Dying for some fun....

Dye...I love it, the thought that you have some control on the colour of your fabric is a fact I find quite exciting.  Colour is something that plays a big part in my life. I remember things in colour.  For some its sounds, smell or even texture, for me it is colour.   From the sepia tinted photograph post cards of my grandparents time to the bright gordy colours of children's toys, colour is usually the first thing I remember when recalling a memory.So I guess its no wounder that I like colour, it touches every part of my life.  I believe colour has the ability to have control over your mood and actions.  Its a powerful medium for sure.  Now of course black and white are colours and I am not afraid to use them.  I remember quite clearly, many years ago when I was a working girl in the city, being called into see my boss, my work had slid a little and I was not bringing in the top results, the comment that stuck with me however was the fact that my boss had noticed my change in dress style, I was wearing black, I looked smart, super tailored suites, matching dress, trousers, pencil skirts all finished off with a jacket... but all black.
I went home and realised that this simple observation was about to change my life.  I had always wanted the big job in the city, were my pay cheque covered easily my cost of living and living I was doing.  I believed I was successful, that I could hold my head high and say... look what I did with my life.  So why was I wearing black, I looked like everyone else in the city, my individuality had gone, I was no longer Suzie.  I followed the crowd and I believed I was happy as surly this is what people imagine you do to be successful.  Only I was not happy, in fact I was sad and despite the amount of people around me and all the nights out I had I was lonely.

It was a huge step, but I gave up my job and expensive lifestyle, I moved back into a more rural area and I took a considerably lower paid job in a creative field.  It was not long until the tailored  business suits were no longer being worn, replaced with the colourful and sometimes slightly eccentric clothing that I am now known for.  I made some lasting friendships and I lived in a tiny little flat overlooking the local park.  
Yes colour has influenced ever part of my life.  So the delight to have control over colour is indeed something that holds my attention.  A day spent playing with fabric dye, a whole day, with no other duties but to play was indeed a good day.  I loved all the pots of powder dye, the fun of mixing up the solutions and preparing the fabric in many different ways to  see the different effects that could be achieved.  Cotton, linen, silk, various trimming and even paper were used.  Dipping, sprinkling, painting, knotting and lots of mess, I was happy.
I now have an whole pile of my very own fabric, waiting to be ironed and used in projects, some pretty, exciting and useable pieces others drab and dull, but I learnt a lot about the process, I had fun and I still have my projects to make.  Indeed if your dying for some fun, its surly the way to go.

I wish you a good weekend and I hope you find some time to be creative.  I am working on my summer quilt and spending the Sunday with family.  Take care...