Success and Failure

Autumn squish time! Whee!

Ash Tree berries, Holly berries, two shades of mini petunia, zuchinni ivy (not the veg but an ornamental, blue hydrangea, asparagus leave (yes the veg, not the houseplant) and another grass I don't know the name of. All of these look so luscious. Ignore the yellow beans, that was dinner.

Sometimes I think I'm succeeding. I adore these blue hydrangeas.

I have been waiting with huge anticipation all summer for the blue hydrangeas to bloom. A friend gave me two flowers off her bush last week. I was so thrilled. We have had a terribly dry summer and I wasn't sure the hydrangeas would be up to it. But this lovely shrub was. Out came the rolling pin and for an experiment, some acrylic paper.

petunias

 Acrylic paper is the kind that is best for using acrylic paints on. It is not made up of acrylics. It is thick and takes lots of pin pricks well. A good candidate for stitching into. One big difference between this paper and fabric is that you have to use all your muscles to get a good squish going. The edge of the rolling pin is essential and the flowers move around willy nilly. Good, I love this kind of accident.

Asparagus frond before

After

 

Other times I know I've had a colossal fail.

The squishing on the fabric went as usual, but then..... Idiot me..... I soaked the fabric in vinegar to set the colours. WRONG. It should have been alum. I have lost ALL the colours in this fabric. I have been squishing for two summers and autumns and now my winter goal of stitching up these textiles is ruined. I feel sick.
The paper pieces are an experiment and I have no love for the process of stitching into heavy paper. I don't mind the lighter ones, I can iron on some interfacing on the back to support the stitching. Now what?

Wandering Path One - a finished Squish

In the header image you can see the beginnings of this piece. It sure has come a long way. This is my first fully embellished piece using the squishing of flowers, leaves and grasses as a starting point. It is not damped stretched yet, why... mostly because all sorts of spare time is being spent on spring chores. You know them, the ones that you don't want to do.

The flowers used here are primarily forsythia florets and pansy bits, with some grass thrown in. I tried to stay in the yellow orange range of threads, but looking closer, that didn't happen too much, did it. Blue, green, whites, laces, some peaches and purples. I am not that good at monochromatic, colours just creep in.

The upper right is a section of a torn neckline lace. The background cotton is very common, a basic muslin. I have decided to like the contrast of lace against common cotton, simply because the flowers adhere to the cotton better than other textiles. The silk I tried just looked ruined.

The far left side has a strip of lovely peach silk with pale threads running down it. One of the reasons I haven't damp stretch this is because I am trying to figure out if the wrinkles add or detract. It is meant to be a piece that evokes a friendly, casual wander through a garden path. The rough edges, the wrinkles and the signs of the embroidery hoop are part of ethos of not making it precious. Will I keep the edges rough, or is there an edge finish I should consider? I am also thinking of hanging this from one point only, so that it drapes, rather than hangs flat. On the other hand, does it just look sloppy?

This close up of the centre is the climax of the walk, a bit of lace, georgette, a hole to peak through (that's why I am not sure if I should drape this or not. How can you look through a hole if there is wall or backing behind it?)

Just above centre are a few more holes, a lovely spray of bluets, and some more lace.

This little corner is about the grass. I've used yellow greens to mimic the lines of the squished grasses and leave the splops of forsythia on show.

Different layers of bumps for texture, french knots and other stitches as you reach the end of the walk.

The beginning and perhaps the best part. It shows the grass, stains, bumps, stitching, holes and a wandering path. And I love the blue bits.

The centre again showing off the antique lace scraps.

And back to the upper left corner. The journey really begins at the bottom left, but who can resist another look at beautiful lace?

Another season of Squishing

The forsythia is in full bloom and that means.... get out the rolling pin, we're gonna squish things.

I have several cotton swatches from last year ready to go. I've pre-mordanted them with alum, dried and ironed them, because I have a notion that heat will fix the mordant more firmly. Not based on science, just a whim. Then the cat and I headed out and peeled a few branches off the forsythia and we added yellow to last year's work.

I love the scattering of grass that happened by accident last year, and have decided that every piece needs a few grass etchings. I have a lovely epimedium blooming at the same time as the forsythia and decided to experiment. That's what this is all about anyways. Tossing blooms hither and yither all summer and seeing what happens. The epimedium florets are very sweet. Four petals of a lovely red/pink with an interior petal of a creamy white. There are about 11 or more florets on each stem, which is very slender.

The plant shakes in the breeze rather than bends over, so it is always 'alive' with movement.

In this squish, using Forget me Not florets,  I decided to keep the florets on the stem and see what happened. The colours smeared into a diagonal swath . At first glance, disappointment, but,

once the squished matter is removed, a nice concentration that gives an energetic focus.These are two different swatches. I was inconsistent in my photo taking, no surprise.

