Dye bundles

This weekend I had a go at dyeing some shirts using the bundle method to see how much dye I could extract in a 24 hour period and trying to be attentive to the process, both before, during, and after. The shirt on the left is silk and the shirt on the right is cotton. I collected some leaves from outside to use along with an assortment of items from the kitchen: yogurt, egg, vinegar, coffee grounds, purple onion skins, lemon juice, beet root, and purple carrots.

It was a fun process. Messy and unpredictable. The notion of the unexpected, the unknown, is one of my most favorite things about dyeing this way. I love the way the silk shirt came out and I figured it would take the dye better than the cotton shirt. The cotton shirt still ended up pink but with less definition.

I'm excited to have the students taking my class try this method out in a few weeks! I have a lot of neat thoughts to share with them first, and then all of you!

Class Details

Here are some more details on the class I am offering mid-August:

If you are interested or would like more information please email me.

Also, I blogged over at the MAS Blog earlier today. I would love for you to go check it out and read a little bit more about what I'm thinking about these days!

A short poem

She whispers
"I am here"
i hear you
but how do i know
who You are?

i have known my whole life
in the stars
in the trees
in the birds
You flow out of everything
the earth exhales You.

not compatible
not compatible
not conpatible.
This does not line up.
You can't possibly be You.

what about Him?
what about eveything they say
about Him?
but i know You.

i have known my whole life
in their faces
in their voices
in my heart
You flow out of everything
the earth exhales You.

The last few months: In Pictures

1. Adam's graduation     2. Beer flight at the Louisville Beer Store     3. Road trip to Nashville

4. Berries and flowers from the Farmer's Market     5. Terrarium     6. Fresh cherries

7. Before & After: Strawberry cake     8. Lemon Blueberry ice cream     9. Cooking

10. Watching fireflies & listening to cicadas     11. Dye project     12. Indianapolis

13. Abbey of Gethsemani     14. Lightning storm     15. Wilco at Forecastle Fest

16. Shakespeare in the Park     17. Cincinnati Art Museum     18. Mama's visit

Updates

These past few months have been a whirlwind of activity for Adam and I. Adam graduated from nursing school, began the search for a job, and was hired. I have been trucking along at work and after Adam's new job opportunity, I gave my resignation after two years of incredibly difficult but rewarding work. We are in the midst of transitions right now. For months I felt like I was on the edge of something new, but couldn't quite reach out and grasp it, and now, here it is.

As Adam begins orientation for his new job and I begin to move out of mine, I've had plenty of time to ponder what exactly I'd like to do with my time. So, starting in August, possibly September, I will begin doing part-time interpreting work with Spanish speaking families, forming relationships and hopefully acting as an advocate. With the rest of my time, I am hoping to really focus on my last year of my Masters in Spirituality program--all of the writing and practical aspects of it that I feel I have't had a chance to engage enough over the last two years.

This summer I have had the opportunity to do my learning practicum at the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center here in town. I've been helping with the Discovering Sense of Place series which seeks to understand how we effect and are affected by the Ohio Valley Bio Region we live in. It has been truly fascinating to research our soil, our food, our local wildlife, and to have had the chance to participate in discussions of sustainability and energy efficiency. The rest of my practicum entails a class I have been working on putting together entitled "Natural Fiber Dyeing as a Spiritual Practice: An Intersection of Eco & Women's Spirituality" in which the participants will be repurposing a piece of clothing and exploring how to work with their hands, how to be present to the earth and to themselves, and learning to be conscious of the relationship they have with the world and how it is affected by what they wear. It will be a space to engage with natural fibers, natural dye products, and to see what happens to the spiritual life by being present to the rhythms of work and prayer. I am really excited as this really a tangible place of intersection of all my thoughts and I am really excited to be able to share and explore these ideas with a group of individuals who may or may not already be on the same page!

After this class it will be an adventure to see what direction my practice will go.

Free-lensing

I was reading Whitney's blog, eat.sleep.cuddle, the other day and saw that she had given free-lensing a shot. Inspired, I set out for the tutorial over at A Beautiful Mess and tried my hand at the technique. Here's what I got:

They didn't turn out quite as expected, namely that everything came out blurry, but I love the light and shadows playing in these pictures anyway. I think a camera lens upgrade is definitely in my near future. Trying to keep the lens zoomed in while shifting the angle of the lens was harder than it seemed. not to mention the aperture on my lens is not the greatest, hence the shadows. No worries, I'll keep trying! I'd love to get this technique down!

