ADIOS AMIGAS, PART 2

This is only amigas, rather than amigos, because I did not have any men in my classes this year . Maybe in 2015 I will find some men who like to dye! I think using a photo like that above might help when advertising. Or maybe a SPORTS figure with a tie-dyed shirt on!

But the women and girls who showed up at my studio had fun, created some amazing items, and helped to make my winter in Mexico extra special!

Rosemary was a faithful attendee every week. I would say that her dyeing is all about PLAY! She loves to explore and try anything NEW! Here she is printing a cheesecloth texture onto a rayon scarf.

Kathe also showed up once a week. She is the queen of fabric books for her grandchildren, and also the queen of bridge, belly dancing, fitness walking and everything fun! I wish you could get a good look at her work shirt...it was a work of art in itself! She now has a huge stash of fabrics to work on her projects this summer. Yes summer! In Mazatlan that's when projects get done...it's too hot and humid to do anything outside.

Emita, above, is standing next to the curtain that her mother, Emma just dyed and created for her Mazatlan boutique, YeYe. This was a huge project of spiraling 4 large pieces of manta and hoping they all meshed together. The result is beautiful and Emita is happy! Emma is the recipient of all my unused liquid dyes when I leave Maz. She doesn't have access to these dyes and wants to keep on going with the process. Go Emma!

Nancy brought her canvas lounge pads, all stained and worn. We doused them in soda-ash and then she brushed on every blue I had. They are now fresh and clean and lovely BLUE! Her partners that day were Mary and Mary. There were lots of Marys that day! One dyed solids and the other gave new life to old clothes! They visit my studio once a year and we had a great time dyeing and catching up!

Sharon was one of my early students and a newbie to dyeing. As a fellow Oregonian, we have so much in common. I hope to see her again next year!

My neighbor, Amanda, came on two occasions with her sister and niece to dye shirts...once for a team and the second time so her family could all have matching Carnaval shirts. They'll be back, along with other neighbors I believe.

Adios also to Barb and her sister Margot, visitors Vicki and Judy, Sharon F.. We know how to have a good time don't we. Thank you all!

LOTS GOING ON PART 2

It's Carnaval time here in Mazatlan...parties, music, late nights, events and festivities. With the opening of the new road from Durango,  the crowd is sure to swell this year. And of course all the Mexicans (and maybe a gringo or two) want to take selfies of themselves in front of the Miramar Condominiums, where drug kingpin El Chapo Guzman was arrested and taken into custody last Saturday.  Mazatlan is a happening place these days.
And my studio is a happening place these days too. I am close to departing so I'm trying to get in as many dye days as possible. My friends come with so many ideas they want to try. Today I had Vicky who wanted to create a Carnaval scene to sew onto a teeshirt (but maybe it will be incorporated into a bag...see above) and Emma who wanted to make curtains for the change room in her daughter's boutique dress shop.

What a big job that was...and fun!

For me,  I find snippets of time to create new pieces to add to my stash. I have been into flag folds (with thanks to my friend, Ellen Russel, who makes the MOST BEAUTIFUL folded pieces) and also cheesecloth prints. These are so delicate...I love them!

There is definitely an art to getting the best prints...the cheesecloth shoud be barely wet and one should press ever so lightly on the fabric with a dry rag to achieve that lovely mesh look. I know I'll be using these in many future pieces.

I finally got around to creating a piece for my quilt journal group using fabrics from these two techniques.  The topic was "unfolding" so I wanted to feature my hand-dyes, both a folded piece (which are so beautiful to UNFOLD) and a cheesecloth print. I know, another bird! I just can't help myself!

DYE DAYS 2012-13

Rosemary brought a "show and share": her quilt from last year's hand dyes.



That's it for this year...17 days. Midst my travels to and fro, I squeezed in 17 good studio days with new and old friends who wanted to have some dyeing fun. Here are a few shots from our time together this winter.





Laura and Susan dyed these
 lovely cotton shawls.



Dora Alicia created this tie dye on manta
 and then took it home and
made a very fun apron!



Barb produced this at a collage workshop.
 

 

Nat, from Comala, created this fantastic shirt.

This is Joyce's lively collage.

DAYS TO DYE FOR

We’ve had lots of fun in my studio this month. I love the camaraderie of my Mazatlan friends who happen to be enamored with the dyeing process as much as I am. We gather together twice a week and dye our little hearts out. AND lots of fabric.

My friends come from Canada or the US and some now live here full time. After I give my little “shpeal” to any newbies, we fill the day with happy chatter, laughter, and ideas. When something is taken out of the dyebath, all attention goes to the sink, which is then followed by oohs and ahhhs. My Toronto friend, Rosemary, is now in her 4^th year visiting my studio (she created the beautiful pelican piece last year), and every week returns with the same fabric for overdyes, discharging and making changes…and if it’s not up to her satisfaction, we’ll see the same pieces for more treatments the next time. Linda, newly returned to Mazatlan after a two year break, is creating a piece to partner with the fictional story she is writing about a  young woman in the circus. Finally, after 3 tries, she achieved the perfect RED for the background.
 Sharon, a full time Mazatlecan, brought an enormous bag of lovely whites and is having a great time giving them a facelift. BC (there’s a story with that name!) and Kathy are also producing  some fantastic “revived” outfits, while Rosemary #2 (oh, that was a confusing day!) has sampled the process and is anxious to return! What fun we have and we’re learning so much from each other!

