INDIGO DYEING - FIBER JUNKIES AUG. - PART 2

KUDOS to Judy who hosted our indigo dye day.  Thankfully she must have prayed to the weather gods because we had perfect weather....sunny, breezy, and not too hot.

My determination to use gloves at all times was pretty much forgotten the first time I had to removed the knots from a rope of indigo soaked fabric.

We've never played with wax when we've indigo dyed in the past, so thanks to Judy and Kate....we did this time around.  I do love polka-dots!  Here Denny is holding my piece just as it came out of the dye pot.....while it is quickly turning from bright green to the lovely indigo blue.  

 At home I'll need to remove the was with a hot iron and paper to absorb it.

Here are the troublesome knots that were difficult to untie when the fabric is wet.

This fabric was twisted and wrapped onto a thick wood dowel...securing with rubber bands.  

An overview of my results....some better than others....but isn't that the thrill of it......ya never know what you are going to get!

 This is Judy's drying on the line....she secured empty thread spools for her resist.

 Kate even dyed some socks!!!  Nothing is safe with this group!

 Denny did a lot of overdyeing with great success....she's the queen of layering.....and is always thinking - "just one more thing".

I was so busy with my own pieces I didn't do a good job of documenting....perhaps pieces will be brought to share at our Sept. meeting.  We tried a couple of different approaches to dyeing this time.  

Rather than placing dry fabric into the pot.....we soaked it first in plain water, we also left many of the resists in place for about 30 mins. after coming out of the dye pot.  Honestly, I don't know if that provided any better prints or not....in the case of my pieces, I don't think so.....but that could have been just because of the manipulation methods I chose to do.  Would I bother with the extra steps in the future?  Probably not......  Would love to hear what you all think.

FIBER JUNKIES AUGUST MEETING - Part 1

This month we welcomed a new member to the Fiber Junkies....and I sure could have done a better job of introducing her besides just seeing her shirt!!  The fabulous art quilts that belong to that 'shirt' are the creations of Susan Webb Lee.  Our group is limited to 6 members, but we've had only 5 since our longtime member Val had to step away due to health issues.  We miss her terribly and hope someday she can return.......

 ........With that said, we are delighted to have Susan join us!  Here are examples of her exciting work.  She started making quilts in 1979, lives close by in Flecter, NC, and is also a member of the prestigious Southern Highland Craft Guild.

 This piece is in the works.....a true artist is always challenging oneself.  The design squares have been created directly onto black fabric using water soluble colored pencils.  

 It's a unique approach, one that works very well.  This didn't just happen....Susan spent quite a lot of time experimenting with paints and various pencils/crayons etc. to find just the right look for her piece.  She'll fit right in with this group as we are all about experimenting!!

 Last month we worked with Gelli plates....Denny's approach was also in the realm of experimentation.  She used transfer paints, applied to paper.  Later at home her designs were transferred to several types of fabric, by using a hot iron and pressing the paper directly onto fabric.  The product she used works on synthetics. We all agreed that the various fabrics types provided a lovely light airy appearance.

Stay tuned for Part 2......when we all turn our hands blue.  Can you guess what technique we played with this month??

ANOTHER FLASH SALE FOR BLOG FOLLOWERS!!

$225 - "Hawaiian Applique" 80" x 80", quilt top by Illinois quilter, patterns by Elizabeth Root, custom machine quilted by Debbie Cinnaglio, May 2010.

Condition - excellent - new with strong visual impact. Machine appliqued batik motifs on bright white background fabric.....photo of purple motif best shows the background color. (If it ever stops raining here and the fog lifts, I may be able to get better photos!!) Any shadowing is due to poor lighting not the quilt! Machine custom quilting with thread color change - pebble work/echo and moderate to heavily quilted....very well done. Batting: Quilter's Dream Cotton Request.

The only flaw I saw was a small spot on one block (see photo below)...looks worse in the close-up photo than it is.

Backing: alternating black strips and lime/turquoise large print. Fabric hanging sleeve has been added.

