Already 2 months into the year???

 Hi everyone, I haven't been around much this year, I have been a little bit of a blogging break, but I am still here. Everything is ok, other than a couple of family issues. All of which will be resolved in time. 

In regional Western Australia, my family on the south coast, and in the wheatbelt were both impacted by massive bushfires. Thankfully neither of them lost any of their property or stock, although the fires werre very close, and thousands of hectares of agriculture and bushland were burnt and stock lost. 

How are you all doing? I hope you have been staying safe from Covid. Western Australia has been kept relatively safe for the last two years, but with our internal and international borders opening at the end of this week, case numbers are already rising. Even though I am fully vaxed I am fearful and hesitant to be out and about much. 

Did you watch the Winter Olympics? We don't have much snow in Australia so we really enjoyed watching the fast sports of the Winter Olympics. What they do is amazing. Australia won 4 medals, their highest number in a winter Olympics. I am looking forward to watching some of the Para Winter Olympics. 

Anyway a little run down of my year so far.  

In January we went down to Albany on our south coast so that I could attend a three day summer school - advanced botanical eco-printing with Penny Jewell. There was a lovely group of ladies, and I learnt lots and came home with a few upcycled cotton tops I printed during the class. 

We enjoyed our few days in Albany (though my dear husband had to amuse himself for 3 days - he took his bike and fishing gear), we went walking along a coastal path every morning or evening, saw some beautiful sunsets, had dinner down at the Albany waterfront, bought some art materials in a super art warehouse, and also went over to Denmark to visit my dear elderly aunt and had lunch at the Tea House Books cafe in Denmark, saw a couple of art exhibitions, and the opportunity to walk brielfy in the tall karri forest. 

On the way back from Albany we stopped in to see the giant 8.5 metre tall aluminium cricket bat and the cricket bat fence at the cricket ground of the small town of Narrikup (just off the Albany Highway), which we had heard about on the radio on our trip down. The new giant cricket bat has just been unvieled, replacing the old one, and they are looking for donations of old cricket bats to complete their fence. Please click on the link to find out how! Narrikup Cricket Club

26 January was Australia Day. We traditionally go into town to see the fireworks but this year, wanting to avoid the crowds, we decided to view them from across the other side of Koombana Bay. We were a little bit far away, but still enjoyed them and I managed to get some pics. 

Early in February we were on-water boat control at the Forza Dragon Boat regatta in Bunbury, and also witnessed the naming of two new boats. Our family has been involved in dragon boating in Bunbury since 1990.

Over the summer we have witnessed some amazing sunsets as we walk along the Leschencult Inlet in the evening. We have also enjoyed catching up with family and friends over the summer. And my husband took me out to breakfast on Valentine's Day. 

This sunset taken on 17 February was evidently the result of voltanic ash from Tonga circling the globe. It was certainly a strange erie glow. 

I also made grape tomato chutney and grape jam in February from the grapes on our one backyard vine. What! no photos!!

And took photos of our principals Nicole and Susanna from Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company at the South West Multicultural Festival.  They truly are beautiful dancers.

I had a mini indigo workshop with my friend Amy. It really is a complicated method to get the vat ready - though perhaps could be because I have never done it before. I tied these hemp/cotton squares with string to create these patterns. 

I am now getting botanical contact-print pieces ready for the Tree Street Art Safari in the park in March which has been moved to Forrest Park in Bunbury for this year. Though I think I will decide closer to the date, depending on Covid numbers. 

How has your year started? I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. Our friend is currently having chemotherapy and my brother-in-law's wife passed away in January. I thoughts are constantly with them. 

On our Eastern seaboard, floods are rushing through Queensland and New South Wales. Homes and lives have been lost as the rain continues to fall. 

I cry for what is happening to Ukraine families at the moment with the advance of Russian troupes into their towns and villages. I saw a young girl, maybe in her 20s, on the TV tonight learning to use a gun, and families fleeing on foot across the border, mothers carrying babies, children crying because their fathers are staying behind to fight. Surely there should be a diplomatic solution. Even though we are far away I worry about what it means for the rest of us. 

