Tuesday, July 22, 2014

some (mostly) bast fiber

 this weekend i shall be
teaching at the morgan
first a 2 day paper class (making flax and abaca paper
and making contact/eco prints)
and then next week a 4 day class with aimee
 so i have fiber on my mind,
specifically bast fiber.
above it's some slippery elm.
the leaf and
inner bark
cordage
 one hollyhock showed up
a color i love
and it, too, has lovely bast fiber.
 i stripped a small branch
(elm, not hollyhock)
a twig really
and manipulated that fiber
making cordage the way
a skein of women
showed me...
liana in the ancient 80's,
from nalda to india to us at long ridge

i left it stark to show to
our students.
we'll talk about bark.
and textile-book connections.
 this one
is among my favorites.
crossovers between
fiber textile book
i started making some notes
on some already used lokta
what was i thinking?
so, here we go, again,
the intersection
between paper and textile and plant and mark...
i just tend to make a mess.
this is the table i am supposed to eat my meals upon.
supposed to.
so i will get myself back
to some planning. happy tuesday.

21 comments:

  1. ... "a skein of women"
    ooooh, Velma, I really do like that.

    And at the moment,
    your dining table looks 50% better than mine.
    Best wishes for swell classes.

    Christi

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  2. Love the phrase "skein of women" and the visions it conjures. Happy planning!

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  3. please leave it all on the table....that's just my kinda meal.....i'll be over right away (wish) ....really wanted to get to the morgan for class w/ you....it will be wonder-full.

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  4. christi, it's the scourge of table just needing to be used!
    roz, you are the queen of flowers, my dear!
    jennifer, thanks, i kinda liked it, too!
    therese, i wish, too. would love to have you here, or there!

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  5. I appreciate your work process and all the love and thoughtful energy that you place in the planning of your workshops. I look forward to seeing you next week my dear.

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  6. so exciting. can't wait for next week. xo.

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  7. Good juicy fibery mess. The best kind.

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  8. alice, yes, except at mealtime! then it's another sort of fiber.

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  9. lovely lokta paper thread. I have an abundance of dark purple hollyhocks (and 1 pink) - freezing the blossoms for dyeing. I know your classes will be wonderful, have fun with Aimee

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  10. jean, i'm coming over to dye soon, oh, you mean you're 3000 mile away? drat!
    mc, i love that- "wildy cord"- a great name!

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  11. How fascinating Velma. I'd love you to wander our block and see what you could find to make magic with! I'm sure next week will be a highlight and a time of wonder and discovery and lots of joy. Enjoy, go well.

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  12. Hi V - looks like you and the students will have a heap of fun. Loved the cordage and the notion of skein of women. Go well and enjoy. B

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  13. fiona, me, too.
    barry, thanks for the good wishes

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  14. picturing all the stringmakers strung together like kindergarten children holding a knotted rope and snaking through the park on an outing

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