Fibermania

Getting Started

Ahhhhh. I have been thinking about this all winter: how I could dye fabric without having a lot of hassle. Indoor dyeing just isn't going to work for me here. And we have no basement and the garage is just too dark, etc etc etc. My solution is the stoop outside my studio door. It faces east and usually all the weather comes at us from the west side of the house.
  This wire shelving unit was loaded with stuff, tucked away in the corner of the garage and was integral to my plan. Unloading it was the major deterrent to putting it into action. Gritting my teeth, I began and within 15 minutes it was empty. Note to self: Sometimes the hardest part of any action is the first step. OK. I have my work station set up, with the table on bedrisers from either Target or BBand Beyond and now I am about to cut down my 1" styrofoam sheets to fit the width of the shelving.
For those of you new to my dyeing methods, see this alternate blog: http://www.lazydyer.blogspot.com/

  However, now it is the weather that will delay my start. It is barely warm enough for the dyes to work, but the humidity will prevent the fabrics from drying overnight, so I will just get the rest of the fabric ripped into 1/2 yard lengths (matching the width of Wonder-Under) and when the rains pass, I will begin.

 In the meantime I am still swooning over the increasingly blue hydrangea (unretouched photo!)

But I'm fit to be tied at those dirty raccoon buggers that stole my perfectly ripe just about to be harvested tomatoes!

 The before and after shots. Grrrrr. I suppose this will be happening all summer. No wonder folks around here keep big dogs.

I am preparing to have more tomatoes than I can possibly eat. Yesterday I succumbed to this adorable plant. O, yes,  I am a sucker for short and stocky leafy things. This is a Husky Red Cherry tomato which is suited for containers and gets only about 4 feet tall and promises to bear lots of fruit until frost. We'll see.

The field beds are looking good and getting watered daily. I have three more tomatoes there, a Patio and two Brandywines. I hope to be able to share my produce with tomato lovers of the non-furry variety.
 Nice grass eh? Dave is saving the clippings for me and I am sprinkling them around the plants as mulch. This will save moisture and improve the soil, in time.

My newest babies, zucchini from seed. I presprouted them and in two days they were this big. Last year I planted lots of different squashes and got absolutely none. I hope I am inundated this year with zucchini, straightneck, acorn, and cucumbers. Ah the vagaries of the garden...