I realise I have much to be thankful for in my little corner of Western Australia. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Please stay safe and whatever you are doing, enjoy your week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Flooded gum blossom

Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Eco-dyeing - a magical absorbing art!

Who would have thought that playing around with leaves on bits of cloth and paper was so addictive? I guess thousands of people around the world would agree if you can go by the number of people who enjoy the art of eco-dyeing and printing. 

The first time I tried this art was at a summer school workshop  in January 2016 at the Stirling Street Art Centre with Jane Flower from Folios and Fibre. I loved it from that very moment, but in truth it took me about a year before I actually started to experiment at home. 

Since then I have played, experimented, read, researched, done a couple of workshops, joined a couple of groups on Facebook, learned, and generally had fun. It is an absorbing and addictive art! I love the serendipity of it - there is only so much control you have over the final product.  You can choose and place the leaves, you can bundle them up, you can simmer or steam them, but in the end it is the dye pot, the heat and the leaves that make the magic. You never know exactly what you are going to get. Sometimes you are disappointed, but other times you do a happy dance when it all works out as you expected or with luck better than you hoped! 

I shared with you some of my work a few weeks ago when I had a market stall at the Tree Street Art Safari. 

I won't pretend to be an expert, or give you the hows and how too's here. I am still learning. There are lots of great resources on line, but here is a quick look.

First select and lay out your leaves. They can be fresh or leaf fall.  There are many variables, including time of year and the water and fabric you use. I am lucky to be using mostly eucalyptus which print very well. Check that you know what the leaves are, you don't want to be using poisonous leaves. 

Make notes of what you did, what you used, and the results. This is invaluable, although you can never get a repeat of something. Each piece is truly unique and individual.

Roll it and wrap it up tight, or squish it between something flat ie tiles work well

Put leaves and water into the pot and simmer your bundles in the water or steam on a steaming rack. Use a dye-dedicated pot, not a pot you are going to cook your dinner up in. And do the cooking outside in a well ventilated area. I try and use rain water I have collected as household water might have other "additives". I have also found bore water works well if you have a bore.  Protect your hands with gloves. Some long handled tongs are very useful too.

Once they are done take them out.  The time depends on what you are cooking - I do paper for about half an hour simmering, and then leave in the pot for an hour, and silk scarves I steam for about 2 hours. People have different ideas about time needed. If I am doing cloth I leave in the pot overnight, and then leave it bundled up for at least a couple of days before unbundling. I unbundle paper the next day as you don't want it to dry out before yo do. 

Hopefully, enjoy the results!  I made some cushions on linen-cotton blend, which I then embroidered around the edges of the leaf prints.

 I recently went to a workshop to learn how to make paint from leaves. This has lead to a whole new dimension and exploration to my work! 

  Overpainted with marri bark ink and outlined with calligraphy pen. 

 I am also doing an on-line course with India Flint - who is considered one of the greats of eco-dyeing and conducts workshops all over the world. 

And I have joined a world-wide collaboration "How Far Does the Hand Reach" with Maria from Botanical Being in England who is completing her final Master Project for her Degree in Textile Design. 103 women from around the world have joined her for this project. She has sent us each two pieces of material - one silk and one cotton, which we will print with leaves from our local area and then send back to her.  These will be curated into a patchwork piece and a book showcasing botanical prints from around the world.   Of the 109 contributors we have 19 eco-sisters from across Australia. We are communicating in a private Facebook group as the project goes along.
I am so thrilled to be a part of this global project.  As Maria says:
 "Sisters we are creating something completely new and unique with a hundred and three global sisters!"

 I also belong to a couple a Facebook sharing pages where I find lots of help and inspiration, although sometimes it can be a little confusing as different methods work for different people.

Eco-dyeing with Friends
Printing with Botanicals
Eco-printing, dyeing and painting on paper

There are lots of other groups.  You might also like to check out Gumnut Magic.

