Bleach Discharge Session

Last weeks fabric dyeing led to bleach discharging this week. I used a bleach pen, spray mister, and stencils on the fabrics below.

Then I folded fabrics, dipped the folds in bleach solution, the dark areas are the original fabric. Squiggles were made with a bleach pen, and a sprayed over stencil were done on the bottom fabrics.

I then tried using a commercial batik. The left is the original, the right was discharged with a bleach pen.

Each fabric was a surprise when discharged, didn't know what color any of the fabrics would change to. All were happy surprises.

At our guild meeting Tuesday, my students from the Beginner Hand-Dyeing class brought in their fabrics for show and tell. I think they're happy with the results.

Hand-dyeing Class

Last Tuesday, I taught a class at my guild (Warwick Valley Quilters Guild, web site http://www.wvqg.com/ ) on hand-dyeing fabric. The process I taught was low water immersion, a simple beginners course. They did basic colors, then some tints and shades, and ended with a couple of tie-dyes. Below are some pictures of the students. Don't they look like they're having fun!

They will be bringing in the finished results this coming Tuesday at our meeting. Will have some pictures of their work then.

I had some dyes left over (couldn't waste the dyes) so the next day I did some dyeing.

I also painted some dyes onto soda ash soaked black on white fabrics. I just squirted dyes on the fabric and smooched it around with my hands.

I used a lot of black dye mixed with red, blue, green and violet. These I plan to discharge. They're actually much darker than the picture.

The weather has been so rainy........I don't know when I'll get to do this.

Result from stamping

This is a quilt that developed from my playing with the stamps I made.

I stamped a ripple design onto a tie-dyed fabric I had made a while ago that was added to my stash. I then stamped a small fish onto the left side, stenciled a larger fish with metalic paints on the right side, and in the middle used foil to make the largest fish. I fused some rocks and reeds on and used some thread trash to make the cattails.

Yes...... I save the thread knots from my washed fabric.

I used the ripple stamp as my quilting design and quilted it with glitter thread from Superior Thread.

I'm happy how this quilt developed from one stamp.

Strawberry Festival & Art Exhibit

This Sunday there is an exhibit and sale at Kinnelon Museum L'Ecole, 25 Kiel Ave, Kinnelon, NJ from 12pm - 3pm. "Collaboration", a group of art quilters that I belong to, are selling our work, plus displaying our collaborative quilt "Matisse Revisited".

Seven of us each did a strip interpreting one of Matisse's paintings. This quilt will then be entered into various shows.

Also at this venue there will be several local artists displaying and selling their work.

Last, but not least, this is a strawberry festival, so there will be plenty of strawberry shortcake. All artists are donating a portion of their sales to TBAW, a non-profit organization benefitting 2 animal shelters in Kinnelon and Butler, NJ.

Stamping

I've been cutting some stamps with plumber's rubber gaskets. I read about this in the last issue of "Quilting Arts" magazine, article "Printing Blocks" by Cynthia St. Charles. Her blog www.cynthiastcharles.com shows examples of some of her work. Fantastic!!

Below is a white PFD fabric that I practiced on. I used Seta Color transparency paint, opaque paint and Distress Ink pads with rubber gasket stamps, speedball speedy cut stamps, safety kut stamps, and magic foam.

I kind of got carried away in cutting out stamps. Its rather addictive.

Using some hand-dyed fabric, I stamped negative stamps onto the fabric.

I love how the dyed fabric shows through giving added interest.

Another piece stamped on the diagonal with some leaf stamps.

This was so fun I'm going to continue. Maybe a quilt idea will come to me.