I'd love to introduce 'Cloud Tales', a journey in bookform....

I have a friend dear, soul sister with whom I have walked, through both shadow and light beside, for many years. Ilka Blue Nelson, from Latorica studios. I would like, kindly for your heart, and the lands, to share with you that she has recently, self published a limited edition book, 'Cloud Tales'...

Ilka, wordsmith and creative ecologist, chose in her Masters thesis to focus on environmental storytelling. She then chose to study water diplomacy through the United Nations institute for Training and Research. However, don't let such formal qualifications vibe you that she is some dry distant academic, she lives poetry, and deeply connected life immersion, as indeed Cloud does. This story is an encouragement of such ways, what is called for in the shift we are called to make in these times. The book has been likened to 'The Little Prince', for the wee one within and without. 10% of all sales go to The Rainforest Action Group eh.

There are 12 hand painted illustrations, in this cozy in the hands sized, square format, hardcover book. Now I know, Ilka drew herself away, entered a focused sacred space to do these pictures, some of which have origins rooted back many years in sketch's, ideas and responses to feeling the environmental crisis of species extinction and water pollution. You won't find doom and gloom here though, this spell is cast in hope by both Cloud and Ilka. Now I shan't say any more, to find out more or purchase a copy pop over to www.latorica.net. You never know what you may find....

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!      

Logo's, eclipses and self care....

I'm in the process of designing a new logo slash labels for my herbal makings, and it's been a time of reassessing. Who am I kidding, I'm always reassessing, I have little choice! Ha! However, attempting to simplify essences of your tangent, with enough detail to include what's important, whilst being able to fit on a 30mL dropper bottle, can be tricky. Although, the recent series of eclipses seem to be aiding in the honing down!

I wanted to write about nourishment, gentleness and self care in such times. These may seem like obvious traits for any apprentice to the green folk. Yup, that's the textbook version. It's an indicator, when you haven't showered for days, or attended to self care. I've experienced this in times of peak mental health challenge, if you, or someone you love, have too, know you're not alone.....

That being said, by goddess when you can pull it out of the bag to do what's kind, it's both a good feeling, and waving flag! If I am making a herbal infusion before bedtime in prep to drink the next day, or a cuppa specific to whats going on, making medicines with the moon, remembering to reach out to my spirit kin, smudging our home, getting dirt between my toes in the garden...well, the stars (at times despite them) and my self care, are aligning. We all have these signs, different and diverse. Yay!

Fish in rivers rarely swim against the currents to the point of exhaustion. Ok spawning Salmon are an impressive exception, lucky for our Bear cousins. Most finned ones however, rest in the eddies and pools, periodically retreating as they navigate their waterways. For those of us who live, play and work with underlying distress, allowing for this with gentility is a gifting.

Internalised stigma can have one flagellating about the fact I'm utilising pretty full on pharmacetical support. In my dream world, I would be wholey managing my life with love, herbs, music, spirit connections, fresh air and good food. Skip de skip, tra la la! Clean and pure, aarggh watch out for that type of language! Just ain't my reality, yet. I'm emphasising the YET folks, not the pure bit, not interested, mayhaps the clean, and all for the skipping ;).

Growth, and indeed healing, take time. She says who goes out each morning to check if those seeds she planted are flowering yet! Anyone who says otherwise is selling something, which is ok, as long as there's honesty there. It takes about 15-20 minutes for a benzodiazepine medication to kick in during a panic attack, I find Motherwort tincture, tea and support, about the same, BUT getting off benzo's can take years. Therein lies the catch. Rebuilding wholth and integration, especially after experiencing trauma, can be slow. This is basically the best of what pharmaceuticals are allowing the space to do.

I don't get the stuff about the science of altered receptors in the brain, and the truth is the drug companies don't either really! However, I do gel with the fact that these are mind altering substances, which suppress and change us. Everything we imbibe through our senses, and body, does!

Whilst at times for various reasons I have been forced to take these meds, they have at times been useful tools to help my situation. In the same breath, I try to work with reclaiming and exploring other ways to nourish, I believe these tangents can co exist, and be in process. That's what I live, and want to share with my story....

So I will continue to sketch my designs, journey, experiment with cheap, accessible ways to make food n medicine, and I'm enrolling at Tafe to take a course in anatomy and physiology. To get there I catch the bus for 40 minutes, with my trusty spirit kin Moraig at my side. They may not sound like big career moves, ain't, but they are some of my wee steps of reclamation. What are yours?

Can we make herbal tinctures with 40% (80 proof) spirits alcohol?

