the coming end of summer

i've collected together all the various bits and pieces of natural ephemera which i've picked up over the years and put them on display. delicate and fragile, they don't do well to be handled overly much; forget dusting. i should get a small bell jar. strange seed pods, feathers, silk bits, seashells, insects, and a skeleton tree frog.

for this year's ga national fair, i've decided to submit some of the handspun i've kept. i've been parting with the majority of what i spin to sell on consignment at the lys. it would be encouraging to win some ribbons, and funds for further purchases. the deadline for submission is coming nigh and i've only two ounces of a dusty stone cashmere remaining to be plied.

i've been busy, but not necessarily creative these last months. however, i managed to sew a new cosy for my porcelain japanese tea pot. using australian merino blanket remnants, natural linen remnants, and wool fiber for stuffing, i created a subtle and tactile two-pot cosy accented with a cognac velvet ribbon and dyed shell buttons. i think it matches the aesthetic of the tea pot beautifully. it's pure pleasure to use them both in my morning tea time routine.

just finding a cool spot

there are many frogs who live around the outside of the house during the summer. sometimes they come in, and sometimes they just stay between the doors, neither coming or going. this guy was just hanging out on the storm door when i came home from work. i love the iridescent strips and the neon green glow of its skin. this type is a little less vocal than the green and yellow tree frogs, and much larger.

feats of gene selection

the fiber compendium; for the pursuit of education and knowledge (f.c.p.e.k.) is coming along nicely. there are some gaps, but with more time and searching i can hopefully fill them. i'm really glad i decided to collect samples of so many fibers.

it's really remarkable how many types of silk there are, the different ways it's spun, and how all parts are used (waste, stem, pupae). there's definitely a "waste not, want not" mindset when it comes to this fiber. it reminds me of the way some of the native americans viewed animals; that by not throwing away any part of it, the death was not meaningless and the animals' sacrifice was respected. the life of the silkworm isn't wasted by it's death; oftentimes they are a food source, and the fact that the entire amount of silk it spun is used in some form or other is a great testament to how the people doing sericulture view and respect the silkmoth. peduncle thread, spun from the stems of the tropical tasar cocoon, along with ghicha, spun from the waste silk of muga and eri cocoons, were some of the more interesting spun silks i came across.

one of the things i had thought before starting this project was that there weren't too many cellulose fibers used for spinning and weaving cloth; only ramie, hemp, linen, cotton, and washi. but, i have more cellulose samples than animal fibers; baste fibers can be found in many plants, and the resourcefulness of humans is really inspiring! people have gone to great lengths to create cloth, from the attusi (elm tree inner bark) clothing of the ainu people of northern japan, to nettle fiber which has been used throughout europe for centuries.

with the animal fiber i've collected i found the different hair types within one animals' coat to be interesting; coarse to downy soft, strongly pigmented to lighter pigmentation, with a variety of uses for each type. browns, fawns, and creamy whites are the dominant colors in protein fibers. the brown hues lend the animal warmth from the sun in cold environs, and hiding ability amongst grasses and trees, whereas the white coloring, which is perfect for dyeing, seems to be a trait humans breed for (as albinism in the wild isn't really a common or safe trait).

the unique characteristics of the many natural fibers lend themselves to a myriad of uses, and i question why humans need to invent synthetics, when what is already there is so functional. with some better husbandry, more effective natural resource use, and respect for the organism which creates the fiber, many of these natural fibers can be just as viable as synthetics. some synthetic fiber inventions such as neoprene, are impressive, and needed, but to create a synthetic which does the same as a natural fiber just seems wasteful (and, like any copy, is never as good as the real thing, imho).

interesting reads:
an article about silk varieties, and degumming
the book, fibre facts, by bette hochberg
ebook, dictionary of textiles, by louis harmuth
"peace" silk, or the mythical perfection postulation

phase

i learned something new about my camera; the shutter speed can be really really interesting. i was trying to capture the full moon with my camera and started playing with the settings in order to do it well. of all the ones i took, these three are my favorite:

cherry thoughts

i discovered recently, while perusing the sierra magazine, that macon georgia has some of the best cherry blossom viewing in the states. as it is about a 2.5 hr drive from where i live, we had to check it out.

yesterday was a good day to go; the trees were blooming ahead of schedule, and the festival doesn't begin until saturday, so the crowds would be low. the trees were spectacular, ethereal, uplifting, and overwhelmingly beautiful. the delicate flowers rained down with the slightest breeze, and covered the ground below in a soft pink veil.

there is a cherry blossom trail which you can drive down, mainly through residential areas, which we followed. the day was warm, and breezy, and the views were amazing.

we were inspired to buy two small yoshino cherry trees, which we have planted this morning. when they are bigger i would love to lay a quilt down beneath them and gaze through their branches, perhaps with a cup of green tea at hand. it surprises me how much nature calms my soul and quiets unhappy thoughts, i felt things similar to when i was in the kokedera moss temple. it is a feeling i wish i could capture for the moments i panic and become overwhelmed.

happenings of the strange

i awoke quite early this morning, rather unexpectedly, as it is not my usual way; i prefer to be awoken when the sun shines brightly into my face. what met my eyes was something eerie, though pretty; the paper shades which cover my windows was aglow in a magnificent pink light. i took a photo of it, and watched it fade into a pink-lavender shade, then into the crisp blue of a cool morning as the sun ascended into the sky.

natural elements

using nature as inspiration is something we all do; its diversity and beauty is breathtaking, ever shifting, and at times unattainable. but using nature as the working medium sometimes works out even better then trying to capture its essence.

ever since i bought a bag of curricula cocoons from habu textiles i have been continually amazed by them. there are so many projects i find myself incorporating them into. my latest creation uses them as a main element; a pair of silver earrings with the cocoon wrapped around a creamy pearl. i made this pair for juyeon kim, the artist on the installation project i've been assisting with.

light as air

feathers are fascinating; the incredible things they can do by providing flight, maintaining warmth, making a mating ritual extravagant. upon closer inspection they are equally glorious, the color only seen at a distance is broken up into an array of multiple hues, with mica like shimmer.

feathers have been something i need to pick up when found on the ground; always searching for that one spectacular specimen. when i was younger and vacationing in the bahamas we went to a preserve where these lovely peacocks lived. there were so many blue feathers on the ground; tiny ones from the head and bigger downy grey ones with iridescent blue tips. i only wished that i was able to gather more.

not so long ago one of the feral cats in the neighborhood brought down a female cardinal and left bits of her plumage on our porch; it was sad, but an example of the hierarchy found in the natural world. i saved one of her brown red feathers.

when viewing historical garb and movies of glamorous eras i'm always drawn to the fantastic headgear comprised of luxurious feathers; ostrich, pheasant, peacock, exotic birds from the tropics and the rainforests. watching documentaries on the television about birds and wild things from our beautiful planet, at the ways they've suffered by our hands because of the finery they are made of, creates within me guilt over this feather fascination. should i continue to use them in my work, even if they are found objects and not bought? what message does it send? i guess these questions could be asked of any animal derived material, be it fur, leather, pigment, scale or feather.