Independence!

Well, that's what I'm going for..... independence from the j.o.b. --- at least for today. Happy 4th!

I've been working on stitched resists lately. I stitch the design, soda-soak the piece (just wet it, really), then brush on dye solution (dye, urea water) in two or more colors, batch and rinse. I'm still tweaking the technique, but so far I like what I've learned, and plan to do many, many more of these. Here are 3 that came out of the dyebath last week:
The center one is probably my favorite of the three - the sections are clearly demarked. On the other two, the stitch is a little less obvious, but the texture is GREAT! Very crinkly, very defined. I have another piece that I hand-stitched, and it's terrific (no pic yet) However, with the arthritis my hands have started to experience, I doubt hand-stitched resist is in my future in any meaningful way. There is also a spiral piece soaking now - it's going to be nice, but it isn't ready to photograph - maybe later this weekend.


And here's a shot I got of a bumblebee on the salvia beside my back door a couple of weeks ago. I just unloaded that camera card the other day. I don't delude myself that this is great photography, but it's MY photography - just snapping bits from my everyday life!The salvia smelled so sweet, I found myself wishing I was a bee so I could get up close and personal with it, too!