Now I’m taking a two week break for a vacation to Chiapas with friends. Textiles will be a highlight for me, along with the amazing Mexican culture that I love so much! And let’s not forget to mention the camaraderie of being with a great group of women! Life is good!

A SUMPTUOUS CELEBRATION

My Mondays in Mazatlan are set aside for working with the local sewing ladies. Typically Toy (our fearless leader, in the foreground above) picks us up (Bev and I) and takes us to the community center in one of the outer colonias. Bev starts with her English lesson, while Toy follows with a meeting to organize selling, discuss marketing ideas, or lead a reflection pertaining to self-development. I add to the mix with some sort of sewing idea or ways to add personal, artistic touches to their wares. These 12 women make my Mazatlan experience very special.

There are others that are connected with the group. Art and Jackie Plunz (pictured above, Art is the tall guy in the back and Jackie wears the pink scarf in the front) have endeared themselves to this group in many ways. They aren’t regulars with us on Mondays, but certainly are there for special events. Last year they brought down a dozen sewing machines to Mazatlan, and distributed one to each woman. Through their church, they have collected donations to help us with special projects. Art, a retired dentist, has helped one family whose daughter has some serious dental issues. They are incredibly kind and generous and lots of fun too. Jackie loves to sing and joins in with the few Mexican women who entertain us with their talents at our parties.
Art and Jackie invited all of us to their oceanside apartment today for a lovely catered luncheon.  Judith and Gustavo created an amazing feast for us on the grill while we had an hour of our regular meeting time. Patty (our one women now working on her degree in social work) led us in an activity.

After lunch, Art brought out maps of Alberta and showed the women where he and Jackie lived, and showed photos of their northern life. Images of snow, dogsleds, snowmachines, ice roads, mining operations, small planes and decorated parkas were source of stories and questions (happily translated by Toy).

With dessert we were treated to our delightful singers, Ceci, Lola and Jackie. Their voices and creative talents penetrate my soul!Thank you Art and Jackie!

PELICANS

Mazatlan has such breathtaking stretches of coastline. One can join walkers, skaters, bikers, runners, and the like along the popular malecon that follows the oceanfront. You can sit at a local restaurant or bar and enjoy one of our sensational sunsets. You can swim or surf or beachcomb. However you experience the ocean, pelicans are most likely to be a part of the scene.

Rosemary is enchanted by pelicans. So when she came over for a PLAYDAY in my studio this week, she had pelicans on the brain. She loves to photograph them and capture them in all phases of flight and feeding. She proceeded to create a pelican scene by painting with thickened dyes on cotton. She first created a stencil and painted five bold pelicans on cloth. She next added three more pale pelicans, and topped it off with some lovely pale sky painting. Using plexiglass as stamps, she made a matching meter to use as a border. I can’t wait to see her finished product.

She plans to create a panel to cover her bathroom window in her home in Toronto.  That is sure to carry her back to the breathtaking beaches of Mazatlan with pelicans floating overhead.

And here's the finished product! Lovely isn't it!

THAT MIGRATORY FEELING

Yes, here it is, that time of the year again. The temps are dropping, daylight disappearing, and that little niggly feeling inside that time has come to think about heading south. We are 9 days away from departing and I am circling and spinning through my world, finishing projects, sorting though my stuff, dividing my world into here and there boxes, and making lists: to-dos, to-buys, to-write, to-finish, etc., etc. It's a multi-tasking whirlwind.

This morning I was sorting through my sewing stash, prepping for a last minute class I'm taking this weekend on Quadra with Pippa Moore. Into the tub goes my fabric, thread, pins, needles, scissors, rotary cutter, ruler, etc., etc. Being in my multi-tasking frame of mind, I thought I would also sort through my thread, choose what to take with me to Mazatlan and what to leave behind. (My thread option in Maz is limited to the small size Guterman - approx. $.50 each.) I pulled out all my large-spooled neutrals, and then noticed how many GREENS I had. For some reason, I rarely use them and decided to sort them into a container of their own. From there I reeled into a quick green-design of spools before moving on.... lovely, I think.

Our travels will take us from here to Cortes, then to Cumberland for the annual Hands Across the Water event for all area guild members, then Sydney for a few days before crossing the border. A meandering path through the states will take us to Texas to visit good friends Bob and Gisela where a lot of catching up and laughing will take place. Then Mazatlan bound.

Mazatlan.....my first class will be a part of the Embracing the Artist Within Workshop where I'll teach silk painting with a color focus. And from there, the winter will unravel into more fiber activities with friends and newcomers, exciting projects, classes, adventures, maybe a retreat or two, cooking classes.....hmmmmm, I am getting excited for that other life I lead.

But in the meantime, I have more thread to sort.