INDIGO DYE DAY - social distancing

June 2020 social distance meeting, Indigo Dye day with dye provided by Dawn.
We met at the park in Houghton in June to finish dyeing our items we stitched in February, before the Covid19 scare. Everyone showed up with masks and we had a nice show and tell that everyone had been working on for the last 3 months in isolation. It was good to get out of the house!

Masked for our meeting!

our two Melissa's 

We gathered for a short meeting and some dyeing fun. Kathie brought her grand daughter Alla who shared her crocheted bags, afghan square and a lovey. Kathie brought in her Blue Bonnet towels. Much lovelier in these pictures than last months pictures. Kathie had her show and tell in plastic bags, such a good idea. We did not pass the others around.

Purses by Alla

Kathie and Alla

Purse and afghan square

cute lovey

Blue Bonnet weaving by Kathie

Blue Bonnet weaving 2

Dawn has been dyeing with Apple Bark and got some great yellows and golds. She also brought in some napweed fibers that she felt has use as a fiber as it is very strong.
She also have been making nalebinding tools and has made quite a few. 

Apple tree bark dyes yarn samples

Nalebinding tools Dawn made

Mary did her stitching on cotton a few months back and dropped at Dawns a while back so it is finished. She also brought her woven wool fabric so that others could see how soft the South Ronaldsay wool wove up. Too bad it was not a good idea to pass it around. When the vest is finished and the virus is gone they can handle it then.

 Melissa M arrived with all her beautiful weaving she has been doing in California and items she purchased on her trip to Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. She was luckily back before the Virus became an issue. She finally arrived in the U.P. and was happy to share her many treasures.

scarf from trip

Huipil

And this lovely garment.  A Huipil (pronounced wee-peel) is the embroidered blouse worn by indigenous women in Guatemala. Women in Guatemala pair their Huipil with traditional long fabric skirts (corte). 

Note the lemons from her Sonoma yard that she shared with us.

more fabrics from her tour

Melissa M's hand woven runners soon to be place-mats. This is 8-shaft pattern in Handwoven that Melissa wove with 10/2 cotton and second one with 5/2 cotton.

handwoven pattern runners

My favorite is the Silk Noil scarf in the natural color below. Look close as it has a lace pattern. Lots of beautiful weaves she has chosen and what beautiful colors. Lots of learning in these woven pieces. Some I have seen in Handwoven this year. But many she is using patterns she found in the 8-Shaft Pattern book and doing her own thing.

Silk Noil scarf

2 handwoven scarves

more weaving by Melissa M

runner and scarves

woven fabric with wool dyed by Dawn

Ready to do some dyeing. Who can pass up a dye day? it was a fun meeting and some even got the indigo vat to take home. Thanks again Dawn!

ready to dye!

Our dye day results.

Melissa was not going to dye but gave in and is happy with her results. John was pleased with his results. The rest of you can send me your results and I will use them in the next blog.

I took a vat home and spent a couple of days trying to use all the dye in that vat.

Melissa's sample

John's sample

Mary's wool and wrapped cloth

Mary's results of our dye day.

Two more days of fun dyeing at home. More results from dyeing with indigo.

See you when we meet again!

linen and wool from final vat

2 yards of wool from final vat