Focus On Fiber Retreat -Part 4 - Disperse Dye Printing

We each painted with the Disperse dyes on paper.
I'd love to share some of the paintings with you.



These were painted by Gina.




Linda H painted both of these.


These are two of Sherryl's paintings.



When the paintings are dry we can them transfer them to cloth with the heat of an iron.
In the first photo you see Sherryl's paintings transferred to the cloth.
The second photo shows another layer added on top of the first layer.



What a beautiful day to sit on the deck and have our lunch. This was the last day of classes.

The remainder of the week is the Focus On Fiber Retreat.

Although I wasn't able to stay for the retreat I have more to share with you so stay tuned.

Focus On Fiber Retreat -Part 3 -Shibori, Screen Printing, Indigo Dyeing

We learned so many new techniques in our class today from Linda Dawson. She is just a wealth of knowledge and so willing to share it all.





We started out doing shibori.
There were so many different variations. We dyed both cotton and silk.
Some people used yardage and others used silk scarves.



Sheryl did this lovely Mandala on silk.






Linda H. did this DeColourant discharge by screen printing it on a previously dyed scarf.


One thing I was not at all excited about learning was indigo dyeing.
I LOVED IT.

I did a piece of cotton/linen damask that turned out great But I don't have a good photo. Stay tuned and I'll be sharing more photos on another day.

I also did two small pieces I scrunched and dyed. Photos to follow also.



My square silk scarf is magnificent and my friends decided it is my new BEST color to wear.

The last thing we did was paint paper with Disperse Dye which then can be used to print the designs on polyester fabrics. Again, photos to follow at a later time.

Focus On Fiber Retreat -Part 2 - Color Swatching, Discharging Dye, Shibori Wrapping, Permanent Pleating

We started our first day of class by dyeing color samples of various colors with Procion MX dyes.



These are the colors we chose to sample. They are still wet in the photo.



Our next project was dyeing silk scarves with the dyes we had mixed and sampled.
We wrapped and bound them and squirted 3 different colors of dye on them.
After we let them rest for a while we bound them again, a little tighter this time and they were submerged in a pot of black acid dye.
After another resting period there was more binding – tighter this time.
We then submerged them in a pot of Thiox to discharge some of the color.
After a short time in that pot we took off the binding and rinsed them. They are really awesome.
These are just a few of them.



After lunch we had our choice of things to do.
Here Linda, our instructor is showing one way to do a shibori wrap on a pole.
Several of the class members chose this activity.

Linda is showing Barbara how to use the pleating machine.

For my afternoon activity I chose to pleat this 8 inch x 2 yard piece of sheer polyester.
I will be adding a color or pattern to it during one of our next exercises.
After working so hard, a group of us retired to one of the cottages for snacks and beverages and “girl talk”. It was great bonding and sharing evening. We didn’t even need dinner after all the snacks everyone brought.

Focus On Fiber Retreat -Part 1

I wrote this post on March 17th but didn't have computer access to post it until today.

Today was a leisurely day.
I drove to New Smyrna Beach for our fabric dyeing class. I did a little exploring along the way and saw some beautiful country.
I arrived just in time to drive up to the Daytona airport to pick up my friend Sherryl.
We unpacked the car and checked into our rooms.


Seven of us went out to the new Thai restaurant. It was very good. Mary said all the restaurants in New Smyrna Beach are good now as the bad ones went out of business.
I am looking forward to dinner Friday and Saturday evenings.

It has been great to renew old acquaintances and meet new ones.

I am really excited about the class I am taking and will share what we do with you each day.

Wish you were here!

Inset Circle Quilt - Planned Overs - Secret Circles

When I create something with no exact design in mind I create units.
Working this way there are always a lot of units you do NOT use.



These are the units, off cuts and excess pieces of the fabric I used in the quilt that I did not find a place for.

Often this is the start of new work. I have backed some of these pieces with a fusible and I plan on doing some sewing with some of them.

It is quite obvious to me I will need to add some additional fabrics to make a cohesive piece.
One problem of working this way is you always have extra units and you have to decide when enough is enough.Working this way there are always a lot of units you do not use.



There comes a point when you have worked through the idea and what is left is not worth trying to do more with. I have a strong feeling there will only be one more piece from this group.

Of course I can also use these units to make very small pieces that can become a part of something such as a post card, journal quilt, or a small quilt to use as a gift.

Most often I choose NOT to put my energies into this type of project if I want to create REAL work.

A Blossom Fell - Azalea Time

The most glorious display in my yard is put out by the azaleas. This photo is from 2 years ago today.



Last year they bloomed very late. This photo was taken on April 1 last year. We had a severe winter and they were very late and not nearly as full.

This year they are not quite ready to show you yet. I am hoping we don't have a rain storm to beat them down before they come into full flower. Our winter was also very cold this year but it didn't last quite as long. They only last about a week, but for that week they are my very favorite floral display.
We are having a beautiful spring for which I am so thankful.



Little did I know when I painted this table it would be a very close match to the azaleas. We did not choose the color of the flowers, the builders planted them.

The Colors Of My Life: My Own Personal Book

In addition to having the mug made from these photos, I also had a 20 page 8.5 x 11 inch book made. There are 20 quilts in the series so this was a perfect opportunity to showcase them all in one place.



