Dyed And Over Dyed Small Fabrics, Waiting For Inspiration

 This was an ongoing project to dye and overdye these smaller pieces of fabric. 

Some only have two layers of color but some have many more.

I am taking my time deciding how I will make the best use of them.

Dyeing Color Family - Third and Last Color - Rerun

 I love to look back 10 years and see my personal color family. 

I have finished doing all the dyeing for my Personal Color Family.

I am so pleased with them. They are indeed Kay colors.
My favorite season is right now - FALL. These colors are so much like what I am seeing right now as I drive around the county.


This is the third lightest value of the turquoise. You can see that some of them are not turquoise but a blend of the turquoise and the two previous colors.



This one is for Deb! She said she loves to see all the fabrics when they come out of the dryer jumbled together. I do too Deb!



Here you can see all the fabrics sorted into their respective piles.



This is the entire 343 swatches I dyed in a side view. You can see the lighter colors on the left and they deepen as they go to the right.

Since I have other priorities in my life at the moment I will put them aside and work on them in any available time to get them ready to send to my Color Family Dyeing Swap Friends.

It really has been fun and I would love to do more dyeing RIGHT NOW but that isn't going to happen. I will instead enjoy the other wonderful things that are happening in my life.

Piles Of Projects–A Mini Tour Of My Studio Work

Today I want to share some photos from my studio.

This may give you a better idea how I keep track of some of my projects and current fabrics.

I keep some (not all) of my works in progress on these two quilt racks for easy access.

This is a piece of fabric I started to dye paint a tessellation on years ago. I have decided to piece the white areas using this group of hand dyed fabrics I created.

My drafting table is a good place for more of my works in progress. By the time I got my drafting table I was doing most things on the computer so it hardly was used for it’s intended purpose!

My antique library table is the perfect spot for a large portion of my dyes fabrics so I can see them and have easy access to create on the design wall.

Ice dyed fabrics on the back of a chair.

Commercial fabrics in wire baskets atop crocks that hold ???!

The smaller basket holds a select group of scraps for a possible project.

I use an eclectic group of containers/furniture in my studio. If it works I use it. If it doesn’t it’s gone.

I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of my studio and drank in all the color I love to share.

I always love to see how others keep track of things in their surroundings, being it a studio or their home.

Why Do I Quilt And Dye Fabric?

It is something that fills my soul.

It is as necessary for me as breathing.

That is the best way I can explain it.

I LOVE color.

I LOVE fabric and fibers.

There are NO rules. If something isn’t satisfying me I can alter it.

It’s a creative serendipitous way to live my life.

I feel so fortunate to be able to do this. I am putting everything I have learned in my life to work as I design, create and play.

Dyeing Some Sunshine For Sunday!

Just about all the pieces I have dyed recently have been dyed at least once before. I think this one was dyed/and or painted at least 3 times.

Layers again, sun and fauna.

Sun streaming through the trees.

Sun creating a grid of shadows.

Each one of these is finally done after adding as many layers as necessary. This one has more layers than the eye can see.

It’s apparent to me when a piece needs more layers and it’s also apparent when it is done. It tells me to stop.

Beautiful Dye Rag

I use almost NO paper towels to clean up when I dye fabric. I always have several dye rags in the works to wipe up spills and clean up my tools.

I think this one is ready to be retired. I will use it as a whole cloth piece or maybe cut parts of it I am particularly fond of.

This one has been used at LEAST 40 times, maybe twice as many times as that.

It started as a piece of lovely pima cotton that must have had a perma-press finish. It did not take the dye well.

I washed it many times as I used it to clean up and I think I’ve washed off the perma-press finish.

It is a large piece, somewhere between 3/4 of a yard and a yard of 45 inch fabric.

These dye rags are a bonus fabric.

I’ve used this one so much I’ve probably saved a tree!

Dyeing Layers

Each of these small pieces had been previously dyed a solid color. I added a second color to each of them to create texture.

