Boro'd Time

I’ve always found it difficult to get rid of the small scraps of cloth left over after a piece of work has been completed.  This has become even more challenging since I started using eco-printing techniques and natural dyes: every little fragment has passed through so many hands, been laundered so many times in its original form and then torn up, dyed and printed by me, sometimes over and over again, until it has its own intriguing patina and unique history.

So, thank goodness I have discovered the Japanese tradition of Boro.  Originally a method of mending the working clothes of peasants, over and over again until the original garment is almost non-existent, this type of sewing is now considered high art and is highly collectible.  Unlike the rather embarrassed history of making do and mend, as it exists in British culture, the Japanese venerate the beauty of each stitch and, in the Boro tradition, the more visible the stitches, the more beautiful is the garment.

So, I have started to keep a “Boro Box” of all my little eco-dyeing and printing scraps in order to stitch them together.  They won’t make or repair a garment, but I will see how they develop – possibly into abstract landscapes.  Such is the pleasure of this slow, organic method of building up a surface through stitch, that I am planning on sharing the joy of it by running a course on the theme next year.  So, if you are interested, keep an eye on the calendar for 2020.

 Open Studio 2019

Jan's Studio in Elphin is open to visitors between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm on the following days:

12th - 26th April.

Thereafter, Wednesdays, between 1st May and 25^th September

except for the following Wednesdays:

15th May

5^th June

26^th June

18^th September

Jan holds a collection of her larger works at her Studio. To arrange a private viewing please email Jan or telephone 01854 666279 to arrange a time.

Visit the Open Studio / Location  page for more details. 

Two Jans Eco-print Greetings Cards

In celebration of our recent successes in refining the miraculous process of eco-printing onto fabric and paper, the Two Jans - Jan Kilpatrick and Jan Breckenridge - are launching a range of unique, high-quality, eco-print greetings cards,using entirely natural methods and materials.

They are available to buy through my on-line shop, at my studio during Open Studio days and at Ceard in Ullapool.  Why not nurture a love of nature by sending someone you love one of these distinctive cards?  Visit the Card Shop to see them for yourself.

Night Owl - New Textile Wall-hanging

Owls are rare in this corner of Assynt, but recently we discovered a Barn Owl roosting in a nearby ruin.  It flew out of an open door, brushing the top of Brian’s head in its effort to fly away.  We were astonished by its beauty and its size.  And on a winter holiday in The Borders, every morning we watched another Barn Owl hunt along the shores of the river Tweed.

And so it was inevitable that I would end up making some work featuring this magnificent bird.  All of the fabric in this panel is marked using eco-printing and rust printing, the rust being particularly effective in making the feather marks on the wings.

I am pleased with it, so it is on its way into Ceard, Ullapool, for sale.  But I feel there is more Barn Owl work to do, so I have already started another panel on the same theme.  Watch this space!

Online Card Shop

It has been a long time coming but, at long last, I have created a range of greetings cards based on some of my more popular stitched works.  At the moment, there are collections based on the mountains of Assynt, the little croft designs, the more abstract landscape interpretations of the Ardmair area and a couple of designs suitable for use as Christmas or Winter Solstice cards.  Of course, they are all blank inside, so you can use them for any occasion you wish!  Visit the Card Shop to see them for yourself.

Online Textile Shop

This might also be a good time to tell you about the new on-line Textile Shop. I have a few large stitched wall-hangings that are looking for a new home, so I have listed them for sale, some of them at a much-reduced price.  They all come ready to hang and the price included postage and packaging. 

Treat yourself, or someone you love!

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