Crafting for mental health, yup that includes 'voice hearers'...

I am a crafter n maker, have been since a wee tacker immersed up to the fingertips in homemade red fingerpaint. While few formal qualifications have held my interest over the years, the act of creating has stayed with me through a not unchallenging life.

During the last year or so, as you may have read, I have been exploring eco dye, what I am coming to call 'plant echoes' and sewing aka 'witchin stitchin' (I swear I didn't hex Scott Morrison, he did it all on his own steam. Not really worried if I spelt his name wrong btw). Back to the main story. Plant echoes require time. Its a slow, ambling art, with leaves soaking for weeks, mordants brewing in jars for months and cauldrons full o bundles boiling for a number of hours. I have chosen to devote time to developing my skills in this form, and it's my pace. An amble, or potter...

Now here's where I reveal a wee secret that is part of that not unchallenging life. I hear voices. No, not the internal dialogue type, yes the sounds like someone is talking (yelling, oft times) which I hear through my ears. Now before you tell me I'm psychic (hence it's a beautiful thing), or that when a certain portal shifts I will be cleared of this phenomena, or they're entities and if I keep sending them into the light all will be well, or all I have to do is think in affirmations and they'll go away, I've bloody heard all of that already! Thought of, n conciously worked with. Now if you've ever tried focusing on anything whilst someones hurling abuse at you, you know its trixy. Be that brushing your teeth or writing a song ( believe me the lyrics may not be pretty). However, a saving grace for me is crafting / making / art. Not only do I enjoy it, I can at times (not always) do it with the choir screaming along.

Let me give you an example. Today I awoke, there was the choir, morning lovelies...So I couldn't get myself out of the house, its a bit difficult to navigate the world under such circumstances. However I could, and did, spend about one and a half hours getting this picture of my cauldron, to pop on my brand spankers Instagram account as a metaphor for what Im brewing up in relation to the overwhelming natures of whats happening in our land with the fires and climate change. I didn't feel it was appropriate in that post to describe the distress Ive been experiencing, and HEARING for some weeks now. If you've made it to this blog, not many folk do ;) you get the scoop!

Point being I could focus on this process, and it was enough to get me going for the day. From where I was then able to engage with some plant echo play, to a) distract myself and b) create a wee bit o beauty, juz a wee bit, but it ALL counts. You might get the vibe from my squeee of excitement followed by 'wow' at end o footage...

 

The footage was taken upon request by my beloved Miles,who is highly aware of the a) shitfull moments hearing voices can bring and b) magic o making in my life. So with an ever supportive *sigh* agreed. Damn good eye too!

 So you can see that despite the odds I had a day with wonder n joy included that might otherwise have been missing. Is that therapy? I suppose so. Better than some I would argue. Go creative expression whatever the form I say! If you, or someone you love hears voices, encourage this stuff. Mayhaps even go buy them a copy of the book "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know she wrote some book called 'Eat, Pray, Love' I never read, but this one I did and really dug it. I found a copy in the opshop for 50 cents, scavenging n synchronicity combined! It will loosen your making muscles n give you a laugh, and if you hear or see stuff, you may well need that some days eh....

Green oats tincture and ecodye loving as we head gathering in towards the full moon....

Hhhmm it's been a while since I typed, much has happened. Indeedy, I hardly know where to begin. It's now nigh on December full moon, and there has been a definite building feeling this cycle round...

I'll begin this post with a magical process in the garden which mayhaps epitomises this time. We were gifted a couple o bags o shit, not by life as is oft the case, but by a neighbour, to fertilise the soil. Gathered from a not too distant horse race course, this had born within it, seeds. Special ones for a nervous system in need of tonifying....

 Oats! I've been wanting to make green oats tincture for a whiles but didn't think they'd grow in the subtropics. In the bottom picture, along with dyers fingernails, you'll see the succulent milk exuding from the ready to harvest oat as I squeezed it to test for readyness. Exciting! Tinctured those babies up. Learning that you can simply harvest the tops and the rest will grow, and hence seed, again. Sustainablity.... :)

So, as with the coming of the oats, life has brought nourishment, and abundance. I feel more loved and supported than ever in my life. Had a few wee cries about it, and the beautiful paths I find myself now walking accompanied....

