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Mar 07
in Uncategorized

third day to Melbourne

……Continued description of my journey in an email to a friend.

“After I left Bendigo, I thought I would head south. Such a contrast. Yellow and brown and so much dust. The animals are sitting near the waterholes – tired of pointlessly wandering for food. Whole tops of trees are blown over and hang with heads of dead leaves. Wind and brittleness from being dry I’m sure is the cause. The bark on the gums looks like they have been painted on to the landscape using a layer with an opacity of 60%. Their colour and stature is insipid. They seem frail and worn.

Castlemaine on the map caught my eye. I seemed to remember they had a farmers market, and I hit the jackpot…First Sunday of the month. I was only wearing a sarong and a little shoestring top and red thongs. 36 degrees when I arrived in Bendigo the evening before…and I wasn’t prepared for the goosebumps appearing so soon!. I managed to forage out my bushwalking vest from my day-travel area in my car. I didn’t want to have to do the whole unzip of the suitcase thing – but as I walked closer to the market, hand knitted bini’s, black leggings, fluffy scarves and black coats everywhere made me think I should have done the suitcase rummage.

Salty soft fresh hand-made feta made me instantly wished I lived in Victoria – regardless of the goosebumps which were now double goosebumps on my exposed arms. Soft green pistachio’s with skin splitting were scooped out of a box by a young woman with a hand knitted scarf, sundrenched working hands and Jackie Onassis sunglasses which couldn’t block the dreams in her eyes. Sweet date and lime chutney with just enough fire to leave a warm tingle on my tongue and lips – two jars of that one went into my silk carry bag! An old man apologised that he didn’t have any plain olives – only marinated ones from vats on a neighboring farm. His had all been lost in the fire. He said to come next year and he would have some then. Such optimism I felt in my chest. The artists filled a little alley and had their wonky trestles and children on checkered mats with colouring books. Glistening glass beads and brooches, wire skeleton birds stationary in lumps of wood, bulging bottoms and breasts on canvas and artists hoping to pack up less into their old rusty cars than they brought.

I thought about lunch, but it was a bit early so I wanted to see if the little shop at Guilford still had some hand spun wool. The yellow screen door squeaked then slammed – the spring broken in the 18 months since I was last through it. The door to the little wool cave was shut and the lady with an accent like Wallace on Wallace and Grommet said she was reorganizing things, and only accepting really top notch wool products from now on… and the wool store in Castlemaine had closed down so she could see a real opportunity now for her wool room to do really well. She had owned the store for 2 years and she said that she could really feel this was going to be a good year for opportunities for her. Such optimism everywhere.

Daylesford was windy. I so wished I had delved into my suitcase to find my cardy – or even my coat!.., but I thought I wouldn’t be long in the wind…just enough time to get from the car into my favourite café in the main street, for some pumpkin or lentil soup…and a dandy tea with honey… and a piece of crumbly gluten free cake with pineapple and nuts and dates and a big dollop of freshly whipped cream. I was looking through the menu and everything seemed to become quiet. The power had gone out. Nothing to boil water…heat up soup…run cash registers. A common conversation piece kept us all there for a while, but those who hadn’t ordered yet decided to leave – and that included me. Bummer. Oh well , an excuse for a drive up there another time. “

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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Instagram post 2197125511554330218_7573063145 As an artist, all my creative expression is founded upon my experiences. 
Our recent journeys through Thailand, Laos and China have inspired a series of blankets I have hand woven using the most beautiful indie dyed wool from my collection. 
Seeing so much weaving in the rural areas, and participating in my weaving class with @theweavingsisters inspired me to recommence weaving which I havent done since I was an adolescent... quite a long time ago!

I'm so enjoying my 48" or 120cm Rigid Heddle Loom by @ashford_wheels_looms . I don't have any podcasts playing. No Audio or visual programmes in the background. I am accompanied only by my thoughts and the sounds of nature outside my studio. it is such a lovely space to be in to weave meditatively.