This comes with a certified AQS appraisal - insurance/replacement value of $4,800. It is not transferable, but provided for documentation. Selling price obviously is far less than what the maker paid for the custom quilting! Large quilt collection of my elderly friend is being dispersed due to illness.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $18.90, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home.  Email me using link on right side bar to claim the item. US sales only.

 The only flaw I found!  This backing fabric is the correct color....

 ....unlike this one which photographed yellowish...the fabric is bright white.  It isn't always easy to get accurate photos but happy I do have one to show you!

This is a view of the backing to show how heavily and beautifully it's quilted.

TWO CRANES - NOW COMPLETE

Despite fighting this piece every step of the way.....a not uncommon occurrence since I only make one-of-a-kind wall art, it's now finished.  As can be typical, the process was kinda like learning to ride a bicycle, with some wobbles and hesitations along the way.

You may recall my earlier post where some of the indecisions were shared..hop over if you'd like to be reminded.

TWO CRANES   51.5" x 51.5" 

AVAILABLE HERE

Cotton fabrics, most were made in Japan, machine appliquéd & quilted.

 Detail - center panel

Detail - patchwork 

Visit these sites to see what other artists have been working on this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday.

FLASH SALE FOR MY FOLLOWERS...

COLOR OF SASHING AND BORDER ARE MORE LIKE WHAT YOU SEE IN THE LOWER LEFT OF THIS PHOTO....NOT BLACKISH AS PHOTO WOULD MAKE IT APPEAR.  AND...IT IS SQUARE...BUT MY PICTURE TAKING IS NOT!!

My friend made some spectular quilts......here's one that I'm offering through my blog at a super bargain price....through the weekend.  If not a quilt for you...how about a gift?  You couldn't purchase the fabric for this amount...not to mention the $400 cost of custom quilting.  Photos are clickable for larger view.

SOLD "All Wrapped Up" - "62" x64", made in Illinois - 2015. Excellent condition. Fabric sleeve on back if buyer wishes to display on the wall.

Although the mottled batik sashing/borders appear black, it's actually a very dark blue. The pieced 7 3/4" x 9 1/2" 'gift boxes' are made using Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabric. All fabrics are cotton, batting low-loft cotton.

Another example of the superb custom machine quilting of Deb Ramsey, of Niles, MI. Various sizes and shapes of feathers nicely fill the empty spaces....it's heavily quilted. A really unique a fun quilt which may not be for everyone, so it's priced for a quick sale.

This comes with an AQS apprasial for insurance/replacment value purposes of $2,325. It is not transferrable but provided for your FYI and documentation.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $18.90, the next business day if possible.  Email me using my link on the right side bar to claim this quilt.  Smoke free home.  US sales only.

"NATURE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS".....

Here are the faces to go with the quilts at our exhibit, now on display at the NC Arboretum, Asheville, NC.  Realizing that probably only a hand full of you readers will be able to visit it in person, I'd like to direct you to Judy Simmon's blog.  

She did a wonderful job of photographing all the pieces with excellent commentary about how we work together to create a 2 1/2 month long exhibit. Click here to read Judy's post.

OUTSTANDING - Old/New - vintage 1930's bed quilt

One of the most stunning pieces from my friend's collection.......purchase and use this vintage quilt immediately!  Special price for my blog followers - SOLD….HAPPY THIS WILL BE ENJOYED BY A NEW OWNER….

  This "Garden Path" - 74" x 87" bed quilt is the perfect marriage of old and new. 1930's prints were rescued from an Illinois school classroom wastebasket. They had been salesmen's samples. Purchased yellow sold cotton used for sashings and borders. Made between 1995-2005.  Shown on a King side bed....and pinned to my design wall.

Condition excellent, like new. Stunning professional custom machine quilting by Paula Roskowski (Illinois) is outstanding. No stains, or pucks/tucks. Anyone who has every had to scribe when I was judging a quilt show knows I'm super picky about bindings....there is 1 tiny tuck between final border and binding and not quite as smooth in some areas as I'd like....but that's being SUPER picky. This quilt is a true beauty....a real find, ready to use. The custom quilting alone would have cost more than the selling price!

