Fabric Review

I reviewed my hand-dyed fabrics that I recently have done, and wasn't too happy with the red/orange fabrics I dyed. They weren't the colors I wanted. They were more orange than red/orange. So, to fix them, I decided to shibori them with a more concentrated red/orange.

These came out better. I was happier with the colors.

While doing the shibori, I also tried more low-water immersion dyeing with the concentrated red/orange dye. These came out better also.

With my dyes out, I did a few more tray dyeing fabrics. I used lemon yellow, golden yellow, chinese red, sky blue, and brown, pleated the fabric, and squirted dyes in different sections. The 2nd fabric I used scarlet, golden yellow, cerulean blue and brown.

I also tried one by just scrunching the fabric in a dish pan. I used lemon yellow, golden yellow, chinese red and turquoise.

This came out in spots that were rather muddy looking but overall I liked the results.

It was a successful day.

Fluttering Leaves

I did some sun printing with seta color paints last summer, and have finally started working with one of the fabrics.

I mixed varying shades of oranges and painted them on a fat quarter of fabric. I then layed down various sizes of maple leaves and the little helicopter seed pods, let dry in the sun then removed the leaves and pods.

I then hand-dyed fabrics with numerous blue/orange combinations to make stems. These I fused and zigzag applique.

I outlined each leaf with Fabrico markers to give more definition to the leaves.

Come back to check out the quilting and finishing touches.

Another Play Day

This weeks experiment was trying monoprinting. I used a gelatin mold as my print plate from Rayna Gilman's book"Creating your own hand-printed cloth". The technique was simple, make a mold with non-flavored gelatin, spread some paint over it, make an impression on the paint and press fabric over the mold. I used previously hand-dyed fabric, and seta color and opague paints.

The first print I used bubble wrap on a lavender fabric and violet paint.


Second print I used flower stamps on white fabric and a blue paint. Around the edges I stamped excess paint from the stamps to give a negative print.

The last set I used a green fabric and a fern and an unknown weed and then ghost printed each.

To end the day I sun-printed on a batik with some weed leaves with an olive green paint.

This technique gave some great results and a wiggly-giggly feeling. Everything is fun with jello!

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.

New Work in Progress

I started working on a hosta plant quilt. I started by taking a photo and enlarging it.

I trace over the key elements then posterize it on the computer.

I use this enlarged picture to trace onto freezer paper for my templates. I used my hand-dyed fabrics for the the leaves. I painted starch onto seam allowances and pressed back onto the freezer paper. Then, removing the paper, I appliqued the units together with invisible thread and blind-hem stitch onto stabilizer.

The right half

and the left half.

The pieced background for the hosta was a rail fence block irregularly cut.

I added a piece of fabric to the bottom for the mulch. I like to do a pieced background to add extra interest.

Then I added the hosta to the background and blind-hem stitched it to the background.

Needless to say, this was not done in one day. It took over a week working on it daily. Decisions on how to machine quilt need to be made. I'll have to give this some thought.

Will keep you informed on my progress.

Just Started Blogging

I have fin--ally decided to blog. Hopt to keep your interest in how I work with photos and techniques.

I just got a letter in the mail from Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo, California that I've been accepted into their show. I'm soooo excited!!! This is my first time exhibiting in an Art Center. Before sending the quilt out, here is a picture and close up of the quilt "Hall's Pond".

I used various hand-dyed fabrics of my own to make the stones and reeds and fused them onto the pieced background of commerical batiks. Raw-edged applique was used as a quilting design. The piece is 12" X 12".