Wednesday, September 30, 2009

One Word Wednesday

Strong!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

One Word Wednesday


Waiting

Thursday, September 17, 2009

On the Water

I was out kayaking today and saw many intriguing sights. We launched at low tide so passed by huge purple starfish, hanging things (not sure what they are) and sea otters peering back at us.





Wednesday, September 16, 2009

One Word Wednesday


Puffy!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Stamping Monday

In this post I'll show how one image can be used in three different ways to create a useful design. I found this design on the refuse containers in Honolulu, remember its important to look everywhere for interesting ideas!


I carved two different sized stamps of the "negative" image from Speedy Cut, one about twice as big as the other. I roughed up the edges a bit so it wasn't so even.
I also cut another "positive" image from some Flexi-cut. this product comes in think sheets that can be cut with scissors or an art knife. I cut one image and then another slightly larger and mount the smaller one on top of the larger before sticking to my wood block.


Here are some of the designs I stamped. The fabric is a coarse linen so the images are a little rough.



One more idea I'd like to pass along....mount your stamps on the back of a paint stir stick. They're generally free and you can cut them to any length!

Friday, September 11, 2009

More Indigo!!

Another day playing with the indigo buckets...when I arrived the one from yesterday was pretty well exhausted, we had pumped a LOT of fabric through, probably 8-10 yards of it. So we made a fresh bucket and started again.
You can see in this picture that the fabric is yellow/green under the bath but when exposed to the air, gradually oxidizes and turns those wonderful blues.

In these three pictures you can really see the change. The pictures were taken about 45 seconds apart.



I also dyed some lace, linen and threads for my textile packs.

And some silk and cotton yarn. I'm thinking of knitting a lacey wrap or shawl.

I can certainly see why people describe indigo as living or having personality! I've become a convert and hope to play in the dyepot a lot in the very near future! I have a friend who grows her own indigo, maybe its time to visit her garden!
So Michele, what do you think! Send me an email and we can do a deal!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Indigo Class

Today I had so much fun being a student! I am taking a two day indigo dyeing class with Gloria Daly, an exceptional teacher and quilt artist.
We began by tying, pleating, clamping and polewrapping cottons and silk.


I had prepared some clmped pieces so I got into the dyeing right away.
Here are some pieces that were just taken out of the indigo pot and are waiting to be hung on the line to dry.


Here are some of the fabrics, there is silk and cotton, scarves and yardage.



I'll be back tomorrow with lots more fabrics, including laces, ribbon and more. So check back and I'll have more pictures.
In the meantime, try looking at these sites for more information about indigo dyeing:

http://www.prochemical.com/directions/Indigo.htm

http://www.fibrecrafts.com/resource/fact_file/dyes/indigo.asp

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

One Word Wednesday

Sunshine!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Colour Lasagna

Many dyers know this simple recipe, its fun and simple and a great way to use up the leftover dyes at the end of a session.



You will need the following:
*Large bucket with 1 gallon of lukewarm water and 4 teaspoons soda ash
*Leftover Procion MX dyes dissolved in water-any concentration, any colours, any amount
*Large container with lid-icecream bucket or similar. It should be larger than a yogurt container
*Several fat quarters-I use 4-6 of them. Try different fabrics, linen, silk etc.
*Add in some embroidery floss, lace or??

1. Pour 1 cup of soda ash solution into the bottom of the large container.
2. Add one fat quarter and push into the soda ash solution.
3. Pour small amount (1/4 cup) of one or more colours of dye solution over top and push the fabric into the dye.

4. Add another cup of soda ash solution.
5. Add another fat quarter.
6. Add more dye solution, try other colours.

7. Repeat these steps over and over again until you have run out of fabric, dyes or both. Push all pieces down into the dye/soda ash solution.



8. Place lid on container and let sit for 2-3 hours.



9. Rinse well and then wash in hot water with a small amount of Synthrapol.
10. Iron fabrics and enjoy.



All supplies are available from Dharma Trading www.dharmatrading.com They have a great website, check them out!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Camano Island Quilters

I visited the Camano Island Quilters this past week, presenting two leactures and then a day workshop called Colour to Cloth. In the morning we did Low Water Immersion in baggies and the last exercise was to make a colour strata using up all the remaining dyes in the cups. I love doing this little project because there are few rules and the students are always so surprised at the results. I also leanred that its called Colour Lasagna, I like that name better. Tomorrow I'll post the instructions for it, so check back!

In the afternoon we painted, stamped and sun printed on fabric. fortunately the sun stayed out so the students had some great results.




Finally we used discharge paste to remove colour, most of the students had never used the paste so they were quite excited with the results. It was surprising to see how a tan fabric discharged to pink!


Liz created an Asian style piece!!!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

One Word Wednesday

Watching