The above is a paper piece that has a very fine rayon paper glued over the dried hydrangea leaves from last year. I've added some grass and forsythia on the top layer. Now I like this better. There is a blue flowering plant I don' t know the name of that I have to out after dark and steal from a neighbourhood store. Not very friendly folks, so stealth will be needed. Besides, I like the occasional thieving opportunity, keeps me sharp. I realize now that I've missed several events in this project that might interest you all, so you know what will happen next week. More of this.

This next picture has nothing to do with squishing, but it represents a huge success for me. It is a rough outline for a suggestion on how to re-organize our back door deck. It needs replacement and an ongoing 'discussion' are the dimensions. The back door now slams into the back of a chair, and it has to be continually moved to sit in the sun and avoid being hit by the door. Moving the deck has caused years of 'discussion' because it entails moving a very well built path to the basement door, woodpile and barbeque. There is a step down from the driveway to this path. The existing steps incorporate a huge concrete step that would kill us to move. I suggested a wooden path level with the driveway to the back area, with a ramp so the wheelbarrow and snow blower can more easily be moved up to the drive. Hauling 2 cords of wood every September down that step is murder on the arms and back. The sitting area can expand 2 feet one way and 4 feet the other. I sketched up my idea, not in proportion of course, and Well, guess what! Steve went for it. Naturally he had to get out the measuring tape and consider every angle, but for the first time in dozens of years, an idea of mine has been approved without days and days and days of 'discussion'. The best part..... it doesn't need ANY adjustments to meet Steve's approval. This page is going to be framed and hung over the bed.

On the Floor

For two years now I've been stitching and sewing, drawing and fooling around with paint. My goal was to develop a studio practice that was disciplined enough to work when I said I would. I used Karen Ruane's classes as a means to develop the discipline. Keeping up with her videos and the flicker groups helped me to stay honest.

This winter I have had this underlying anxiety "what's going on here" sort of thing. I have produced tons! of stuff and once finished tucked it away. Finally, curiosity drove me to pull out all my bits and pieces to consider.

My best considering method is to have everything on the floor and to walk among it all. Literally. Everything was laid out on the floor higgildy piggildy and I spent the morning looking and considering. I had to consider what I would consider about as well. Eventually, patterns began to emerge. So did some gut reactions. So did some decisions. And so did the conniption pile.

I hadn't planned to make thing that belonged together in a set, but that happened. The larger piece is two pillowcases cut open, reattached and overlayed. The two smaller pieces have the same treatment but are simpler. I have a blue cross-stitched chicken that might need to join this gang.

This pair were a trio at one point, but I was convinced to lay the lace piece over a very colourful piece. A lace veil has joined this pair. I am super unhappy with the blue piece. It works on many levels but technically it is the worst of all. This group will go on a vacation to the bottom of the pile and once it floats to top again, I will decide if I have the interest in redoing the blue or coming up with another response.

I also realized I had an aversion to a few pieces. One set is lovely to look at but leaves me cold. No reaction to them beyond meh. I'm not sure what it is about lovely that bores me silly.

I think they might be too orderly. Yet if the same fabrics, stitching treatments and construction orderliness were on a garment, such as a 1930's evening gown, I would adore it. Maybe there isn't enough romance in a small wall hanging? Maybe I have a lack of imagination, extrapolating out an exquisite gown out of an 18" square? This group went back into the box and I felt not a wrench, nor a pang.

The conniption pile eventually gave way to two piles. Those that I loved enough to continue working with and those that no longer interested me. The pile that no longer interested me was comprised of items that I had begun because the rhetoric is that an artist works in themes or sets or series. I like a series of three but only if it really makes a good unit. If I have to really squeeze my brain to figure out three treatments or find enough materials to make a set, then I'm working from my head instead of my heart. Head out...heart in.

The conniption pile that stays is comprised of work that still has intrigue for me. This small pile turns out to be a pile of pieces that are singles.

 

They don't have partners or groups. They work against the bulk of my work as 'punctuation marks.' Steve came up with that idea. If a piece stands on its own then that can be enough. A set of Ones.

The final group is the Squish group. I started this several summers ago, when I took a rolling pin and squished different flower petals between fabric and some colour came out.

I have since stitched on one of those pieces and love it. Right now I have a set using forsythia, a blue flower and grass and another set using hydrangea petals and rosehips. I am looking forward to a summer of more opportunistic squishing, then a winter of stitching.My short term goal is to photograph the good stuff and pull a small portfolio together. Power-up the lights.

Thief in the night

I put on my black cape (everyone should own one, along with their own tiara) and went out after dark. I walked in the shadows. Scissors in hand....I stole things from neighbour's gardens.

Yes, I am that thief, the one who cuts blooms off from the back of your flowering shrubs in the hopes you don't notice.

I feel a little guilty. In fact, I feel a lot guilty. But luckily all those yoga lessons are coming in handy; pay attention to the "Now". That was yesterday, this is the moment and tomorrow, who knows...I might need some more flowers.
Once home, I pulled out my stash of pre-mordanted with alum fabric and began the squish routine. This whole escapade began with the blue hydrangea.

