That evening we gathered again at the house of Shirley, who had been the spark that organized the gathering, to make pasta (first time for me), drink wine and make small collages. The three stayed at Shirley's and I went home to bed, really tired but well on the way to designing a piece around Mae. A few days later Shirley emailed me with her ideas for going forward; I don't know whether she will embark on a "Mae piece" of her own or not. My own thoughts are in the stewing and boiling stage right now, though I'm eager to get started.
Tomorrow friend Pam is coming out from Huntsville to do a couple days of natural dyeing in my back yard. We have some new mordanting techniques to try. This has compelled me to clean up the back patio so we'll have room to work. It's a very good idea to have guests occasionally for decency's sake.