Weather, weaving and watering

 Lovely stroll out this morning before it got too warm, chat with a neighbor I haven't seen for a while along this section

She was happy to see me, said she looks out because she knows I walk regularly, and everyone likes to check up on me! Which is true. If I change my walk I hear from someone who hasn't seen me. 

We went on to grumble about the fence project, which has now caused the departure of the site manager, so who knows what next. And so home again.

Then,  outdoor knitting and napping, I heard my neighbor watering her extensive plant collection and noticed it was time to set up for an online textile event, started to move indoors. 

Whereupon neighbor runs to the fence: did I water you? I notice you're going in. No, no, time for something else, no problem. Poor lady thought she'd drenched me in her enthusiasm.

Anyway there was, despite technical hitches, a great presentation about coverlet weaving, traditional in the Appalachians, by Cassie Dickson, native of Mississippi now living in north Carolina. 

These are some of her many artworks. Ed note: the Whitney Young mentioned below is also Cassie's niece. I think that's how they snagged her for this event. 

Dickson is also a natural dyer, and grows her linen thread from seed, the entire process, to spinning and weaving, as fine as 36-40 threads per inch.

And does it all traditional style. She weaves linsey-woolsey, one fiber for warp, one for weft.

She dyes with local plants, rhododendron, madder, walnut, marigold, and others. 

And she raises silkworms, feeds them on mulberry leaves,  and weaves the resulting silk thread.

Here's the silk process at different points

And here's this brilliant artist researcher and teacher. Worth checking her IG account.

Since HGA kindly sent me the link even though I'm no longer a member, I thought I'd give them a shout-out.

After this amazing work, down with a bump, found a piece of cotton fabric I think I'll make a skirt from. Haven't hand stitched anything to wear for a while.

I'm nearing the end of the Mitered Square jacket, so this is next, along with embroidering the black Robe now that the light has returned. I haven't forgotten the Robe. And there's the linen samples, too.

Always like a new idea or three out in front to think about.