totemo murasaki ne!

yesterday i checked the steeping murasaki and was totally disappointed with the color of the water. it was yellowish brown with no hint of the beautiful purple. having read in the natural dyes lists about  using alcohol for extracting dyes i thought i had nothing to lose by trying. after all sandra rude is an advocate of the method  and she gets gorgeous colors from wood chips.

it was like magic. as soon as the alcohol touched the root chips the liquid started getting purple.this time i'm going to get purple, not like last time.  

here  you can read about the different shades of purple and their names in japanese. 

note the difference between edo and kyoto colors both tremendously iki in their own way

i'd be elated with anyone except fujiro. done that one already!

turning a page. today there's a general strike here. strange to see my street, a busy cross town street empty and silent at 11 a.m.

neki desu

a million small things cooking

change of seasons, the cooler weather always brings a surge in activities.still have to finish warping , but taking a break from the loom to look around. here are some  interesting finds in no particular order.

found this post which is  a beautiful summary of the change of seasons.

if you are into sewing and interested in retro  here is a good source for vintage patterns. some of them cost as much as the gown itself but there are plenty of good value ones.

still on the the diy mode: continued education for diy artist fractured atlas offers courses, sponsorhips and health insurance among other resources.

has your work ever been rejected to an exhibit? this article via textile art resource guide gives a good perspective on juries and juried exhibits.
and the image, you may wonder what the point is .it is this digitally transformed that is already here

neki desu

the legend

tanabata  七夕 form the nihon sun 


"Separated by the milky way, two star crossed lovers are only able to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month based on the lunisolar calendar.  The legend of Hikoboshi (the star known as Alter) and Orihime (the star known as Vega) has roots in China but has been associated with Japan’s Tanabata festival since the sixth century.

Orihime, the daughter of Emperor Tentei, was a skilled weaver and made lovely clothes for her father.  On day as she sat alongside the the river of heaven ( Amanogawa – the milky way) she was overcome with sadness as she had been so busy with her weaving that she hadn’t had time to fall in love.   Tentei, believed to be the ruler of the heavens, witness her woeful state and arranged a marriage for her with Hikoboshi who lived across the river.  The couple was very much in love and were very happy but Orihime was neglecting her weaving.  This angered Tentei so much that he decided to separate the couple putting them back on opposite sides of the river.

Tentei decreed that the couple would only be allowed to see each other on one night each year – on the seventh day of the seventh month.  On that evening a boatman (the moon) comes to ferry Orihime over the river to her beloved Hikoboshi.  But if Orihime has not given her best to her weaving Tentei may make it rain causing the river to flood so the boatman cannot make the trip.  In this case the kasasagi (a group of magpies) may still fly to the milky way to make a bridge for Orihime to cross.

The Tanabata festival (also know as the star festival) celebrates the reuniting of these lovers separated by the milky way and the word tanabata can be translated as “weaving with the loom (bata) placed on the shelf (tana)”.

it will be tomorrow in the shop.

neki desu