Textiles in the Tower

Felt vessel on ecoprint table runner
Originally uploaded by MadeleineS.
There's been so much going on, I don't think it's sensible to try filling in the gap since the last post. I've been so tired and worn out, I've promised myself that, after this exhibition, I'll not to take on any new projects for the rest of the year.

Now it's May and I'm getting my work ready for Textiles in the Tower. This is a really exciting opportunity to show my work in a group exhibition in Thomson's Tower, Dr Neils' Garden, Duddingston. The show features as many different types of textile work as the curator could find. Although she approached me with a view to adding knitting to the collection, as we talked it became clear there was more that I could offer.

The idea of relating the work directly to the local landscape and to the garden where the tower is sited was raised. As well as offering my knitted strata wallhanging (for the local geology), it immediately occurred to me that the garden could well be a source of ecoprinting materials. Indeed it is - they have some eucalyptus trees, one of which had fallen in the winter storms. I visited to collect leaves from several ages of eucalyptus on Easter Monday. The leaves were duly bundled with silk, steamed, stored for for a week.

The table runner above was unwrapped last week and finished off at the weekend. Each leaf in the print is made by a relatively mature leaf in the bundle. The darker spots come from the broken ends of the stalks. There are two more bundles maturing in our airing cupboard at the moment. If I can wait that long, they'll be unwrapped at the weekend.

If you're around the Edinburgh area in the middle of May it will be well worth visiting Textiles in the Tower and having a stroll around the garden too. It's open from 2pm until 5pm from 12th to 20th of May. See this web page for directions: http://www.drneilsgarden.co.uk/find.html .