It is such a beautiful color and I fell prey to lust. I had to have some.

I agree, I became a little greedy. I had to have the other two shades of blue/purples as well. For these squish projects, only a few petals are needed, not an entire shrub. Hydrangea flower heads have huge numbers of florets on them. I now have two heads drying in the cupboard. At any rate, only a few florets or petals are needed to squish.

Hydrangea petals and either a veronica or a hyssop bloom

The assumption is that as the seasons turn, petals from other plants will be layered over and around, creating a background to play with for stitching. Maybe in the previous post I didn't mention that the background fabric was made squishing pansy petals, grass and some veronica. I use a marble rolling pin and sometimes have to use the edge of the roller to get the petals to burst open.

The hydrangea left a nice blueish colour most of the time while the veronica or hyssop left a yellow smudge. The colour of the petal is not always an indicator of what the resulting colour will be.

I went back over it with a different hydrangea bloom, or rather, unopened blooms.

Now I love it.

I had some fun with a black/purple berry of some kind and some very small rose hips. I think these are from the Briar rose. These hips are from a neglected garden of an absentee landlord. I felt no guilt on this snipping.

But I love, love, love the results. Well, not really on the berries, these look like poop smears. I used two different types of cotton, the left is an undyed muslin and the right is a good grade white. The berries were fun to work with, they kept popping out from between the two layers, allowing me to rearrange the splodges as I went. The skins were a bugger to get off. I tried using a brush. This left more streaking that I kind of like.

The rosehips also tried to escape at every roll and squish. I should have left it as it is, because I adore it at this stage but I was sweating and having too much fun.

I added some berries and now, I'm uncertain if I love, love, love it. (I changed my mind in only two paragraphs by reviewing these photos) I am not planning to wash the previous fabrics, but I think i will wash this one. It was brighter before. Maybe I'll hunt for some more rosehips and fool around a bit to recapture that bright orange.

I saved the best colour for last and used a duponi silk. I had such dreams. The hydrangea that set me on this thieving spree and a silk, a match made in heaven.

Sigh. From delicate to dirty. But even as I write, an idea speeds through the brain pan. White stitches and a range of mauve threads, a few darks, pale greens and a bit of blue/mauves. Yes, I can rescue this one day.
It's a full moon tonight; no nocturnal adventures. I will search from more rosehips for a darker night. Soon it will be Hallowe'en and then in my cape, on that night, I will strike. (Not the kids or candy, but the rosehips) And blame it on the teenagers.

Floral mark making

I have an ongoing project to see what dyed colour I can get out of my garden. I have shown dyed wool before with forsythia, chives, and I forget what else. Last summer I planted woad to get blue, but it didn't take. It is growing this summer, so blue is in our future.

Three years ago, I started squishing flowers and leaves between folds of fabric. The first year I had some lobelia and small pansies. There were also a few rose leaves on the ground at the neighbours. I placed them between some unbleached muslin cotton and used a marble rolling pin on a hard surface. 

Goosh!

 

At the time, a lot of people were, and still are, wrapping fabric around earthen elements. Mud, bark, leaves, rusting things, and stones are popular. Not having anything to hand except oak leaves and a smattering of flowers in the garden, I thought I'd try seeing what dye stuffs came out of squished plant life. Also, having no patience for the time it takes for fabric to take on the stains from wrapping and waiting, squishing seemed to suit my personality better.
I didn't have this brainstorm until the end of the summer, so I had missed most of my floral opportunities.

2nd year with rose petals and lobelia stems.

The second year I managed to remember a few times and added a beige and white cotton to the experiment and a pure white cotton.

2nd year with cut up rose petals, lobelia stems and this years cherry flowers just squished.

This spring, actually last week, I took all three fabrics out and cut some blooms from the forsythia, the flowering crab and two dying yellow tulips. I had a Lady's mantle leaf and some accidental grass strands.

2nd year with this year's forsythia blossoms and its leaves

I have tried to keep a vague colour scheme on each background; purples and red, purples and yellow and yellows.
The addition of the grass bits, scattered by holding the grass about 10" above the fabric and snapping them out from between my fingers led to some lovely marks.

I am very happy with the green bits.

Once everything was squished, I was struck by how lovely they turned out. I expected I'd be squishing all summer, but I think each fabric is done as far as this step is concerned. 

Forsythia, lobelia, something purple from last year and grass.

beige-ish background with lobelia, grass, roses from last year and pansies.

I particularly like the lobelia, cherry flower and grass combination.

I iron the cloths with a very hot iron. They all need damp stretching to get the fold lines out. I have pulled out some more white and muslin and am going to see what else I can squish this summer. I missed roses last summer, and I'd like to see if I can get hold of a variety of dahlia petals. I wonder if I can sneak some from the Public Gardens Dahlia display? I might have to creep in after midnight. I could rent a Cat Woman outfit and buy that thing-a-ma-bob for seeing in the dark. The things we do for our art.

I am happy to get any ideas you may have on how to approach stitching these cloths.