Friday, November 29, 2013

The Natural Surface Academy Black Friday Special!!!

 
 
 
Tired of your Natural Dyed Fabrics looking like everyone else's??? 

Then join me at the Natural Surface Academy in 2014 where we will push the rubicon in Surface Design with Natural Dyes, Rust, Fabric Paints, PaintStiks, Gutta, Shibori, Ink, and More, to create work that is unique to you!!!

The Natural Surface Academy

Wanted to join the Academy to learn about producing all of this yummy fabric, but was afraid to do so because of the price?  Today's your chance to join us in 2014 at HUGE discount!  49% off the regular price to be exact! ($599.00)
 

 

As part of your membership you will have access to my DVD's, videos, eBooks, online classes (self-paced)  and workshops (scheduled), and most importantly to ME!!!  I will help you take your Natural Dyed Fabrics to the next level be it surface design techniques or stitching, I can help you obtain your goals.
HandsCompost, Rust, and Natural Dyed Silk Organza Net.

Learn More Here!!!

Corn Head Girl
Natural Dyed Cotton and Silk Fabrics.  Machine Stitched.
 
 

Natural Surface Academy Black Friday Membership!!!

The Natural Surface Academy

Wanted to join the Academy to learn about producing all of this yummy fabric, but was afraid to do so because of the price?  Today's your chance to join us in 2014 at HUGE discount!  49% off the regular price to be exact! ($599.00)
 


Pale Horse
Compost and Natural Dyed Cotton Fabric.

As part of your membership you will have access to my DVD's, videos, eBooks, online classes (self-paced)  and workshops (scheduled), and most importantly to ME!!!  I will help you take your Natural Dyed Fabrics to the next level be it surface design techniques or stitching, I can help you obtain your goals.
 
Sandstone No 1. Detail
Compost, Rust, and Natural Dyed Silk Fabric, Yarns, and Threads. Machine Stitched.

Free eBook ~ Getting Started with Natural Dyeing


Getting Started with Natural Dyeing
Everything you need to know to start dyeing fabric with Natural Dyes!!!
 

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Mark Making with Nature and The Natural Surface Academy Black Friday Sale!!!


Black Friday Sale 2013!!!
 
DVD Set $69.95
Digital Download $39.95
eBook Combo $19.95
 

Black Friday Membership Sale!!!
$299.00 (non-refundable)
Join me and other artists in 2014! 
We will be taking fabric from ordinary to extraordinary!!!
 

Stitched Stories, Mix Media Prints,
Fabric Bundles and More!!!

Black Friday Sale!!! eBooks, DVD's, Academy, and More!


Black Friday Sale 2013!!!
 
DVD Set $69.95
Digital Download $39.95
eBook Combo $19.95
 

Black Friday Membership Sale!!!
$299.00 (non-refundable)
Join me and other artists in 2014! 
We will be taking fabric from ordinary to extraordinary!!!
 

Stitched Stories, Mix Media Prints,
Fabric Bundles and More!!!
 
 
 


Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!
 


 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Outside my Studio Window 112413


John putting the storm window back on the house and doing some minor repairs while on the scaffolding.


Gorgeous blue sky today, the squirrel has been very busy picking crabapples off of the tree.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Marigolds and More!!!


 My first ever newsletter went out this afternoon!  I will be sending one out once a week from here on out, now that I've spent some time learning how to use MailChimp.

Here are a few of the things discussed in my newsletter in case you missed it!

 
I am inviting you to join me at the Natural Surface Academy in 2014 to participate not only in the Marigold Project BUT to also unleash that creative prowess you know is lurking deep inside of you!
 
  • 2014 will start off with a Splash as we work on our 30-Day Cold Dyeing Project, I will be using both marigolds AND madder root with Wool, Silk, and Cotton Fibers.
  •  
  • We will go to extremes with our natural dyed fabrics, fibers, yarns, and more in my Extreme Embroidery class! 
  •  
  • Get down and get gellied when we print fabric and paper with natural dyes using a Gelatine Plate for printing!
  •  
  • And this is only the beginning! 

Oliver Update 112113

 
He's feeling much better today to the point that he's been a pest preventing me from finishing up some very important projects. Here he is laying on my studio floor, after nine straight hours of pestering me, finally taking a nap. 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Oliver is Sick!!!


Oliver is sick, he's been to the vet and he was given a shot to stop the vomiting.  I waited an hour like they suggested and then gave him water, 15 minutes later he was throwing up again.  This indicates that something is stuck in his stomach.  So now I wait for John to come home so that I can take Oliver for xrays to find out if something is stuck in his stomach or not. 

So...if he has something stuck in his stomach this means major surgery, and like tomorrow.  I'm putting my DVD back on sale and ditto this on the eBooks to help pay for his surgery, and the two vet visits today... I asked him a gazillion questions and I think at one point he finally figured out I was testing him... my experience with our last vet was, lets just say, unpleasant.


Mark Making with Nature DVD Series
 $39.95
 
2.5+ hours of instructional video demonstrating how to dye, paint, and print fabric with natural dyes. The video is a four part series and is delivered as a digital download! 
 



Own it today!!!

Mark Making with Nature eBook Combo

 
$19.95 
Add to Cart
 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Mark Making with Nature DVD ~ Pre-Sale


Learn how to screenprint with Natural Dyes and more in this video series!  Over two hours of content, delivered via digital download! 
 
Pre-Sale ends Friday!!!
Click here to learn more!

Snack Time


Snack time with the furkids, I took this late last night, notice how Pepper is draped over John's shoulder hoping to get some cheese and sausage.

