Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Textile Museum of Canada, Workshops, and Dyeing Naturally!


What's on my work table - Spring 2019. Those are yarns I dyed myself with plant materials gathered and prepared during the 2018 natural dyeing weekend with the Fashion Arts and Creative Textiles Studio in Blyth, ON.
Greetings from Stratford, where I spent our icy winter holed up with my pirates' treasure of bright fabrics, wool, and beeswax, happily creating while the weather raged. I have been playing with shapes and composition as well as experimenting with layering paint and fabrics with the beeswax for depth. Small pieces are perfect for trying stuff out and each one can become a unique, miniature work of art.

This little cherry blossom includes polka dot fabric between layers of wax. So cute it sold already!

Among the many valuable lessons I learned during my 2018 residency at Kingsbrae Gardens, NB is the potential for a mutually supportive relationship between an artist and her local community. One of my goals for 2019 is to interact with and get to know more of the communities around me. So you will see me out and about more this year at local markets such as the Goderich Makers Market coming up on April 6th at Square Brew

Heart shaped fun for Valentine's Day. These created quite a sensation and were snapped up in a hurry.

One of our highlights so far this year is to have both our yarn painting kits and my Harrison Park Series accepted for sale in the Textile Museum of Canada's shop. The shop's director, June Lee, is wonderfully welcoming and helpful and I am looking forward to knowing the museum better. Doug is really the force behind this one and I have him to thank for making it happen. Thanks, sweetheart, you are the best!

Cecropia Moth in Moon Garden. More playing with my naturally dyed yarns.

I had a nibble at botanical dying last summer when I took a weekend workshop through the Fashion Arts and Creative Textiles Studio in Blyth, ON and now I am hooked. I love the subdued colours and suspect this might be a game changer for my work. Especially of interest are natural dye materials that do not require a mordant. Mom, the master gardener, is growing some woad this year and I am collecting tools to start dyeing this summer. Onion skins and avocado seeds are also on my radar.

More experiementing with fabric under wax.

Workshops are another way I can reach out to my community and there are lots planned and even more on the way. Look here for details and to register.

March 29, April 5 & 12 - Yarn Painting East Coast Style!Vicki Schofield Studio, Stratford, ON

April 14 - Intro to Yarn Painting, Goderich Makers Mercantile, Goderich, ON

April 28 - Spring Blooms Wool PaintingSouth Coast Guest House, Port Colborne, ON

June 15 - Butterflies & Blooms Garden Inspired Yarn Painting, Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, ON

October 19 -  Beeswax and Yarn Painting Make-Along, Ontario Hand Spinners Conference, Woodstock, ON


Bohemian Waxwing with Berries. More circular composition which I am starting to think is a square. Or is the square a circle. Hmm...
Finally, to any one still reading - thank you! It is your support and interest that keeps me going and I know it. To see my creations as I work on them, follow me on Instagram as @kathywhiteart. Don't have an Instagram account? You can see my posts on the home page of my website at www.kathywhiteart.com

Happy Spring! May your bulbs sprout, your garden grow, and your fibre projects flow like water. 💙