Ellen von Unwerth for Grey #5.

This classic Ellen von Unwerth image is from the archives of Fashion Preservation Foundation. I often scroll down the pages to find inspiration for my pieces. This is my cayenne series. Not actually cayenne pepper, but all natural madder and cutch, amped up with alum and cream of tarter. Over dyed with indigo gives the same color combination as the iron colored garment against the denim colored sky in the photograph.

Golf balls are good for something!

Yes, golf balls do have a purpose in my life, after all. My husband, Tim Geaney, can't seem to live without them, for obvious reasons. For years I have been dodging them as they whiz by my ears, or while I was horseback riding in the ring adjacent to his "driving range".
Now, I have discovered a use for them of my own. Shibori dyeing with these white wonders have created a cool effect that I will repeat again and again. You can see how they have been wrapped in the fabric, and then dipped in the Indigo. The Indigo comes out of the vat a bright coppery green, and then within minutes of hitting the air oxidizes and becomes that iconic indigo blue. The other scarf was dyed using pop beads from an old necklace, resulting in a smaller diamond pattern. These pieces are a cotton and cashmere blend, suitable for both men and women. The "golf" scarf was double dipped, first in Quebracho Yellow, then the Indigo bath. Safe to say that Tim will likely be the only golfer on the course wearing his golf ball shibori neck scarf, although he has started trends before!

My new spring line.

Hung out to dry, or freeze, whatever happens first. Getting ready for a big order, I had to dye and dry about 30 silk scarves when we were hit with a snow squall. That makes these scarves touched by a little extra bit of mother natures magic. Dyes used were indigo, turmeric, quebracho red and yellow, lac and logwood purple.

Briny deep.

This scarf reminds me of the underwater world and the kelp beds in California.
From a deep and briny green, to brighter yellow/green and teal as you get closer to the "surface". Come up for air and throw on your sarong. Can you say, "Margarita, please?"
Indigo and osage orange.

Naturally Neon.

Okay- typically not my color palette but when you see these colors in nature and you can get these colors without harsh chemicals, why not go with the flow?
Lapis Lazuli flows into citrine, which flows into cornflower blue which flows into chartreuse. A combination of Osage orange over dyed with indigo and this high quality Paj silk make these vibrant prism like colors. I think it would be more difficult to achieve these colors with cotton fibers.

Wasabi!

This combination is hot in that cool sort of way. Fustic gave a very bright yellow, and then when dipped in the indigo became more of a greenish yellow. The ends that had been prepared with beads and rubber bands to create the shibori effect that created diamonds were steeped longer in the indigo. The indigo was pretty well oxidized by that point, so the blue was very pale. The resulting colors remind me of that ever so powerful corner on your sushi platter, wasabi!

Vagabond Blue.

The most mystical and sacred of all natures contribution to the world of color- Indigo. A green plant that is composted and then fermented, it was the first and only blue dye for centuries. A blackish, oily looking green while swirling in the dye vat, it emerges and soon becomes blue once it becomes oxidized. Darkest blue the first dips, the color is absorbed by the fabrics until it is the palest of blues.
This silk organza shawl was dyed in indigo and then the dark end was soaked over night in the dregs of cutch and iron brew.

Windows in the wild.

I am not a huge fan of drapes or curtains, but out of respect for my neighbors have come up with a light and airy solution. I made a series of curtains that would provide a veil of privacy yet still allow the light and feeling of the outdoors to come in. I used a logwood dye for the grays fro the fabulous Earth Hues, turmeric (from Penzeys Spice!) for the yellow, and Indigo for the blue.
The silk screen on the yellow drapes is made from the sage, mint, clover and bamboo in my garden.
The spiky flowers printed on the blue and white linen drapes and the gray and white ombre were Queen Anne's Lace from my now empty horse paddocks.

Shibori on the rocks.

It is said that sea water makes a great pre mordant for dyeing fabric, so I decided to take my project to the beach in Westport,CT. I was able to purchase the end of a bolt of Helmut Lang's organic cotton lawn to use for some big indigo scarves. This was the first. I used stones from the beach, much like the Japanese used river stones, to wrap the fabric in and then bound the bundles with silk string wrapped and wrapped around. Then I soaked the piece in the water from the Long Island Sound. When we got back home I soaked it in the end of the indigo batch, which is why it is such a light blue. I think the results are lovely.