passionately | exploring | dyeing | silk

They have names like :

Firebird
Blue Bayou
Beautiful Dreamer
Burnished Wine
Madame Bleu
Monet’s Garden
Blushing Silver
Baby, I’m blushing
Golden Pond
Slash
Dream Catcher
Crushed Orchid
Moroccan Stripes
Scarlet Runner
Out of the blue …

Just when I thought I had everything under control, the blog/website decides to go on the fritz. So sorry for the very bland new look. It’s a bandaid until I can sit still long enough to figure out what’s going on.

Yes, I am. Frenzied, that is. If I’ve been a bad, quiet blogger, that’s why. It’s not just because it’s the middle of a very long winter that takes its toll on my energy levels either.

Twice a year I go through this. Dye every piece of silk I possibly can so my local dancers can get their pick of the crop. Try out new things, pull out some old but loved techniques. Run the gamut of every colour scheme possibly imaginable. By the time I hang every thing on the rack ready to go, I’ve bewildered myself with the available selection.

Last weekend, I had an attack of the oranges. Orange makes me happy. It’s not a colour that people first think of, but when you see it splayed out in an interesting combination on a fine piece of silk it can be more than a little glorious. In costuming, it goes through phases; a couple of years ago I spent 3 months solid dyeing nothing but custom veils that were orange based. I didn’t like orange for a long while after that. I do very little custom work now so I don’t get caught stuck inside the box. The whims of fashion can be creativity killers.

So yes, I love orange, and I love mandalas too though I haven’t made very many veils in this technique for a long while it seems. I only made a couple so far, but damn … I’m good at it! I needed a reminder it seems. Somebody on eBay started selling mandala veils and the like a few years back for a disgraceful pitance, so that pushed my interest away from this technique. A shame really. There should be more of these beauties gracing the stage. Done well, they look like stained glass rose windows; quite stunning really.

Anyhow, to make a long story short, if you’re wondering why the blog nor the for sale page are being updated right now with the new pieces : it’s because I’m busy making and hording. For those of you in the region, do please come and see me Sunday, February 22nd at the Ottawa Dancer’s Bazaar. There’s lots of other vendors and artisans too presenting their wares for your sparkly shopping delight. Just follow the “events” link in the navigation bar for the where and when details.

Up for your consideration is this simple little beauty, but a woman must have a little girlish fun sometimes!

I shouldn’t say it’s that simple; just you try keeping all that red dye from staining the rest of the background. Not as easy as it looks. At least this time, the background is pink, not white. There was a lesson to be learned in there somewhere during my first attempt. It turned out well, but was a hair-pulling experience.

And why may you ask this I dye this? I am SO NOT a pastel person. In fact everything else I dyed yesterday is totally electric. I suppose I did so because it needed to be done and … because I can!

So where is the rest of the new stuff? I’m hording the new stuff off-line for my local peeps till the end of February. At least, that’s what I’m trying to do.

My Funny Valentine is for sale now. See the for sale page.

I brunched, I napped, I procrastinated and I made this instead of whatever I should have.

I don’t think this one is going anywhere out of my sight any time soon. I don’t feel so bad about not having worked my butt off instead.