been delayed a bit. I've managed to complete all class work related to Rusts and Tannins. I will tackle the natural Indigo portion in March in which we'll be asked to overdye many of the peices from this portion of the class. The instruction was thorough and well presented and the Facebook sharing with classmates was informative and fun. The  beautifully subtle colors and the steam punk style textures have been mesmerizing. Highly recommended!

Here are some terrific samples from the junkyard that were too big and heavy to take home.

I did manage to buy one of the nicely rusted barrel lids. Later in the back yard of an antique store I found this rusted ceiling tile which I couldn't resist: 

My cousin lent me some found objects to sample: 

Gathered metal components washed and ready to use.

Projects included using non-rusted metals laid upon on treated cloth which yielded some great patterns and coloring. This was the first step on a large cotton shawl, which is very long and was folded over. It will be included in more processing.

Simply lying treated fabric on rusted surfaces produced terrific results as well, such as with the ceiling tiles...

...and perforated metals. Notice here that there are two distinct textures. The darker piece below is the side of the cloth that was facing the metal and holding moisture longer. The clear outlined image is the other side of the fabric that appears to have dried faster leaving less time for the rust to color it. Love that definition and resemblance to beehives!

Bundling objects came next, which involved rolling bits and bobs up in the cloth or wrapping cloth around larger rusty items. This first sample group is Pima cotton layered with scrap metal sprinkled in each layer and then all rolled up together. Really nice rust color and crazy fun texture!

Linen wrapped around a flat metal plate; resembling my very own Shroud of Turin.

Silk organza (1) and charmeuse (2 & 3) bundled with found objects from the junk yard, washers and metal components.

Next came the addition of Tannins in the dye bath. We used Black Tea, Pomegranate and Myrobalan, the last two products having been provided in the class kit from Maiwa. When Black tea combines with ferrous oxide in the rust it produces a very dark grey, almost black color as well as many intermediary tones and hues. The Myrobalan has a more pink cast to the grey and the Pomegranate produces a pale grey. The very dark spots on the pieces below are where rust on the peices turned black from exposure to the tanins in the tea bath.

These two samples were scrunched in a ball and held together with rubber bands, then submerged in the dye bath. Look closely and you can see that this first piece is the other side of the more saturated ceiling tile piece shown above. This is the dryer side of the fabric and the outlines are more delicate and detailed. Great info going forward and something to make a note of in the dye journal that comes with class. Both of these were scrunched before being set in the tea bath.

Metal components that had been a deep rusty color turned black in the Black Tea Bath. You can see the light circles from the rubber bands that were used as resists on this cotton bandana. 

The Ferrous Oxide Tea baths using rusted washers and other scraps gave possibly the best combination of textures and colors:

Silk charmeause covered withrusty metals and then folded and clamped.

                                                        Silk charmeuse folded and wrapped.

Silk Habotai folded and clamped

Rayon Jacquard folded and clamped

Pima Cotton folded and clamped with poker chips and acrylic circles.

Lastly for these modules we dyed clean fabric in several compounds for more striking results. 

Rayon Jacquard folded and clamped

More Rayon Jacquard, folded clamped w/wooden squares

Cotton Linen weave (2 pcs) with resist clamping and set in different tannins.

Silk Habotai folded and clamped for resist

Silk Organza poker chip resist

Rayon acrylic cut out resist

Silk Organza folded resist with poker chips

It's wonderful working with ingredients that only occasionally require face masks and are not toxic to my skin. My hands have still looked gnarly by the end of the day but they eventually came clean. It felt good using Natural Dyes and it's also a healthier option. I'm grateful for learning about these classes from my fellow ACN members and so glad I've been able to dive in! Now it's on to the natural Indigo modules!

    

New work inspired by a traditional Log Cabin quilt. by Judy Langille

Inspiration for new work.

Bits and pieces of hand-painted organza using natural dyes.

These transparent squares are pinned on the design wall, 

while I contemplate the final design.