The ways we prepare the blessed plants we gather and grow, after harvest, brings out their different medicinal, and culinary qualities. Whilst vinegar or glycerin can be used, herbal tinctures, are often made with a 'menstruum' that's a blend of alcohol and water. So drawing out the parts of the plant which are soluble in both these mediums. They are concentrated, so small doses can be enough, and the alcohol acts to preserve them, meaning they have a longer shelf life than say, infusions or teas.

In Australia, most 'spirits' we buy at the bottleshop are 37.5%, lets say 40%. It can be very difficult, to access 100 proof (50% alcohol ), or 200 proof (around 95%) grain alcohol (ethanol). You definitely can't just rock up to the local pub for them as you need.

Wise woman ways, or Folkloric traditions tend to use 100 proof Vodka or Brandy, where as commercially prepared tinctures you buy, are generally made using grain alcohol, or ethanol. When using dried plants, the ethanol is generally then diluted with water, to varying ratio's.

Does this mean, this way of working with green folks to make medicine is out of reach of many? A recent experience got me pondering this...

At my medicine cupboard, I came across a Chickweed tincture, Stellaria media, I'd made in a situation where all I'd had access to, was a bottle of 40% alcohol Vodka. Made with the fresh plants tops, not dried, she's a juicy one too. It was dated 2014. As a treat, I pulled out some fancy crystal, poured myself a glass and tasted her. It's simply Vodka right? Totally fine. I tried a Nettle one. Totally fine. Hhhmm....

I opened up Richio Cech's, ' Making Plant Medicines' (page 20)....

"As a menstruum for dry herbs, make "diluted alcohol" by combining one part by volume of grain alcohol with one part by volume of distilled water. If grain alcohol is not available to you, then forget adding water and just use the highest proof spirits you can find. The alcohol you use for dry tinctures must be at least 40 proof (20% pure alcohol) or you risk the possability that the extract will not be adequately preserved.

As a menstruum for fresh herbs, use grain alcohol without adding water. If grain alcohol is not available to you, then just use the highest proof alcohol you can find. The alcohol you use for fresh tinctures must be at least 80 proof (40% pure alcohol) or you risk the possability that your finished extract will not be preserved. Always choose spirits that do not contain a lot of flavouring additives. A tincture works best when it tastes like the herb, not some other flavouring agent that was in the alcohol to start with."

The other tangent I've been exploring is 'preserving' foods. Alcohol is used with things like fruit, fill jar with fruit, cover with Brandy mmm. Elderberries anyone? In 'The River Cottage Preserves Handbook', by Pam Corbin, she writes that 'alcohol is a very useful preserving medium, but to function effectively, it must be in the form of a spirit that is at least 40 percent alcohol (80 proof). Gin, vodka, rum, brandy and whiskey, are all suitable.' Shelf life is given as 3 years for preserves using 40% alcohol. Not bad, the Chickyweed tincture I'd had was 4 years old, and still had her abundant greenery floating in it!

I'm putting this out there for feedback. Totally love to hear from you if you have comments or experiences! With the seeds coming up in our garden, these ideas are also emerging....

New moon, new n fresh garden....

Walking back from the beach a whiles back, we looked up a side alley, and spotted with our scavenging eyeballs, a stash of used decking timber being piled up for hurling. We asked the demolition slash builders permission, then proceeded to do laps with it, by car and bare foots. Miles removed the nails from the lot, and we had a pile ready for a growing ember of diy potentials. New raised garden beds, which is what one needs for growing on such sandy soils as we have here.

So it began :). Isn't it beautiful?! We also repaired old beds that had rotted through. Then found a ready made pine box on a chuck out pile which we lined with recycled plastic to extend its life.

After selling two of my felted dolls :) we had the dosh to invest in some premium landscape soil, three cubic metres worth, which seemed rather an overwhelming amount when it poured from the rear of the delivery truck! However, we've nearly found homes for it all....

I've pulled out the seed collection, both purchased, and saved from previous crops. Food, flowers and herbs all in together, go da diversity! Ive been dancing about sprinkling mixtures on the soil, and watering them in gleefully. Tonight it's raining which is great :).

Some plants which were growing in pots, have been planted out to stretch n spread, like two very happy Motherwort's and a Lemon Balm, I cut back to their new growth. Some were in older beds and have been dug up, fresh soil mix added then replanted, including our Yarrow patch, and some Parsley seedlings.

Next task is to add in some of our homemade compost layered on top, so all the worms and greeblies can delve down and settle in. Not mulching yet too many seeeeeeeds!! To be added to with plants from Byron Herb Nursery. Just a few ;).

So, the Nooks medicine garden will be growing with the waxing moon. Hopefully by full, there will be small green folks popping up, unfurling round abouts, and others settling in their roots deeper. A bit like us.....