THE SMELLS

I held out for 5 days before opening my bundles (see my previous post) the colours were great ... but the patterns were amazing. I took to the iron...that's the best way to really see all the patterns and colours....It isn't because I want the scarf to be smooth...just think I see more and the SMELL is terrific.....gum leaves ....WOW














this is a piece of old silk from a dress I found in an opp shop....
now what to make of it .....perhaps a book cover


 this is the 40% silk & 60% woollen scarf I wrapped around my brass jug with some leaves






















This one is metals and some onion skins on silk, so rich.















this is a very large silk wrap...it is very fine and soft. I spent 2 hours pleating it and putting leaves in each pleat.....twisted it and wrapped it around some iron....I have achieved this pattern a couple of times now and I love it.
















some more pleats this time on a fine tissue silk....I love how the binding looks like feathers
















love to see these knitted up

ADDICTIVE DYES

tHIS Dye stuff is soooo addictive....... I plot what I will put in a bundle, wrap it with care and then boil it as gently as possible Then I have to wait.....the waiting is hard. I only lasted 2 days with these bundles and I was going to open 1 each day, I didn't . Like sherbert bombs......I just had to have another.....and another.......until they were all open This one had an old brass tap head inside .....you can see the little flash of green My little mate loved his new coat...it matches his pearls.....everyone laughs at his pearls....but I love him sitting on my back verandah watching our lives wizz past... This piece of silk was quite pretty , it is tissue silk .....the red onions and brass tap worked well. I love my old taps they are so heavy and they are great to bind.

I think we would all rather be playing but sometimes the work just has to be done. This is a favourite spot on our farm. Our neighbour fenced this little square off and let the gum trees self seed.....now we own the paddock and have our yards beside it. You can't see a house or a road or anyone from here ....it is just magic and a fantastic place for lunch when you're working. And I get to play with my pots with the fire....koala food Ed calls it I found this pot in an opp shop and I've been waiting to wrap it up for a while... I've wrapped the pot with some gum leaves and a scarf that is 40% wool and 60% silk......the other little bundles are various bits of metal and some silk and wool to wrap them up....I love to use the woollen threads in embroideries....and as gifts for stitching friends. I pleated a big silk wrap and then popped leaves in each pleat......I twisted it and wrapped it around railway spikes and placed it all INSIDE the brass pot. NOW you will have to wait with me to see what magic comes from 'Reg's Corner' and my latest boil up.......

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE THE MAGIC

It has taken me 5 days to sort out some issues with my Blog, so I have only just put last Fridays post up

Now I can show you the results of my Natural dye bundles I boiled last friday night

It is so wet here now It rained all day....I got across to the paddock and picked up my pots.

It was fantastic fun unravelling my bundles to see the COLOURS.....

I added some beetroot from my garden to one pot

it gave a pink hue to the fabric

I always love the peppermint gum...it gives such a strong orange

A WINTERS DAY

Last week we had such nice winters days...sunny but crisp I enjoyed working outside marking our lambs....standing at the fire at lunch time with my pea and ham soup, I wished I had bundles bubbling along in my dye pots. So thats what I did on Friday night... after work I checked out the garden I found this , I can't possibly boil that....but there was an older flower on its way to the ground and I wonder what this will do ........So I headed to my little camp fire in the paddock... picked up sticks and boiled pots . The dark crept up on me and before I realized it I was surrounded by 40, two year old steers. They had formed a circle, just on the edge of the light of the fire.....they were watching the crazy human boiling things and playing with fire. These cattle are so inquisitive....and they love the coals of a fire. I drove off leaving my pots to simmer and grow cold in the dark. It is now Monday night and I'm busting to go down the paddock and check out my bundles. I'm sure the 'BOYS' will have sniffed and stood on the pots, turning them upside down in the dirt. lets hope I find lots of colour.....