An Autumn Brew

It has been a busy summer, what with Open Studio Days, making work for the galleries and regular experiments with the elusive art of eco printing.  Before September is out and before the leaves have fallen, I will be trying to squeeze in some more eco printing, since I will miss the delicious satisfaction of opening these precious little bundles over the long, bare winter.

But all is not lost.  I have just started to employ an old scout troop stew pan in order to dye cloth and wool blankets, using plants from my garden.  It is a HUGE object, so I have had to resort to cobbling together a trivet of sorts, using an old wrought iron telephone table, which can support the pot over a roaring bonfire set in the fire pit up the back of the garden.  Thankfully, we have no shortage of wood as fuel, especially now that we have to thin out the trees that Brian planted all of 13 years ago. 

So, I look forward to this method of dyeing, which will keep me both warm and full of expectation (no two dye vats produce exactly the same results), as I try recipe after recipe throughout the autumn and far into the winter.  I will sit back, listen to the stags roaring and look to the stars.

If you are interested in learning these techniques for yourself, please have a look at the Fabric of the Land course page.

 Exhibition 2019

Crossing Borders: Breaking Boundaries    

The fine art and craft of five textile artists    

10th - 15th September  2019      Nairn Court House

I am delighted to join four other textile artists: Suzie Alexander, Becs Boyd, June Hyndman and Alison King, in presenting an exhibition of contemporary textile art as part of the annual Nairn Book and Arts Festival which, this year, features a lecture by Clare Hunter, who will talk about her celebrated  book, 'Threads of Life', on Sunday 15th September.  Clare is also facilitating a community textile project in the course of the festival and the results will be on display alongside the exhibition.

Boro'd Time

I’ve always found it difficult to get rid of the small scraps of cloth left over after a piece of work has been completed.  This has become even more challenging since I started using eco-printing techniques and natural dyes: every little fragment has passed through so many hands, been laundered so many times in its original form and then torn up, dyed and printed by me, sometimes over and over again, until it has its own intriguing patina and unique history.

So, thank goodness I have discovered the Japanese tradition of Boro.  Originally a method of mending the working clothes of peasants, over and over again until the original garment is almost non-existent, this type of sewing is now considered high art and is highly collectible.  Unlike the rather embarrassed history of making do and mend, as it exists in British culture, the Japanese venerate the beauty of each stitch and, in the Boro tradition, the more visible the stitches, the more beautiful is the garment.

So, I have started to keep a “Boro Box” of all my little eco-dyeing and printing scraps in order to stitch them together.  They won’t make or repair a garment, but I will see how they develop – possibly into abstract landscapes.  Such is the pleasure of this slow, organic method of building up a surface through stitch, that I am planning on sharing the joy of it by running a course on the theme next year, in conjunction with my friend Jan Breckenridge.  She is a qualified medical herbalist and  fellow eco-print enthusiast, who will bring a whole host of skills to the table.

So, if you are interested, have a look at the Boro'd Time course page.

 Open Studio 2019

Jan's Studio in Elphin is open to visitors between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm on the following days:

12th - 26th April.

Thereafter, Wednesdays, between 1st May and 25^th September

except for the following Wednesdays:

15th May

5^th June

26^th June

18^th September

As part of the Assynt and Coigach Creative Trail, the studio will be open between 10.00am and 4.00pm on the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th of September 2019.

Jan holds a collection of her larger works at her Studio. To arrange a private viewing please email Jan or telephone 01854 666279 to arrange a time.

Visit the Open Studio / Location  page for more details. 

Two Jans Eco-print Greetings Cards

In celebration of our recent successes in refining the miraculous process of eco-printing onto fabric and paper, the Two Jans - Jan Kilpatrick and Jan Breckenridge - are launching a range of unique, high-quality, eco-print greetings cards,using entirely natural methods and materials.

They are available to buy through my on-line shop, at my studio during Open Studio days and at Ceard in Ullapool.  Why not nurture a love of nature by sending someone you love one of these distinctive cards?  Visit the Card Shop to see them for yourself.

Online Card Shop

It has been a long time coming but, at long last, I have created a range of greetings cards based on some of my more popular stitched works.  At the moment, there are collections based on the mountains of Assynt, the little croft designs, the more abstract landscape interpretations of the Ardmair area and a couple of designs suitable for use as Christmas or Winter Solstice cards.  Of course, they are all blank inside, so you can use them for any occasion you wish!  Visit the Card Shop to see them for yourself.

Online Textile Shop

This might also be a good time to tell you about the new on-line Textile Shop. I have a few large stitched wall-hangings that are looking for a new home, so I have listed them for sale, some of them at a much-reduced price.  They all come ready to hang and the price included postage and packaging. 

Treat yourself, or someone you love!

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