Dracena draco, banana fiber, and basswood or linden fiber

During my winter break from school, I started working on something new.  I was inspired by this beautiful fairy dress. I wish I knew who the artist was.  Unfortunately, nothing showed up on a google search.

 

I started off by preparing some dracena draco leaves by boiling them in a water and glycerin solution.  Hopefully, that will keep the orange tips from breaking off.  I twined the bodice with more dracena draco strips and banana fiber strips.

When I got near the waist, I started adding some inner basswood bark pieces vertically, to fill out the skirt, and twined with it.  It's a very messy fiber for twining, and I was getting frustrated with the slowness.  

For more info on collecting and retting basswood: http://http.wightman.ca/~mark.whitcombe/basswood_twining.html 

I pretty much followed the same method, but soaked my bark in large plastic containers for a month and longer.  The author shows how to make cordage with the basswood fiber, also.

Another good resource is http://ryukyutextile.com/kasuri/linden.html#29

Mari Yamaguchi Newell shows the Japanese method for making basswood/linden string, which is much more labor intensive.

 I settled for in between, since I am a beginning spinner.  I shredded the inner basswood into 1/4" wide lengths, and tied them together to make very long weavers.  In many places, you can see where I left the knots exposed.   This was much easier to work with, so I continued twining, and then went to an open weave for the lower portion.  

On the spinning wheel

Twining with basswood cordage

Now I need a title.  I'm thinking of something w/ flame and dress.  Any suggestions?

Working Vacation in New Mexico

Last week, I taught a 4 1/2 days workshop at Ghost Ranch Art Center in Abiquiu, New Mexico. ghostranch.org  I had an hour or so to walk around Santa Fe, and found some beautiful hollyhocks, plus a few interesting sights.

This shop made me feel like I was in the Middle East.

I was surprised to find a Japanese coffee roaster in Santa Fe.

Good old New Mexico clay in the bottom of
Box Canyon,  Ghost Ranch.

Formed into a little pot.  It will be interesting to fire it.

Rabbitbrush is a traditional Hopi basketry material.

2 versions of Shikainami (Ocean Waves) in reed.

My students made some lovely baskets!

9 out of 10 were beginners.  Can you believe it?

a basketry knot on a rock.  First attempt on the right, 2nd on the left.

So that was Tues, Weds., and Thurs.  On Friday and Sat. I switched gears to teach shifu (paper cloth) preparation and weaving, Donna style.  (I deviate from
tradition.

I copied the poem, What If, by Ganga White onto a 1/2 sheet of Thai Unryu.

What If?
A Poem by Ganga White
What if our religion was each other?
If our practice was our life?
If prayer was our words?
What if the Temple was the Earth?
If forests were our church?
If holy water—the rivers, lakes and oceans?
What if meditation was our relationships?
If the Teacher was life?
If wisdom was self-knowledge? If love was the center of our being.

Student work

folded, starting to cut up to the upper fold line.

You can use a rotary cutting system, or

old fashioned scissors.

You open it up, and roughen up the paper prior to spinning.

Tearing the paper into a continuous strip.

Spinning with a handmade drop spindle,          

or a battery powered drink mixer.  (Just 2 of many 

spinning techniques.)

Student spinning-a variety of paper, paper yarn, and paper raffia

to be continued...