This previously dyed solid color has also had texture applied to it.

I added red shibori texture to this previously gray silk scarf.

The results I get just keep me coming back for more when I dye fabric.

Stay tuned as I’ve got a lot more to show you in the upcoming days.

Sunday Was Funday

I procrastinated and finally got the poles in the dye buckets in late afternoon. Because I started so late I didn’t finish until almost 1 a.m.

This was my favorite piece of all the fabrics I dyed.

I had at least 40 pieces of fabric ready to dye. See that red one?  I thought the dyes on that one had soda ash added.

When I put it in the dye pot I realized it had only been underpainted without soda ash. By that time it was too late to do anything about it and some of the fabrics ended up with a light pink cast where they should have been pure white.

This was another favorite. I did something had not done before. Can you see the curved line down the center? You can also see some of the pink cast on this one. I think the ones that got the pinkish cast were close to the red pole.

I had far too many poles in the dye pot. I was trying to fit them all in and that was a mistake. It was very difficult to manipulate the fabrics every 15 minutes which is the recommended way things should be done.

I love the texture on this piece. I think it was the only piece I dyed dry in this batch.

I have more poles wrapped and waiting and will do a few more and then today or tomorrow will do another black batch.

After that I will do a few more colors that are missing in my palette.

Perfect Harmony

This is a quilt I was not at liberty to show you until now.

I worked on this in a different manner than my usual method of dyeing the fabric and then letting the fabric tell me what to do.

I planned out what I wanted to happen with the fabrics and then carefully measured and dyed each fabric to undulate in a similar manner.

When I had it sewn together I contemplated how I would quilt it.

This is a close up of the quilting. The undulating pattern in the fabric suggested the quilting pattern.

I felt the two complemented each other and that is why I have titled it “Perfect Harmony”.

Changing “Face”!

I admit: I do not like to have my picture taken.

I always think I really look better than those photos!

When I have a picture of myself I like I use it for a long long time.

This is the photo of myself I have been using on Facebook from day one when I started using Facebook. It was taken a “few” years ago!

 

This is the new photo I am using on Facebook. I am wearing an indigo scarf I dyed at Focus On Fiber. My girlfriends said the scarf was my new most flattering color.

 

Both of these photos were cropped out of a group photo.

I think this shows I can be more relaxed and happier and not worry about what the picture is going to look like when I am with friends or family.

I guess I am going to have to figure out how to change my blog photo now too!

I'm Dyeing!

I have a few teasers to share with you.
I am NOT showing entire pieces of the fabrics I finished dyeing last night - just small sections of them.


This shows a cross section from 3 coordinating pieces I dyed.


This is one small area of one of the pieces I dyed.

I have pressed this group and have it on my design wall as I decide how I am going to use them. I dyed them all to work together in one composition.

I dyed about 25 pieces of fabric. The pieces were various sizes and shapes. They were all shibori dyed on PVC poles using various techniques.

I know some of you are fabric dyers and I wanted to share one finding with you. I had purchased a yard to Joann's cotton sateen to see how it dyed. It was a dismal failure in my estimation and I will not be purchasing any more of it. The colors were so faded out I will not even be photographing them to show you. I will put it in the pile to overdye and see if I can salvage them. I am not holding out much hope that I can save them.

Honey I'm Home!

