Needing a bit more color I found some dyed bits left over from a project of my daughter and some hand-loomed Indian cotton.
Pieced, patched and stitched by Carlyn Clark
Indigo dyed cottons patched in the boro style
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 40
I found a stash of Japanese prints I'd lost track of and found they work well. Once again I'm struck by the different cultural applications of indigo. So far on this piece I've got Japan, India, Africa and the Foothills of L.A.
Day 39 of the Stitch A Day Challenge by Carlyn Clark, more piecing
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 39
I'm making good progress, but the daily photos are seeming a bit redundant. Oh well, it's more important that I do it than that I talk about it.
Pole wrapped cotton dyed in the indigo bath and handstitched onto a boro style jacket by Carlyn Clark
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 36
This piece of cotton was one of my first attempts at pole wrapping, known in Japanese as Arashi Shibori. I love the process and have amassed quite a collection of poles of different diameters and lengths to accommodate different widths of fabrics. The Japanese, who have made this process into a very precise art form, typically use narrow fabrics that are pieced together to form traditional kimonos. I am not terribly precise, for now at least, and love the random nature and surprise at the moment I pull the fabric off the pole. I've gotten more disciplined with my oxidizing and rinsing, so I'm now able to get much crisper lines and whiter whites than this piece has. I'm using it here to cover a pocket.
Shibori dyed linen stitched with other patches
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 35
I manage to use up even the rough edges of my shibori dyed fabrics. The linen develops a really nice softness in the indigo and the many steps in the process give a nice fringe, which can create quite a mess in the dryer and require a good bit of patience to untangle.
Pieced, patched, hand stitched jacket back for the Stitch a Day 2017 project
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 32
The second month begins and the back is finished! Goal achieved! I celebrated with a bit of decorative stitching. Photos to follow.
Handstitched shibori dyed indigo linen with ikat woven cotton
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 31
The first month is complete! And so is the back of the jacket. Tomorrow I'll take a picture of the completed back and then get onto the front. I'm still holding to my general intention of getting it all pieced before I decide how to proceed with the decorative stitching, which is what will hold the whole thing together.
overdyed cotton stitched onto ikat, stitched onto ikat, stitched onto shibori linen
Stitch a Day 2017, Day 29
I'm getting close to finishing the back with just a few little bits of stitching to fill in.