Love of handstitching, indigo, Japanese textiles and mending inevitably leads to boro, from the Japanese boroboro – something tattered or repaired. It was traditionally done with hemp. I adapted it for my merino wool jersey tights, using scraps dyed with indigo, sumac and black walnuts. Boro is historically associated with peasant farm workers, who patched…… Continue reading boro time
Goethe’s mystic colour theory
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published Theory of Colours in 1810. He disagreed with Isaac Newton’s famous 1672 optical spectrum analysis, and was more interested in how colour is perceived. Enlightenment artists and scientists were very engaged with quantifying colour. In 1708, French painter Claude Boutet based the above wheels on Newton’s findings. In 1775, Austrian…… Continue reading Goethe’s mystic colour theory
cornely machine
The Cornely A5 chainstitch embroidery machine hasn’t had much use in the past six years. After learning how to work with natural dyes, I’ve finally accumulated a pretty good range of thread colours. The machine itself is made in France. The rest was put together in New York City. It might be from sometime in…… Continue reading cornely machine
400 year old colour
“The Bacton Altarcloth” was recently determined to likely be made from a dress that belonged to Queen Elizabeth I, c. 1600. It’s on display at Hampton Palace, with The Rainbow Portait of the Virgin Queen. Inscribed non sine sole iris (no rainbow without the sun) it’s questionable whether the eyes and ears on her saffron…… Continue reading 400 year old colour
blue-tiful
I decided to see if there would be any colour in these woad leaves. They’ve been frozen a few times, which is definitely not according to textbook. No matter how much pigment is in the leaves, the vat, and the material soaked in it, are “indigo white”. The blue doesn’t show until the material is…… Continue reading blue-tiful
organic tailoring
Tailoring with all natural materials on the Singer 31-15, c. 1942. Wool gabardine dyed with goldenrod, madder and cochineal. Backed and lined with organic cotton. Organic cotton thread dyed with onion skins. Old shell buttons.
canary 