Hand Spun and Natural Dyes
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This year, 2010, I began to learn to spin my own yarn from rovings that have been purchased from a store in Kitchener. I hope to go back further in this process until perhaps I am even doing some of the shearing of the animals, or collecting of the plants that are required to create yarn.
Also, I have been having fun experimenting with natural dyes. So far, the dyes that I have used have been beets, tumeric, and blueberries. Next on the list of plants to try will be grass. Also, I will be collecting black walnuts from a friends back yard. I am always looking for ideas for natural dyes. The yarn is soaked in vinegar while the plants are being boiled in a pot on the stove, and then when the colour of the water is dark, the yarn is moved over to the hot dye water. It stays in this dye for between 4 and 48 hours, depending on how the dye is transferring to the yarn, and how dark I want the colour to be. This has been hard work, but also great fun, and I am looking forward to also beginning to incorporate the messages that come through the yarn and the plants as I connect with them on a spiritual level.
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Sacred Feather Carrier
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This Sacred Feather Carrier was created with handspun, home dyed yarn created by Heidi Burrowes. This yarn was lovingly dyed with the spice turmeric. The ingredients involved were salt, vinegar, turmeric, and hot water. Forget about chemically dyed products. This is a venture into prechemical ways of creating. Traditional healing ways of using turmeric include: purification, decreasing inflammation, and increasing passion, among others. Journey to your helping spirits to find out how turmeric is helpful for you, and consult a physician if you need to because this is not medical advise.
The wool is Corriedale top wool from Great Britain. Still looking for local wool rovings. This carrier will hold a feather up to 11 inches long, and 1 inch wide. The carrier has 2 openings, 1 at the top, and 1 at the bottom, this way the feather can always be taken out so that it will not be unneccesarily ruffled. The feather will always stay nice, and have a special protective case made just for it.
To keep this beautiful and original piece looking the best, it will need to be handwashed in cold water, and layed flat to dry. Hours invested: 7 hours plus spinning and dyeing time.
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Smiley Bubbles Baby Toy
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If you are looking for a gift for a baby, and want to make sure that the gift is something that is special, and that was created with health, happiness and love of the baby in mind, then this doll is a perfect choice. With this lovely little doll, there are no chemicals added. This is a natural gift that as it breaks down over the years will not cause harm to people or the environment. It is a wonderful size for little fingers to hold on to. This baby toy was created with handspun yarn. The natural dye used for the yarn that creates the body is the spice tumeric. The dye used for the hat and sweater on this lovely little doll was beet juice. The dye that was used for the eyes and mouth of this doll was blueberries. While working with the blueberry yarn, the intention is to hold sweetness and healing for the person who is receiving the toy. The stuffing for this doll is an organic wool blend. To care for this doll, handwashing in cool water and laying out to dry are recommended. Hours invested: 6 hours plus spinning and dyeing time.
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