Gelatin Plate Printing with Natural Dyes Part 3

Monday, November 11, 2013

View Outside my Studio Window


Snow!!!  I laid down around 10:30 for a much needed nap and woke up a couple of hours later to snow.   Here's the view out of my studio window, onto snow covered scaffolding planks.

First Snow ~ Fall 2013


Firebush is stunning against it's white backdrop.


Oliver is hilarious, this is his first snow that we know of and he keeps trying to eat the snow.  Angel was really excited, it's looking like this is going to be a fun winter.


Saturday, November 09, 2013

Crows Stencil is Here!!!


And I'm already having fun!  If all goes well I will be getting my screen printing table cleared off and will use the stencil with natural dyes and earth pigments on fabric! 

Acrylic ink and alcohol inks on watercolor paper.

Until then I shall finish my this Harvest piece I started way back in September. 

30 Day Challenge Samples


Samples from 1998 from previous 30 Day Cold water trials.  These will be  used for the 30 Day Challenge I'm holding at the Natural Surface Academy this winter.  I will put my notes into an eBook for Academy members, along with scans of the samples.

Sunday, November 03, 2013

An Interview with Me



Q.  What is the most unique/rare color that you can make naturally?

·       The most “unique” color I make with plants is indigo!  It starts out as leaves that are composted with urine, wheat bran and madder root in order to break down the leaf cells so that the blue pigments can be extracted from the leaves.  Indigo is often referred to as a dye but chemically speaking it’s a pigment, not a dye molecule.  The difference is pigments sit on the fibers surface, dye molecules bond with the fibers surface.

·       To get a good blue on fabric using indigo I usually dip the fabric into the dye bath at least six times.  Each time I dip my fabric into the indigo vat I do so carefully so as to not introduce air into the vat, air will prevent the dye vat from turning blue.  I then gently and quickly remove my fabric and hang it up to dry, this allows the yellowish green indigo pigments on the fabric to oxidize and then turn blue.  Once it’s dry I rinse it and then put the fabric back into the indigo vat.  With each dip, and oxidation, the fabric become a darker blue, this is how your blue jeans have been dyed.

·       A local rare color for me is blue from maple leaves.  The blue that comes from the maple leaves depends entirely on the weather and time of year the maple leaves are picked for dyeing, if the conditions are right I can soak the leaves in an old bucket with some rusty objects (make sure you wear gloves if you do this) and leave it to soak for several days.  When the maple leaf dye is heated a blue color is extracted from the leaves, I use red or black maple leaves.  The process does not work if you don’t have rusty objects soaking with the leaves.   The blue color happens when the tannins in the leaves react with the iron in the water.  When you use red or black maple leaves you will get a brighter blue than if you use other maple varieties.

·       You can use oak leaves with iron, rusty objects, but it yields a greyish blue not a real blue like the red maple leaves do.  The grey extracted from oak leaves was used to dye military uniforms during the Civil War.

Q. What inspired you to continue further into this project and become an expert?

·        I became interested in dyeing with natural dyes after having a severe allergic reaction to synthetic dyes in 1994.  I had been dyeing my own fabric for my art quilts and artwork, and didn’t want to give that up.  Once I learned how the basics to natural dyeing I began pushing the processes even further to see what the dyes could and could not do, especially on cotton fabrics.

Q. What tools do you use to help make natural dyes and paints?

·       I use basic kitchen equipment that is dedicated to studio use only, for safety purposes.  I use a stainless steel pot when I need to cook/simmer the roots, leaves, etc., to extract the dyes for dyeing fabric with, a stainless steel spoon, pantyhose for putting the roots, etc., into so that they are easy to remove from my dye bath.  And a food scale if I need to weigh something, I recommend the one used by the Biggest Loser.

·       For the paints, which I make using clays, ochers, dirt, etc., I use soy milk and paper cups and a plastic spoon for mixing, since the pigments want to stick to everything.

·       I also have a clothesline to hang my wet fabric on, when I’m curing it, this makes it much easier to keep the colors from pooling on the fabric.

Q.  As a painter do you have to use a different material for natural paints?

·       Yes I use a couple of different bases when I’m painting with natural paints it depends on whether I’m using dyes or pigments.

·       Dye extracts are mixed with water and gum tracanath (a natural thickener) for paintingfabrics, earth pigments are mixed with soy milk for painting fabrics.

Q.  What is the trickiest color to make?

·       Black!  I start by dyeing my fabric with indigo, usually six dips, then over dye it with cochineal, or madder root, and then over dye that fabric with weld to acquire black.  Sometimes I also have to over dye with walnut and add iron to the dye bath if the black needs to be a darker value.

Q. Is there any color that cannot be made by natural dyes and paints?

·       Not to my knowledge, every color on the color wheel can be obtained by starting out with a base color and then over dyeing it with another color to achieve a desired color.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask.




 

The Natural Surface

Making some major changes at the Natural Surface!!! 
 
 

Red Oak Leaves


The leaves on my red oak are especially brilliant this year, I suspect it is due to the late season rains after a long hot drought this summer.  I will make some bundles using the bright yellow leaves this week and will report back on the colors achieved.

Mark Making with Nature DVD Pre-Sale


Mark Making with Nature DVD Pre-Sale!!!
 
$39.95

Not Permanent


Hostas do not provide a permanent color but they certainly inspiring!



Inspiration


Inspiration for a future stitched piece!



Saturday, November 02, 2013

Fall Colors


The neighbors crab apple tree is stunning this year!


The last of the hosta's.


Striped lily of the valley leaves.