15 square metres were far from enough. As sun and wind drives away the last of winter, I’m dyeing a second batch – another 10 x 1,5 metres – of blue silk. This is my part of a collaboration with Anna Wahl Gran, who masters the technique of nuno felting… The dyed silk will be laid out with fine wool and felted into a compound by Anna and her co-workers; the intense blue will blend with the naturally brown and blackish shades of sheep fleece. While ironing metre after metre of fabric – in order to stabilize the dye – I admire the first test samples from Anna, thinking of those stunning photos of deep space… (Actually, pure blue isn’t really my colour.)

Above: two test samples of nuno textile with fine wool and dyed silk, by feltmaker Anna Wahl Gran; and the M81 Galaxy Group, seen through the Integrated Flux Nebula (photo by D. Lopez and A Rosenberg/ IAC).

Below: fixation of colour in silk fabric.