After 3 or 4 changes and postponements I'm finally in Florida. I set my alarm (the TV) for 6:30 a.m. and realized the sound wasn't working. I hoped the light on the screen would wake me. It didn't. At 7:10 the phone rang. It was my son checking to see I was up.
I hadn't asked him to call and I was so happy he thought to do it. Fortunately I had everything pretty well ready and a list of last minute things to do. What didn't get done the house sitters will take care of.
Then my ride was late but we made it to the airport in plenty of time. I feel so at home at the Milwaukee airport. So I just took it easy at the airport and all of a sudden it was time to board. I was the last one to board the plane. The flight left early and we arrived early. I slept through the entire flight. Once I got to Orlando it took me more time to get from the airport to Seldom Inn than the flight took. Once I arrived home the "fun" began.
First it was time on the phone with DirecTV getting them to turn on the service which should have already have been turned on. That probably took a half hour.
Then the real fun began. I tried to log on the internet. I couldn't connect so I called Embarq and we figured out my modem was not working anymore and I'd need a new one. They said they'd send it in 3 business days - sure! I asked if I could just pick one up at their office. When I picked it up I asked if there was anything special I needed to do and he said all I had to do was plug it in. SURE, 3 hours and several phone calls later I finally had working internet service. My son helped me trouble shoot and when he couldn't do the rest I had to call Embarq and jump through hoops again.
Are we blessed or cursed with the technology available to us today?
OK - now I was getting hungry so I headed to the grocery store. It was CLOSED. I was still on CST and the store is on EST. I picked up fast food and rushed home to send you this daily post.
I think I will sleep very well tonight as flying always tires me out.

I'd like to share a quilt I have here. I painted 4 different pieces of fabric with thickened fabric dye and then overpainted with fabric paints. I cut the fabric into small pieces and sewed it back together - because that's how you make a quilt! This is the subtle quiet part of the Florida house. This complex quilt is one of those I never get tired of and can look at for along time. There's more to come! And I promise you there WILL be color!

Tonight's puzzle is a quilt I did with the tiny amount I had left after making the first quilt. I also used it to try the quilting pattern I was considering.

A Change of Pace - Another visit to my studio

This is an overall view of my studio taken several years ago. You see the design wall which is about 30 feet long. It is covered in flannel (queen size sheets) and has 4 movable sections.

This is the fabric storage with the center two doors open. The photo was taken soon after I moved into the studio. The shelves are 12 inches deep which accomodates fabric folded into 4 thicknesses across the width. As you can see there are also sections that accomodate larger pieces of fabric. I arrange my fabric by color.


This is a photo of the same area taken today. Do you notice how I changed the distance between the shelving so now I can store the fabric vertically rather than in piles. This has made it much easier to see what I have, take fabric out and replace it. I periodically rearrange my fabrics getting rid of those that no longer fit my needs.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS PHOTO WITH ANYONE WHO CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU NEED ALL THAT FABRIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I couldn't do what I do and create the quilts I make without this palette to work with.

When I first moved into the studio I realized I hadn't made any accomodations to store finished quilts. I used to keep the larger ones on the bed in the guest room and ceremoniously remove them as my guests got a quilt show and Oh'ed and Ah'ed!
This got old fast and I realized I needed a better system.
I had purchased this 3/4 antique East Lake victorian bed years before for a pittance at an auction. My husband refinished it and we put a mattress on it. This is where I store my quilts. You see the top quilt here, but there are probably close to 50 quilts under it.
The smaller quilts are stored on two trolleys that pull out from under the bed. This has proved to be a great storage system as I am able to store them all flat.
The art you see on the wall is not a quilt but a painting by Frank Salcido, an Indian artist who's work I love. On the design wall you see several pieces of silk I dyed. I intended to make a unstructured jacket from this fabric to wear for the opening of my show. When I realized what the weather would be that day I changed my mind!

Tonight's puzzle is a view of the bed with the quilts taken from a different angle.

Contemporary Christmas Trees?

Does this look at all like Christmas? Could we stretch the definition of a Christmas tree and see 2 trees here? There is a lot of red and green. OK, you may have to stretch the definition of red.
This quilt started with a piece of fabric Peggy Erlich put on our guild give away table. It called my name and went home with me.
The design is all done with fabric I dyed or painted. Often when I have left over bits of hand dyed and painted fabric I will fuse them to a large piece of Wonder Under. I then have ready to use fabric when I want to do a fused quilt.
When I am in Florida I tend to work smaller and do a lot of fused work. I prepared the base to work on for this quilt and intended to do a design with circles. Why can't you see any circles in this quilt?
When I am designing this way I start by picking up a piece of fabric that appeals to me and my scissors. I let the scissors direct my cutting. It works and saves a lot of time trying to make a decision. I continue looking at what I have done and add more to it. The scissors didn't want to do circles that day with that fabric. I may put it aside and work on it for several days or I may finish it at one sitting. This was a several day project.
I think of this quilt as a very happy quilt.
At the present time the title is Quilt 315.

