imperial indigo

Window Pocket Weaving

2010-10-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is a small weaving I did to study linen, peacock feathers and double weave. In places where I wanted a feather, I made pockets by making two layers of fabric; in between the pockets is a plain weave with double the threads. It now hangs in my dining room window.

My first Hawaiian Quilt top...

2010-09-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw Hawaiian quilting, I knew I had to learn how! Those curvaceous, perfectly finished edges, all done by hand...mmmm! Finding books was no problem, but finding a teacher was another matter. I traveled to Oahu with a friend and took a drop in class at the Royal Palace in Honolulu. Hawaiian quilting is traditionally done in simple, high contrast colours, and I decided to stay true and work with off-white and shades of red. I started my first block in 2007 and finished the last one in 2009! It took me about 2.5 years of sporadic work to get these twelve blocks done, and every moment was bliss. They are 12" squares, and very portable, so most of the applique work was done outdoors, preferably at the beach (below is a close up and a picture of my first block, on the north shore of Oahu).

At art school, I researched the fascinating history of Hawaiian/Polynesian quilts. Missionaries brought ideas about patchwork to the islands, where women had been clothing their families with bark cloth for millennium. They decorated this bark cloth with organic patterns to reflect their magnificent landscape. Hawaiian women weren't too keen on patchwork patterns and techniques; unlike missionaries, they didn't have a cold season urging quick quilts! Their barkcloth patterns and missionary applique techniques gave glorious birth to the Hawaiian applique we know today, exquisitely turned under and stitched down at once!

I am pleased with the final quilt top, and look forward to getting it quilted...should take another 2.5 years ;)

time to get on it...

2010-09-25T11:21:00.001-07:00

After a long and amazing summer of marriage (on July 11th, to my beloved Patrick), travels and honeymoons (first to Gambier island, second to visit my sister's farm in California), I am needing to jump back on the creativity/productivity train! Most of my energy has gone towards life lately, and I am just now starting to feel grounded and like I can make art again.

In other news, I just started a new job, working in production for Pyrrha designs!
They make the most beautiful jewelry, and have a really fabulous staff! 10 ladies working in a heritage house in False Creek. I am feeling lucky, and glad glad glad to be working.

ps: tomorrow I will be with my dear friend Ana at Portobello West, basking in her handwoven goodness! She will be selling some amazing stuff, come check us out.

Here is a just one pic from our wedding, the fruits of all my (and Patrick's and my amazing spiritual community) creativity this summer! The photo was taken by my talented cousin Russ.
xxoo

Devore Dress: A Thousand are Thine Eyes, Yet Thou Hast No Eyes

2010-04-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Devore is a process that removes the cellulose portion of a blended fabric, sometimes known as "burn out". I don't usually go for chemical processes, but I adore Devore! The term comes from the french verb "to devour". I printed my goddess images on a rayon/silk blend with devore paste, and dyed the fabric with logwood. I then embroidered a pearl into each eye, to symbolize the omnipresence of the feminine on earth, and titled it "a thousand are thine eyes, yet thou has no eyes", one of my favorite Sikh verses. I lined the dress with silk, and covered buttons for the back. The whole process was difficult, I am a competent sewer, but I don't enjoy difficult construction. After working like a madwoman for days, I handed it in, and my beloved teacher disliked it. I was crushed! It was an exercise in being sure of my own work, and I learned a few things. Now that there has been a little time and space I can appreciate the difficulty of this project, and the intention behind it. It also fits me and looks crazy to wear!

Anthurium Quilt

2010-03-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is a king size quilt is meditation on hospitality and love. I made 4 different stencils of Anthurium, a Hawaiian flower and quilt motif. The flower looks like a heart and is symbolizes hospitality and openess. I was feeling quite exhausted by the end of last semester, and hoped that repeating this floral motif would help me be more energetic and loving. Technically speaking, the process was lengthy. I first dyed the fabric with indigo. Next, I sized the fabric with home made soy milk, to act as a bond for the indigo I was going to apply directly. I spent many happy hours stenciling away with a mixture of the same soymilk and indigo. For the borders, I used a dried flour paste to achieve a crackled look. Everything was steamed and sewn together. I have been hand quilting away since last year and still have a ways to go. Luckily, I tied it together in spots with silk thread...there is nothing like a quilt you can stitch on and sleep under at the same time!

Memorial Hairwork style 16 strand braid

2010-03-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is a small bracelet made from human hair. I apprenticed at Sattelite Salon years ago, and the salon I worked for gave me a long pony-tail of asian hair that was used for this project. This is the culmination of two years of research: there is very little info on how to actually make these braids. Luckily, my weaving teacher Ruth has a Kumihimo loom with our weaving supplies; a tall, circular Japanese loom that allows the weaver to braid with as many strands as they can handle. When working with this loom, and especially with hair, the weaver has to weight down both sides of the strands. In this work, I used about 80 strands of hair per strand of braid. I had to keep them wet the whole time; my hands were pruney by the time I was done. The resulting braid is lustrous and very strong. I LOVE Kumihimo braiding and would love to spend more time with this technique.

