A local walk

Allotment Wednesday

Indigo in a season

Seeds planted in April

Planted out in June

Flourishing in July

Harvested in September

Leaves picked

Blended

Silk and wool left to soak

Blue starting to appear

Drying on the Rowan tree

Beautiful blues

We are so delighted that our first crop of home-grown indigo has been harvested, processed and used. The harvest was from two Japanese Indigo plants, started in the greenhouse then continued in our dye bed at the Out There allotment. They have been no trouble at all to grow. We used a low impact method to extract the colour as described here (found via Wild Colours).

This method works best on animal fibres, and produces shades that are more on the turquoise spectrum.

The whole experience of growing such an iconic dye plant and getting results like these was hugely exciting for our allotment group.

Some comments from a participant…

“Good aerobic exercise power-walking back to the studio with the indigo foliage for processing before the pigment decomposed!”

“All of the group, plus passing potters, woodworkers, et al, were intrigued to see the alchemy of colour development.”

“Many happy faces admired the richly coloured silks and wools drying in the sunshine.”

Allotment Wednesday

Allotment Wednesday is back after a pause for Summer holidays, and some torrential rain last week. It was so lovely to be back, and to see the seasonal changes that are already so obvious. Here at Kirkgate Studios we have been promoting the new Feel better outside, feel better inside  campaign by Mind. Our visit to the allotment today helped us connect with a local green space, get some fresh air, and have a good chat along the way. We also went to the allotment with a purpose – to harvest our indigo plants, but that demands a whole blog post to itself!

Allotment Wednesday

Busy day at the allotment. Woad and indigo plants are really thriving in the dye garden, and everthing else starting to bloom.

A trip out

The Naye Subbah Out There group had a trip out this week to Hollingworth Lake near Rochdale. Ecominds funds projects that help individuals and groups make use and find inspiration in their local green spaces. ‘Green activity’ can improve self-esteem, build confidence and physical health.

Hollingworth Lake is a really beautiful place. We managed to avoid the rain showers and get outside for a walk around the nature reserve. The photographs we took are going to be used as inspiration for a communal piece of work.

Naye Subah Project

Out There  recently started working with Naye Subah on a textile based project. Naye Subah (or New Dawn) is a Bradford based organisation that meets the needs of South Asian women who are experiencing mental health distress. This is a specialist service that aims to provide culturally sensitive support to service users and their families.

We are getting to know each other over some stitching and chatting.

Recycled cotton and old threads:  stitching designs inspired by nature.

We have also looked at some kantha stitching for inspiration.

Fabulous work is being done, and lots of skills shared.

Dye garden update

First of three vists this week to the allotment. The dye garden is suddenly looking quite established.

We finally planted out the Japanese Indigo grown from seed.

The Madder is spreading happily.

The Woad plants are thriving. Looking foward to a first harvest of these leaves very soon.

Arts Trail Images

A few images today from our exhibition at Saltaire Arts Trail. We have been overwhelmed with positive comments and support for the Out There project. It was great to see some familiar faces and to meet new people, chat about colours from nature and the health benefits of this practical project.

Huge thanks to Vicars Cafe Bistro, Saltaire who were such great hosts, Amanda Chinneck from the Arts Trail for all her support and encouragement, and volunteers from Kirkgate Studios who helped out all weekend – Colleen, Claire W, Ann, David and Megan.

Here are a few quotes from our comments book:

” Wow! An incredible project, both socially and technically and from a sustainable point of view. Great to see something fantastic come from nature and the natural.”

“Love the tiny jumpers made of naturally dyed wool. Lots of ideas for natural dyeing. Good to see something positive happening for people with mental health issues. Inspiring work, brilliant project. Keep it up!”

“Brilliant project and concept. Think getting people back to nature and using organically grown plants for dyes and food is where we should be heading.”

Back soon with news from the allotment… Claire W-S

getting ready

We’re really looking forward to this weekend, and exhibiting as part of Saltaire Arts Trail. Come along and see our naturally dyed textiles and photographs from our allotment project.