MORE PLAY

Two PLAYDAYS in one week make for much color exploration and fun. I marvel at how we all approach the creative and learning processes in totally different ways. Since there are NO RULES in dyeing fabric, I'm regularly observing new and interesting ways to achieve new and interesting effects on cloth. I have a tendency to try the same old tried and true methods that consistently serve me well, but as an observer this week (8 different women coming to my studio), I have been privvy to other ideas that push my brain in new directions. These new dyers think that they are the learners in these sessions; if they only knew how much I am gathering and learning as the outsider looking in.
 This week we had Pam, Robyn, and Ann trying out some beautiful striping patterns. Anne was back to work on embellishing the personalized pillows for her grandbabies. Kathi too was  planning and prepping for more grandbaby projects. She brought amazing photos of the fabric books she created last summer and now she's dyeing up more for an advent calendar. Nancy showed us the collage she's working on (Surfer Boy in Mazatlan!) and then proceeded to dye up 3 gorgeous rainbow palettes in preparation for new dining room chair covers. Sue brought in an old chenille rug and attempted to "stripe" it. (Not sure of the outcome there as she took it home for a second go-round of dyeing.) Filter wraps were popular methods this week and Ann shows one of hers here.

And Bobbi took her time to create this amazing spiral print. When she finished it, she dipped it in a lemon yellow bath....it was gorgeous!

Two PLAYDAYS in one week make for much color exploration and fun! 

SCOTTISH PLAID

 

On our last PLAY DAY, Heather was exploring stripes and started wondering about turning those stripes to create a plaid. “I’ve always wanted to try that”, I told her…”Go for it!” She pleated and dyed, rinsed, then turn it a good 90 degrees for another sequence.  After about eight color go-rounds, she had a beautiful plaid. Her first plaid palette was with yellows, reds and blues, and then she tried another with yellows, greens and blues. Beautiful! And wouldn’t you know that Heather is from Scotland. There must be a little bit of plaid in her blood.

If you're in Mazatlan and want to join in on a fabric PLAY DAY, just drop me an email (maryruzich@hotmail.com) and I'll sign you up for a Tuesday or Thursday session. A little bit of play with friends (old or new) makes for a very good day!

HACIENDA HOMECOMING

Oh, it's great to be back in Mazatlan! The friends, the culture, the colors and the festivities!


And that sun! We left chilly and gray Oregon to enter the warm winter days of Mexico. To the locals, this is a cool winter, but for us, it's perfect. Of course one of our first days was to visit beautiful Stone Island with its breathtaking beaches and leisurely palapa restaurants.




Restaurants? Food? This year I'm finding I have much less energy to cook at home. Heck, it's hard to put together a meal for the price of street food. And so delicious too! We've been hopping on Tom's scooter and searching for new and interesting places.


And all the beautiful textiles and crafts here. I've been busy getting my own studio set up for fun winter playdays! Check my class schedule to see what I have in store.

Yes, we've been busy in the 10 days we've been here. Maybe that's why we both started feeling a bit punky the other day. Now we're both laying low with "la gripa" (bad colds), but thinking of all the wonderful ways we're going to take advantage of this wonderful scene once we're feeling better!

CRIBBAGE

Cribbage.  This game is a mainstay of our marriage. My husband, Tom, taught me to play 30+ years ago and rarely a day goes by that we don’t play. Somewhere around 4 or 5 pm, we stop whatever activity we’re up to and join together at the dining room table, cocktail and snack on board, and play our best two out of three game match. Keeping score on a piece of masking tape affixed to our crib board adds to the competitive spirit. There is no prize for the winner, just the opportunity to gloat and rub in the loss to the loser. The tourney ends when we pack up and move to our next station in our gypsy lifestyle.
I wanted to play with design elements on this one: shape, line, angle, number, balance, etc. I “bleach-dotted” some colored strips to resemble crib boards, arranged and rearranged, then found space for buttons in lines of five to add a bit of interest.  I bound it in white and wrote out scoring sequences around the perimeter.
Tonight was our last match of this tourney…bright and early tomorrow morning we leave for Mexico where we’ll start another strip of masking tape on our crib board. And thank goodness because I lost horribly in this one and I HATE TO LOSE! Tomorrow is a new beginning!