I hope you enjoy seeing how I translate my experiences into beautiful woven blankets. I have woven several more which I will share over the coming weeks. ***I've tried to include in this description here all the wonderful dyers of these beautiful yarns; so you can see how your yarn is used "in the wild", but it seems I cannot; so I've done so in the first comment below. .
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#weaving #indieyarn #handmadewithlove #loomweaving #weavingart #weavingaustralia #journeywoman #liveboldly #livingthedream #inspired #indiedyedyarn #rigidheddleweaving #rigidheddleloom #creativespirit
Instagram post 2181901153613465477_7573063145 Indigo blue; cotton thread; sewing and laughter. In Dali in South-Western China I sewed, wrapped thread and dipped my cotton into liquid blue; under the instruction of the local Bai women in a small village on the outskirts of Dali; and together with Max and our Guides, had the best day. 
This traditional practice of dyeing has survived for over a thousand years surviving the Cultural Revolution, when many other Dong traditions such as Shamanism, were stamped out by Communist ideology.
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This process of botanical dyeing uses plants such as indigo, woad and mugwort which are native to the nearby mountains of Cangshan. These plants are not only used for dye, but for food, medicine and ornaments.

Historically in this region it is the men who harvest and prepare the dyes, whilst the women weave, prepare the cloth and do the stitching and washing of the dyed fabric.

A couple of dozen plants were used for dyeing. I learned that both acid and alkaline mordants were used to modify the colours.

I also learned of the sense of ritual involved in the dyeing process. Dyeing within the lives of the villagers was only performed on goat days in the lunar calendar from June to October. 
Through our interpreter the ladies shared that they were trying to hold on to their tradition, but were fearful that their traditions were being lost as the young people moved away to the cities and their culture was being wiped out. 
I’m so grateful to have learned this unique and special technique from these fabulous ladies. I had the best day. Swipe for pics and more on my website - link in profile.
. . #liveboldly#traveller #roadtrip #momentsofmine #dali #adventurer #journeywoman #indigo #travelmore #instatravelling #travelgram #explore #explorer #traveldiaries #livingthedream #travelawesome #traveldeeper #livefully #livecreatively #inspired #travelmore #wonderfulplaces #openmyworld #lovetotravel #seekmoments #botanicaldyeing #bai #handcrafts
Instagram post 2175476617724628608_7573063145 There is something quite lovely about wearing items which are crafted using one’s hands; and there has been time, quality materials, and one’s heart and soul embedded within them. My skirt; my jumpers and scarves that I knitted myself.. and my jewellery which was made by artisans I’ve met along our journeys over the years; all hold the essence of human creativity and soul. 
Most days on our journey I wore, the most exquisite piece of woven silk fabric I purchased from @ockpoptok in Luang Prabang in Laos… and held it up using the belt I wove with @theweavingsisters . 
Luang Prabang in Laos was a dyers and weavers heaven. At Ock Pop Toc  there was a beautiful display of weaving using silk. I learned so much about the different styles of weaving techniques… and had a really great time with the weavers there.  I’ve always loved weaving and after my fabulous day weaving my belt with @theweavingsisters, I was hungry to learn more… and considering purchasing a loom when we returned home so I could weave at home. 
What was wonderful about wearing an exquisite piece of fabric, was that I could adapt the tying style according to the country and when I was in Tibet, I realised that the fold was in the back instead of at the side as in Laos… so…. just an adjustment in the fold and my skirt was much admired by the local ladies… but for me, more importantly was that there was something quite wonderful about wearing items which had taken time, heart and soul to create and that I could let them live as I walked and travelled across land. 
Swipe to see more photos and more stories and photographs in my Journal on my website – link in my profile. ..
Pic at Everest Base Camp in Tibet, with Chomolungma )Mt Everest) reaching skyward behind me. .
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Samen Shawl by @westknits 
My motifs in Astrid by @junkookamoto212 .
.#liveboldly #Laos #traveller #roadtrip #weaving #momentsofmine #laostravel #adventurer #journeywoman #instatravel #instatravelling #himalayas #travelgram #explore #explorer #traveldiaries #livingthedream #travelawesome #traveldeeper #livefully #livecreatively #inspired #adventureseeker #travelmore #goexplore #wonderfulplaces #openmyworld #lovetotravel #seekmoments
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.
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