These facing pages showcase two similar quilts.



The two quilts shown on these facing pages use exactly the same fabrics. The only difference is they are in reverse order.



One of the nice features of these books it allows you to size your photos up to 8 1/2 inches. This requires high resolution photos.


I was able to use a different layout on this page.
It shows the left, center and right views of this quilt - the Grand Finale quilt in the series. It is 3 dimensional.



This page shows the Grand Finale quilt from the center front.


I am including a puzzle at long last for those of you who enjoy doing my puzzles.

The Colors Of My Life With Coffee

I had this coffee mug made with most of the quilts from The Colors Of My Life series printed on it.



I was amazed by the quality and color of the reproduction of the quilts. I selected the layout I wanted to use and then placed each quilt where it would be most effective.



I showed 3 different views so you can see how the collage of photos goes all around the cup.
I think coffee is going to taste much better in this cup.

Wouldn't it be great to get a set of mugs, each with a different one of your quilts?

These could also make great gifts for friends and family.

Circle Inset Quilt - Design Process - Part 5

Today was a busy day.
I finished sewing the quilt together.
I am always amazed at how much better a quilt looks when you don't see the white spaces between the blocks.
Next comes the quilting. I think about how I am going to quilt something as I work on it.
Sometimes an idea comes and other times I have to wait - and the waiting can take a few hours, a few days or even a few years.
I expect to start quilting this one tomorrow. I will probably do a small practice piece so I can see that the thread, needle and design I plan on using will work.

Circle Inset Quilt - Design Process - Part 4

I added and inset the rest of the circles today. Some are barely visible as the contrast is so subtle. Others are very obvious because of the high contrast.
I feel to be successful a piece must keep you looking at it and continually seeing something new. I think that will happen with this one when I finish it.

I have started to sew the squares together.

I really enjoyed the process of insetting these circles once I got the hang of it.
You can be sure I will be using circles again in my work.

Circle Inset Quilt - Design Process - Part 3

You saw the collection of fabrics I started with.
Eventually I pulled all these fabrics from my fabric collection to make the choices of what fabrics to use. I did not use all of them.



These are the tools and supplies I am using to create this piece.



In this photo you can see I inset two more circles.



I have now added several more circles. Some are more obvious than others. I have done that purposely. I will add more, but I will not put a circle in each square.
How many circles can you find in this photo?


I am enjoying designing this and can't wait until I can sew it together, quilt it, and finish it.

Perfect Patchwork Furniture

I have been enthralled with patchwork furniture for quite some time.
I have finally come up with a few places I could use some patchwork on furniture in my house.

I have a few pieces of furniture that are hard and not as comfortable to sit on as I would like them to be. I will be adding more padding to the cushions and then making new patchwork covers for the cushions.


This sofa is very bold and would only work for a certain style of decorating.
The sofa I intend to use patchwork on is a loose cushion Scandinavian sofa. I had new cushions made for it, and they were thinner and harder than what I wanted. I had them covered with black Ultrasuede. I will remove the covers from these cushions and add a lot more padding to them. I most likely will reuse the black Ultrasuede in the patchwork either combined with more Ultrasuede in other colors or other fabrics. The other options would be to cover each cushion with a different color of Ultrasuede.


.
I have a chair that is similar to this one. I will not cover the entire chair with patchwork. I will just use a tasteful assortment of fabrics to make patchwork to cover the cushions.



I also have an antique chair in quite a state of disrepair that is similar to this. It could be only used as a decorative accessory, maybe hung on a wall or from the ceiling. I intend to paint it and then use some fun patchwork on it. I haven't decided what room I will use it in yet, so that will affect the decision on what colors I will use.

This is not something I'll be doing soon. I just wanted to share some of my inspirations with you, and perhaps give you some ideas you could use.

Now I know at least a few of my friends who are reading this are rolling their eyes and saying, what is she doing now. You know who you are! Well, they will have to wait and see. They may just love the finished products!

Circle Inset Quilt - Design Process - Part 2

In this photo you see more squares and several fairly major changes. I have now added some blue. I feel it is getting there now and doesn't have too far to go.


When I got to this point I was quite pleased with it. I know it is often best to sleep on it for a while. After sleeping on it I gradually made a few more changes.



Often when I am evaluating a design I will convert it to grayscale to observe values.
I see a few things I want to change here.

I made a few slight changes since I took this photo.
I am also in the process of adding a few more of the inset circles.
It's a process and it can't be rushed.

Circle Inset Quilt - Design Process

I would like to share with you one way I go about designing something.



I am working on my design wall. I started with those two circle insets I showed you a few days ago.


I continued adding more pieces to this.



I am starting to remove pieces and move them around. Here I have added some fabrics that were not in the original group.





Here you are beginning to see some major changes. I have not shown each and every photo I took after making changes. Up to this point there are at least 15 photos and of course I did not show each time I added something or moved something around.


It is getting much closer to being a work of art. I made more changes and took more photos after this one, but I am saving that for another time.

When you see a quilt that is simply squares, it doesn't just happen. A lot of decisions are made while laying it out on the design wall.
Working with these hand painted and dyed fabrics with their irregular patterns just adds to the challenge.

While this takes time, it is one of the things I really enjoy - CREATING ART!