moving on a bit

 after a lot of procrastination i finally tried out my oak and walnut extracts, i won't call them inks as i have not added the relevant ingredients 

i used some to reproduce some pavement patterning - using slightly diluted extracts as background, adding a thickener for the dots

then i used my print blocks to build up a background pattern with slightlly different dilutions, again with thickener

the blocks show some of the routes i have been walking - traced from a map shown here and mentioned in an earlier post

this time i kept the prints separate 

these will all be used as bases fo further stitching

in the meantime i have continued to collect and add stitch to found items

i have a particular soft spot for leaf skeletons, the network patterns fascinate me - i'd love to stitch these to some organza with gossamer silk ....... if i feel that i can do the skeletons justice.......?

another half leaf, with a repair at the point

and a combination of finds

i am beginning to think about ways of bring some of these elements together but am a fair way from attempting it yet

sampling

 

an image from a walk, converted to stitched textile (in progress) - threads and fabric from my stash of materials dyed with local plants

leaf stitching - not sure what the leaves are, they are really big and almost leathery, i added a bottle cap for scale 

- i don't think they are magnolia as those have no leaves left round here and the tree still had leaves hanging on - these were on the ground and picked up with the kind owner's permission - i dried them, lightly pressed between sheeets of acid-free paper, sadly most of the subtle colour and markings merged to brown - but they are a great surface for stitch 

routes for my walks - to be converted into stamps and used to build up patterns with the inks i am making 

inks: walnut husks from garden behind EG meeting place - oak galls from our oak tree - both macerated for years, concentrated beside our stove

a digital version of potential patterns

found during a walk - now cleaned and ready for embellishment with dyed yarns

tracks and marks observed

i need practice with capturing the textures in mud, probably need to use a lower angle, but it gets mucky!

screws seem to catch my eye

i visualise this in shades of walnut and oak inks with some stitched detail

collecting thoughts 3 - principles

11TH Dec 2020 - listening to the other group members today helped me to distill my guidelines which remained vague even after a couple of weeks of reflection

explore - 

• the routes i currently walk, several of which are new to me, others more familiar, all offer different potential for collecting

collect - 

• occasional natural resources and found objects
• images, textures, impressions, observations

record and express - 

• on paper, where & when relevant
• later on fabric with my dyed yarns
• digitally here and as photos 

materials: mostly what i have in stock already with some additional collected materials from my walks - use ecodyed fabrics and yarns from my stash - these draw on earlier learning and experience and form the foundation on which this project is based - they come from the place i have occupied for the past many years

 work towards making a variety of useful items which express and reflect "my place"  through the materials and imagery used -  until recently my environment has mostly been indoors in my home and the garden - so exploring my local enviroment and getting out of the house independently on a regular basis represents a new beginning for me - i want to use this course as a way towards recording it in a tangible way, sometimes as objects i can hold and use