Wedding Shibori Quilt

2010-03-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is my largest quilt; kingsize and then some! It is another Amish Pattern, called Sun and Shadows.I dyed the fabrics using Japanese Shibori (precise tie-dye) techniques. I used mineral vat dyes and my beloved indigo for colours. I hand quilted this over 8 months, which was heaven on earth. My favorite thing to do is watch movies and stitch with my sweetheart at my side. I learned these techniques while I was falling in love with my now fiance, and we won't be putting it to use until we're married this July.

Jean Lurcat Tapestry

2010-03-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

I escaped Vancouver during the olympics, and stayed with lovely lady friends in Montreal, Kingston and Toronto. In TO I spent a fabulous day at the Textile Museum of Canada, who just happens to have an incredible Jean Lurcat tapestry in their permanent collection! As is obvious by the rather poor photo, I was pretty jazzed.

Tibetan Cloud Tapestry

2010-03-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

This is my first completed tapestry, a basic drawing of a Tibetan style cloud. Tapestry is very complex; every moment of weaving demands total attention. An experienced tapestry weaver can weave 1 square foot in about 40 hours...this little 8.5x11 took me nearly 40! And the whole process was bliss. We will be doing more tapestry at the end of the semester, thank goddess <3

Peacock Twill

2010-02-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

This was my first dyed and handwoven object. I chose the colours based on the peacock feather, one of the most regal beasts around. It was an overshot undulating twill...I really had no clue what I was doing at the time! My beloved read the pattern to me as I worked on a tiny table loom. He was tireless and helped me for hours! In ancient times, huge looms would have had a 'draw boy', who would sit above the loom and move the harnesses as the weaver sang the pattern...amazing! I have the cutest draw boy around, that's for sure. The finished product looks quite 1970's, and hangs in my living room most of the time.

"Incognito" Yardage

2010-02-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

This is my first designed yardage, done in all natural dyes. I took line drawings of women from an old costume design book, altered them slightly, and then drew a little picture of myself and snuck myself into the mix. I called it "incognito" because I have placed myself amongst all these ultra-graceful feminine figures...and no matter how hard I try, I have moments of extreme un-gracefullness.
I printed the figures with logwood, and hand painted the details with cochineal. After steaming, I dipped the yardage in mineral vat dyes, namely tannic acid and iron rust.

Curlytooth weaving...

2010-02-10T17:18:00.000-08:00

This is a weaving that would never end! I used a fancy computer loom at school; computer looms are handy, but don't make warping up 700+ threads of tiny bamboo any easier. It took me 2.5 full days to warp up. I wove a small piece, about 7 feet, and then decided that I should make good use of all my hardcore warping, and tie on a greater length. So, I added 18 more feet with the help of my mom. She was so great at tying knots...we had a fantastic day together at the loom. The loom gave me a lot of trouble, and finally finishing felt like triumph! Weaving this yardage was a huge learning experience, and I owe a lot to my weaving pals...Janna, Ana, Ruth, Nina and of course my moms. I took some pictures of it all together, which make it look quite dramatic. I will be giving a length of this to my beloved mom. She is the best!

My favourite quilt...

2010-02-09T20:27:00.001-08:00

This is a traditional Amish log cabin quilt, a project for my class in precision dyeing. I love the simplicity and beauty of Amish quilt blocks. I dyed raw silk noil with 16 combinations of acid dyes, mineral vat dyes and indigo. The colours are inspired by the photo you see here, taken at sunset on Savary Island. I love the sunrise and set colours of the west coast! And I love to dye.

Welcome!

2010-02-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my little blog! I am making my first post, which is no small feat. Currently, I am a textile art student at Capilano University. I love to weave, dye and especially make quilts. BIG ONES.

We are very busy up at Cap these days, and I just had a photoshoot with AV services on Monday! They have a fabulous photographer who just happens running the photo room. She helped A LOT and we took some amazing pics. This one is of a series of Goddess themed embroideries I did this past fall. I love to work with images of the divine feminine. Using my favourite hemp/cotton fabric, I dyed with indigo (the most miraculous dye), screened with logwood, and then embroidered with cotton thread (also dyed with logwood). I embroidered with gold thread, and added some amber beads (life blood of our forests) and pearls (moon dew).

The frames are plastic...cheap ones that I dyed with acetate nylon dyes! That was a bit of a trip out zone considering that all the other dyes were natural. I am lucky to have a well ventilated studio at school.

Above is a close up of the mother, one of my faves.

In the Goddess we trust...<3