Trip to Florida / I was a student

I just took a wonderful trip to Florida where I was a student enjoying the learning process. I have a wonderful friend named Suzanne Conners who owns Aya Fiber Studio in Stuart, Florida. Her studio is located at the Fish House Art Center and looks out over the beautiful Florida waterfront. This was our view for the week.

The class I was taking was about combining indigo, eco-dye and rust. Now how much better could it get? The teacher was Pia Best-Reininghaus from Germany. The first thing we learned was how Pia mixes her indigo vat. Then she demonstrated how she dips and allows for oxidation. Her techniques were very different from some I have been taught. Then it was our turn and we dyed our fabrics and garments in the indigo and proceeded to lay out our plants for the eco-dyeing.

We made our bundles of fabric, plants and rusty pipes. Then the steaming began. The plant based fibers were steamed for 5 hours before we could open and reveal our "masterpieces".

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Oh my goodness the big reveals were so exciting! Who would think eight women could be so thrilled with rust stained fabrics. It was so much fun. I made some great new friends and enjoyed the relaxation time. On the second night we went on a cruise around Port Salerno. The weather was perfect as we were enjoying the sights along with a little wine and cheese. They even have boats for the police.

The time flew by and before I knew it, I had to get on the plane and come home. This was one of my new friends-Alexandra. She is Suzanne and Steve's kitty. I called her a little alien because she made a noise like someone from space instead of a meow. She is adorable!

I can't wait to wear my new shirt and scarves. I also have fabric dyed and ready to sew a shirt and vest. As usual I just need some more time.