Kevin Bass and falconwright

via falconwright

Love, love, love these clutches--the color combination and prints are fantastic! I have been a big fan of falconwright's leather clutches since I stumbled upon their blog a while back. So I am saving up some money to get myself one the next time their shop is stocked. A few weeks back Sandi Falconer of DEADWEIGHT and half the duo of falconwright posted that she had had received some fun postcards with baseball players with food-type last names that are drawn out and that she wanted to mail some out to some of her readers. Well, they looked too cute to pass up, so I signed myself up! It came in the mail last week and it is now propped up with some other art in the bedroom. Below is Mr. Kevin Bass. Get it? So cute.

Speaking of fishing, and also because Sandi asked, this is a picture of the one and only time I have held a fishing pole. It was last year! And I didn't catch anything. Wah, wah, wah... 

Anyway, go visit her shop and check out her paper goods and go visit the falconwright shop.

Thanks for the postcard Sandi!

Remembering Seasons

Just found these pictures we took last fall when we went up to Notre Dame for a lecture and scanned them into the computer. It is gray and dark in these pictures with the color just starting to change in the leaves. Today it is so sunny and bright and all the flowers are in full bloom with new sorts of color. It reminds me that seasons change so fast, both in nature and in life.

On quiet and food

It has been quiet around here lately and here is why: Lent is wrapping up and I learned that I love food. I really really love food. This year for Lent I attempted to do a juice fast for the full 46 days. There was a lot I was hoping to learn and explore this season. I only made it 26 full days because my body couldn't run off of juice and water alone and listening to your body is part of the fast experience. I couldn't deny it when my body said enough so I started eating raw and then resuming a healthy diet a few weeks before Easter. While I was fasting I grew in ways I didn't expect. The spiritual side of the fast was renewing and left me feeling at peace. I was forced to face the reality of grace with myself and from God. And I learned that though I may not have the most traditional experience of God there is still room for my faith and experiences within the Christian tradition (more on this later). I also learned that I love food. I've always known that I love food, but mostly just eating it. I do love baking, but I don't do the cooking at home. That has tended to be Adam's job. But I found that while I was not eating all I wanted to do was make food. I wanted to be in the kitchen. What?! I am excited about this new development in my life. I am excited to explore the variety of flavors that exist in this world and give Adam a break. Tonight I made lasagna. I've made it before and it was a nice place to start again.

Here's to more nights of cooking. I'll leave you with the chocolate cinnamon sugar dusted chocolate donuts I made this weekend. Enjoy!

Breakfast

I know that mangoes are neither local or in season, but their ripe little yellow faces were calling out to me when I was at the grocery store. I couldn't resist. I've been enjoying mango in unsweetened (Indiana local!) yogurt for breakfast for the last week.

Weekend Bits

             

 

 

This last weekend I went on a retreat to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky. Icons and crosses. Reading, meditating, and a little walk in the woods. I arrived with a restless heart and left with hope.

Project Post

While normally I would post pictures of a handiwork project that I am currently working on, today I am on a deadline for a paper that is due tomorrow. I took a class a few weeks back called "Spirituality of Prayer" taught by visiting professor Philip Sheldrake for my Masters program. So today you get pictures of my writing on spirituality and the Christian mystic Julian of Norwich. I won't say much else since my plan is to post some thoughts on Christian spirituality this weekend.

I Love (Louisville Spotlight): Quills Coffee

emily sill

Brian Moats

Brian Moats

As you may or may not know, my husband and I are currently living in Louisville, Kentucky and some of our most favorite things are good food and good drinks, particularly good coffee. When we first moved here, Quills Coffee was right around the corner and Adam was lucky enough to snag a job as a barista there. So in honor of all the time we spend drinking cappuccinos and slow-brewed coffee I thought I would spotlight Quills as my first "I Love" post. Not only do they pour fantastic latte art, have a beautiful aesthetic, and roast their own coffee, they are just all around good peoples. My friend Emily, and manager of the New Albany location, took the lovely photo above. Next time we go into the shop I will make sure to bring my camera to snap some of my own pictures. In the mean time, if you live in the area make sure to check out one of their three shops.