Of course we think of stars at this time of year. The star in this puzzle is a unique star with 7 points. It is another design I created with Corel Draw as a quilt inspiration.

Machine Quilting

I really enjoy machine quiltiing. What I don't like about machine quilting is having to follow a design that has been drawn on the quilt. I almost never draw a design ahead of time. I may mark off spacing if I want a certain number of motifs in a particular area but that's about it.



This is a small section of one of the quilts for my show. I have quilted some parts of it. I design my own quilting patterns by doodling on paper or in a journal. I tear these out and keep them in a loose stack of papers.

When I am ready to quilt a quilt I get out the stack and look through it and see if there is anything that looks like it will work in any part of the quilt I am quilting. It not, I doodle some more. The doodling just gets my brain and hands working together so I can "draw" the quilting lines on the quilt with my sewing machine.

When I machine quilt I start quilting on the parts I know what I'd like to do with. On this quilt I did the 2 borders with a ribbon type design first. My next area was the 2 diamonds that I quilted long skinny leaves on. I also quilting skinny ribbons on the burgundy and aqua triangles.

I like to quilt with variegated thread. I use both fine and heavy thread. My choice is usually made by what color will be most effective for what I am doing. I will wind a few yards of thread off the spool and lay it on the area I am going to quilt to get an idea how it will look when quilted. I do try to choose a thread has some contrast to the fabric, but not so much that any little irregularity draws your attention.

On this quilt you may have trouble seeing the quilting well. If you click on the photo it will get larger and you may be able to see the quilting better. Had I used thread that was a much greater contrast you would be able to see the quilting much better as well as any irregularities in my stitching.

Quilts that will not be a part of my solo show

I have been working hard trying to get all my quilts for my show done so I can go to Florida for a few weeks. I was supposed to leave today but I'm too far behind.



I really am enjoying my time here in Wisconsin. It is the first fall I have spent here in 5 years. It is my favorite time of the year and I actually am seeing some color changes in my yard - finally!



This is a quilt I dye painted. I felt it needed to be overpainted.



This is the same quilt after I overpainted it with fabric paint. I couldn't decide whether I like the new version or not.


This is another quilt I dye painted. I thought the colors were too light and that it needed more detail.

This is the same quilt overpainted.

I put both pieces on my design wall and studied them. I think they may be just fine when I add the third layer which will be the quilting.

I also decided they are just too different from the rest of my quilts for the show so they will be saved for another show.

In addition to the work on these I did get two quilts layered and ready to quilt.

I definitely have a "Color Signature"

I am looking over the fabrics I dyed in both Carol Soderlund and Jan Myers-Newbury's classes these last two weeks.
Since I went into both classes with no agenda other than to learn all I could I was slightly surprised how well the fabrics from one class worked with the fabrics from the other.

These were the fabrics I dyed for our Thursday project in Carol's class.

This group of fabrics started as a dark to light gradation of yellow fabrics. I overdyed them all with the same olive green using the same technique on all of them. These were done in Jan's class.

In addition to having the same olivey color this piece picks up the blue from the fourth example in the first photo. This was done in Jan's class.

It was a surprise to me that the fabrics we dyed and then discharged had my olive palette color when discharged.

Even these silk fabrics have the same color signature. Jan's class again.
I always am attracted to greens and blue greens.
In addition to these I also love fall and the colors Mother Nature provides to feast our eyes on.
But if I want to be honest I think I really love all colors and enjoy working with them, changing my palette I use from time to time.