I am lucky to have a little bush block near where I live where I can go and gather leaf fall for my projects and some private land where I have access to a range of eucalypts. 

Or just wander along the bush-land path and let the the eucalypt dreams fall where they may...

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

What will be your inspiration in 2018?

As my header today says - what will be your inspiration in 2018? Have you a yearning you want to follow? Well if you do, and I am sure you do, you should just follow it! You might be surprised where it might take you.

 

Have you ever attended summer school?

Summer School  at the Stirling Street Arts Centre in my town has just finished. They really have an amazing program of events over the two weeks - arts, writing, physically activities, music, drama, exploring culture, healthy living, workshops for kids, the list goes on. There is something for everyone. 

I've written about Summer School here before - Exploring your creative side - and every year I look forward to seeing the program. The hardest thing for me is narrowing down my list of "I want to do".

The Summer School workshops really are an excellent way to try out something without having to sign up and pay for an extended course, or lay out a lot of money on requirements or membership fees. 

Over the last couple of years I've tried acrylic painting, water colour painting, sketching, paper folding, eco-dyeing, book making, flower arranging, and hand embroidered a Boro bag and I took my grandson to Capoeira classes.

April Randoms

Hi everyone, it has been a few weeks since I last posted and it seems like life has been speeding up for me during April, and doesn't look like slowing down over the next three or four weeks. There has been beautiful sunny days but with a slight chill in the early morning and late afternoon air as Autumn comes on us in the south west of Western Australia. Perfect for getting out and about.

Before the busyness descended on us we went camping and bush walking for a couple of days at Potter's Gorge at Wellington Dam near Collie. It is a WA Department of Parks and Wildlife campsite. So peaceful, especially if you go early in the week (not school holidays or public holidays). Autumn and spring are the best time for bush walking. More about Potter's Gorge in a future post.

A couple of weekends ago visited my sister and her family in the wheatbelt, where they have started seeding their grain crops.

 And visited the resting places of my mother and father, and a quiet country church

On our last night we enjoyed the yabbie catch fresh from their farm dam.

On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon the first weekend in April we enjoyed the Ferguson Valley Music Trail presented by Philharmonic South West. We watched their performance at Green Door Winery along with lunch and wine tasting. Nicole and Susie from Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company joined in their piece Boccherini's Fandanco for Guitar, Strings and Castanets. 
A perfect way to spend a sunny autumn afternoon.

Over the last month or so I've been experimenting with eco-dyeing with Australian eucalypt leaves inspired by my friend Jane Flower from Folios and Fibre. I am starting to get some good results. So exciting when you unwrap the bundle after a couple of weeks "curing" and see this!  I'm sure there will be more of this as time goes by.  These are printed on silk scarves.

Six things you should know about eucalypts

 We also were invited out to a friend's vineyard in the Ferguson Valley to pick olives last weekend. This is a first for us. So now the long processing begins. Wish us luck! Does anyone have a good recipe with the "preserving" after the salt and water process?

 In between all this I am reading Stories from a Suburban Road by T.A.G. Hungerford. Stories from his childhood in the 1920s-1930s in semi-rural South Perth. I am really enjoying the read, as my parents lived in South Perth for about 40 years and it certainly wasn't semi-rural with bush, gravel roads, and cows and horses in suburban blocks!

 He mentions buying vegetables from the Chinese Gardens and here is a pic I found on the net at Picture South Perth collection

 That is Perth city you can see dimly in the background on the other side of the Swan River.












Especially I am grateful for precious time spent this Easter weekend with family, and the welcoming of my sister's first grand-daughter. After three sons and three grandsons for her and two sons and two grandsons for me, it's a girl! 
 

How is your April shaping up? Perhaps you'd like to tell us about it in your comments. 
I hope those of you who celebrate have had a very happy Easter. And for all I wish for peace in the world. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
 

Mosaic Monday  
Our World Tuesday
Through My Lens 
Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
Travel Photo Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at Lifestyle Fifty
The Weekly Postcard