 

Thread Confessions by Lynda Williamson

 Dear Gentle Reader,

 Just how much and how many different types of thread constitutes too many and that maybe you have a problem? I tell myself that it is important to have a variety of threads because I work with so many different types of fabric and techniques. I NEED to have wool, linen, cotton, silk, chenille, rayon and mylar threads all in solid and variegated combinations for both machine and hand work. Not to be forgotten, but threads come in different weights. Maybe I will need a #3 or #5 or #8 or #12 or #50 or #60, #100 weight of thread so I should buy one of each. Right? 

                                                     A plethora of threads.

Keep in mind the photos I am about to share with you are a mere glimpse into my thread mania (I wouldn't want to overwhelm you). All threads shown have been evaluated and deemed necessary to the stash. Those deemed unworthy have been moved on.

                                    

Assorted machine embroidery threads

                                                        Linen threads

What if I NEED a textured or metallic thread, better to have those handy as well

Assorted metallic threads

 And of course if I'm dyeing fabric I should probably dye thread to match in different weights. And since the dye is already out I should probably dye in colours that might work for future projects I will dream up. And since I love colour I should probably do a few variegated skeins because they are just fun and they might be just the one combination that is perfect for that yet to be thought of masterpiece. And maybe I have a friend that might need a certain colour so I should probably dye two of each combination just incase. And I should probably do the entire colour wheel of each weight of thread. You can see it is a slippery slope to owning a mountain of thread. And then how do you store said mountain of thread. It is a conundrum.

 Cotton, linen, silk and rayon threads waiting to be dyed.

 Just a glance at the red thread hand dyed assortment 

A mere sampling of hand dyed threads - cotton, silk and rayon in various weights

Every project dictates what it desires if you listen hard enough and I want to make sure I have the right thread in the stash when the project speaks. Right now I need to decide which part of the colour wheel is lacking in the thread assortment. I have the threads ready to dye so.....

So, I believe I do not have too many threads, I just have a vast assortment. Wouldn't you agree?

Remember This Day by Mary Ann Nailos

Remember This Day, 63'' W x 28''H

Have you ever had a day that you remember everything in vivid detail? Sometimes they are momentous occasions like weddings, graduations or funerals. Then there are some that begin as rather ordinary but turn out to be extraordinary. A time when you are truly living in the moment, when you can recall what the air smelled like, the call of birds and the crunch of snow beneath your boots.

My piece Remember This Day tries to capture just such a day. I was home to help my mother after her recent operation and had made plans to go for a walk with a friend from high school. We hadn't been really close, but she had always been one of the most authentic people I have ever known. She had metastatic breast cancer but today was a good day. It was November in the Northeast, so it was cold and snowy, but we walked and talked, the past and present blurring.She wore a red hat, and I wore a purple jacket. We laughed a lot. As time wore on, we got colder but neither of us was ready to go home. I got a call two months later that my friend had died.

I have thought about this day a lot because I was sad and missing my friend but happy that we were able to spend that day together. I wrote this haiku in response to it:

Snow falls on our heads,

We tell each other stories,

Remember this day.

The idea for the piece had been rolling around in my head for a long time. I knew I wanted to incorporate the haiku but had trouble working out the rest of the piece. 

 I used a washable glue resist and acrylic paint to print the haiku on the background.

I did an exercise of sketching on a roll of painted and stitched cloth that I learned from Shelley Rhodes in a Stitch Club workshop on textileartist.org. That formed the basis of the piece. While taking a walk with the roll of cloth and a pencil and pen I would stop at intervals and sketch what I saw in front of me.

 I kept the palette subdued to give the November vibe, the only real pops of color the lines of red and purple to represent our walking. Little snippets of our conversations were stamped along the roll of fabric. I added a lot of hand stitching which allowed me to sit with the piece and contemplate my feelings as the work progressed.

I am pleased that this piece was accepted into Blurred Boundaries because it is deeply personal, and I think it successfully captures the day for me.