In a series of furthur eco dyeing adventures, the learning curve continues! I now have an Instagram account which focuses mostly on such plant ally craftings, 'opalplantways' if you'd like to see what I'm up to. That's probably where I'll be hanging out mostly....

I was doing some experiments with mordanting the leaves, rather than the fabric, I know mindbending (hinted at generously by 'Elemental Leaf')! Which resulted in a surplus of leaves that had soaked for some days in a strong brew of iron potion. When I came to do a batch of bundles with previously mordanted items, I popped a few of these leaves onto a linen collared shirt I had dyed some time before, but which turned out very pale. This is what happened, check out the rusty looking coloured patches....

I actually really dug the look of them! It was like abstraction, rather than aiming for 'perfect' leaf prints. Now, that's not to say, those aren't beautiful, they are, but there was something here I enjoyed. So, I followed that line of vibe and had a go on some damask (dahlinks) tablecloth scraps from the op shop....

It was done with Eucalyptus and Bracken leaves that had been soaking so long they were on the verge of becoming compost, and I simply harvested some Geranium leaves fresh from the bush at our front door! I was in an utter state of play, which was lovely! I also reckon I made a few discoveries about the blend I'd like to achieve of clear leaf prints and oozing dyepot magix!

                                       

            I have no idea where this will all lead! Thank the goddess! I'm just flowing with it.....

Ecodye explorations and stitching experiments....

So, heylo folks! Have been pretty quiet of late on blogging front, for all my massive following, hee hee. There are several reasons. My beloved is now a Cancer survivor and that whole journey has required much of us. Blessings on his healing recovery....

Creatively, I have been immersed in my botanical dyeing, and making along these lines. So much to share! Mostly, with the dyeing, or 'bundling' I have learned, I have been experimenting with the scribbly gums that grow locally. They give a blue /black/ purple coloration depending on fabric thickness, and mordants. I work mostly with op shop finds, cottons and linens generally. Now the word is spreading, and requests, and clothes are coming.

 These trousers were for a friend, JC, who once I offered to dye her something, appeared with two pair!

The above was a fine cotton mini skirt, (not very me) with two layers of fabric, which I cut the waistband off, and then hand stitched the two pieces together to form a longer skirt (more me). Added a new elastic, a la abundant belly, waistband and now I'm happy :). My wardrobe is an evolving thang it seems, not many synthetics left anymore.

I also needs be share this wee singlet for Miles granddaughter, Grace, just cos its so leetle! Noting as I look at that pic, I'm developing rather interesting fingernails with all this ecodye!

I made a shirt n dress for my dear Mum, and frock for my Aunt Marian (first pic) which included a florists bunch of what is increasingly hard to get heart shaped leaf Eucalyptus which isn't the one where the leaf is directly connected to the main stem. Some 'reality' tv show featured them as a wedding bouquet, and they're nigh impossible to source now, combine that and the drought! Who'd a thought rare gum leaves!

The above frock, I think because of the strong browns of the mordant appears as if some ancient ceremonial or ritual robe from times gone by. I did enjoy the look of the separate leaves round the neckline!

Oh and I mustn't forget my making chair, (scuse the very unstyled power cordage spaghetti!) which I've begun reupholstering in a very ad lib fashion, with bits n bobs from my learning curve with all these marvelous processes! Gawd I have been rather immersed!

Its been a wonderful journey of discovery! Guided by my enrolling in India Flints 'Conscious Clothing' course some months back now. She is an inspiration! Very down to earth, and encouraging of going slowly. Love a bit o humble pie in amazingly talented folks. Are we not all gifted in eachs own ways?

Well, thats probably enough said and shared for now! Ha! Have a wonderful day!

Blessings and good vibes, ChloeOpal

Those Scribbly Gum leaves find their way to the Dye pot....

If you mayhaps read my previous post, you will have seen wordology referring to the call of gathering Scribbly Gum leaves, for L plate experiments with 'eco dyeing' cotton fabrics? Well, those leaves soaked for nigh on two weeks, and were joined by a variety of others, as the local electricity company were rather kindly trimming around their precious wires! I was terribly chaotic, no species labeling, just memory of tree n leaf shapes and locations. Then this morning I felt the time had come, aka I was busting at the seams, to try and see how things unfolded. So I lay out the variety of leaves with a sigh...

This time I had added a 'premordant' to the preparation of the fabric. Bits n bobs of rusty joy brewed away in a jar of white vinegar, which I then diluted with ordinary ol tap water, and dipped said cotton in. Allowing it to dry, n cure a whiles. I had rather pale tea like, still lovely, nothing wrong with a cup o tea, type results last time around. I was hoping the mordanting, not sure if that word exists, could deepen my colours, and mayhaps result in a leaf imprint here or there.

So I laid my mix o leaves out like an abstract painting, n bundled, to maketh ready for the cauldron, with my Spirit kin Moraig dancing a wee jig o glee beside me. So excitingk, and a wee bit ad hoc. The soundtrack was 'The Isle of Roan Inish' mixed with several disco tunes. I feel this helped proceedings.

I wasn't looking at my pot with a lid whilst folding n rolling, hence I found they were too long! Bum! However, fear not my friends, the local tip shop had regaled me with a larger one, lidless but sized perfectly! I reread my references, and decided to cover the wee wool bound rolls o magik with water n boil em, rather than steaming. See how that goes...

I added some Lichen, carefully collected and Australia posted to me by my Mum, and some Cronewort from the garden, for her sheer presence n blessings, to the water. Turned up the unwooded hearthfire and off we go journeyers! What will happen in those potently intentioned waters that smell like walking in a forest???

Oh the joy!! They worked!! Leaf prints n all. My beloved who had been wondering quietly at the buckets of soaking leaves, oohed and aaahhed appreciatively. The shots are taken when freshly unbundled, so the colours lightened some as the fabrics dried but big learning curve from my first attempt. Stoked! The skirt I dyed,which doubles as a dress has barely left my body :)....

References:

'Eco Colour: botanical dyes for beautiful textiles' by India Flint, Murdoch Books, 2008.

'Gum Leaf Alchemy: Eco printing on Cotton' by Louise Upshall, Gumnut Magic.

Scribbly gums, scar tissue and beauty therein...

A few days ago, my beloved and I set out on foot, basket and secateurs in hand, to gather Eucalyptus leaves for my fledgling experiments with 'eco dyeing'. These words coming from the title of a book on plant dyeing I recently borrowed from the local library, by the inspiring India Flint. Specificly on colouring fabric using plants and minimal toxic mordants (fixatives). Eucalyptus species, especially those with leaves o a blueish tint, she discovered work pretty good without 'mordants' on protein fibres, like wool and silk. Of course, I chose to work with cotton! That'd be right. Ha! The tale of preparing cellulose fibre is mayhaps for another time, but began with me swimming in the ocean with 3 metres of unbleached cotton and numerous doilies from the op shop 3 weeks earlier...

Back to ambling with a basket in hand towards local bushlands. We were heading along a path into a deeper part of the Scribbly Gum forest, (so called because of the 'writing' created by small grubs under and upon the bark). I began to notice that those blueish tint leaves, were all way up high in the canopy, beyond reach. However, I recalled a patch nearby, who's form was a more scrambling nature. So we reversed, and made our wending way towards the area. We entered what is a relatively close to suburban realms place. Here the trees have had their cores burnt by bush fire several times, yet regrown around these wounds, and continued to live. In one of the holes created in a trunk by this scarring, we were greeted by a special sight....

A cluster of orchids! Beings who had found their niche, literally amid scar tissue. In a world where for us people, life requires navigating challenges, these Cryptostylis erecta, otherwise less formally known as 'Bonnet Orchids' or 'Tartan Toungue Orchids' had discovered their groove. Sprouting where ants had carried a kind of fine saw dusty soil and moisture collected, upon the dead tissue. It felt like an affirmation, a gift. Keep going you two, you never know what you'll find, or where the trail will lead!

Merrily, I collected my fresh gum leaves, some with nuts, and dried windfall from the ground. I took them home and proceeded to boil n steam up my first pieces of bundled cotton fabric, wrapped upon copper pipe. The results were fairly pale greens and browns, darker where copper touched, but I love them, because they are a start! It's a learning curve. I have some idea's of how to deepen the colours, mayhaps even get some clear leaf prints furthur along. I have rusty iron bits n bobs brewing in white vinegar in a glass jar as I type. An ' iron mordant' said to help with these processes. I am definitely on my L plates, but what delightful diversions along the journey! Seems we stumbled upon both surprise orchids, and for me, another way of engaging with the magic of plants!