It quilt comes with an AQS Certified appraisal for insurance. The value/replacement cost to remake is $1,800. 

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $18.90, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home. PM (for faster response) or comment with email address to claim the item. US sales only.

THE QUILT THAT DIDN'T WANT TO GET MADE

FIRST - an update:  My focus continues on distributing the quilt treasures of my dear friend and happily, with the except of some authentic dutch wax fabrics and an overabundance of Asian fabrics, I'm now moving onto the last category....80-100 quilts.

Some of her beginner quilts are being donated to a local organization who provide quilts for wounded military.  They want 'warm' and don't care if the points match!!!  And they do keep them warm while on their cots in the plane to the military hospital in Germany.  Smaller lap quilts will go to Asheville's VA hospital.  Two dozen small wall quilts and table toppers will benefit a local church by way of their 'garage sale'.  The remaining saleable ones are now being listed here and on some of the Facebook buy sell sites.  If anyone is interested in vintage 1930's quilts that have been rescued/reworked and make into beautiful quilts....holler.  Or some lovely and beautifully quilted pieces using more contemporary fabrics....many of which have AQS certified apprasials.  My friend makes BIG quilts.....nothing generally smaller than double size.

Okay....onto the only piece I've been working on lately.  It's been the biggest challenge I've had for a long time.  Mainly because of a dislike of pastels....it's easier to work with colors/patterns that are favorites isn't it?!?

 In my friend's stash I found a few cut out Asian fabric circles and several blocks with them incorporated.  Hummm.....could I get a jump start by using them??

 More circles were cut, background half sq. triangles were prepared....and a center panel chosen to add a bit of interest, rather than having a uniform grid.

 You can see right from the start, I was fighting the pastel look.....and was insistent on introducing black (though I tried lots of other colors) to make the blocks pop. This view is after auditioning and auditioning.....till I couldnt' see straight.  I KNEW it wasn't right but sometimes it's hard to pull back and admit defeat.

 Well...what about adding corner stones??

 Nah.....well maybe adding a circle in the corner stone.  This one was a favorite of all tried...but ultimately realization dawned.....the sashing treatment had taken over the quilt.

 Oh ya....I had already sewn the wide sashing on.....geesh...out comes the seam ripper for the zillionth time!  I'm back at it by now auditioning uneven sashing settings.....another thumbs down!

 Okay...it's settled....narrow sashing and tiny 1" corner triangles.  Now what the heck to do for borders...it really needs something to frame the design.  Various widths were tried (see left side)

 A triple border, with a thin strip of Asian fabric is where I was headed here....I liked it a lot....but after trying it on all 4 sides....it seemed too busy, and detracted from the more subtle blocks.

This is how it ended up....it's NOT finished yet....the outer border will probably not be this wide once the quilting is complete.  It may or may not feature an Asian print binding.  They say 'a quilt tells you want it wants', yet for this project....the quilt and I were not communicating properly.  We've become friends now and hopefully that will guide me to perhaps trimming down the outter border and making the correct binding decision.  Watch for it soon in my blogspot shot....link on top bar.

Thank you for visiting with me today.......

QUILT COLLECTION SALE HAS BEGUN

It's been a journey and I can report almost all of the 50+ boxes of fabric I was tasked to find homes for are now placed.  The final step in relocating my friends' life-time of quilting treasures is doing the same for the 80-100 quilts.  So it begins....   Since not everyone who follows this blog is a quilter, I'll share a few here in case someone is interested.....bargain, bargain prices.  To be clear - the quilts were made by my friend.

NIGHT AND NOON VINTAGE QUILT  - $125

Wow....like new fabrics yet they are vintage! Night and Noon pattern, 49" x 68", (measures square), hand pieced (points match beautifully), machine quilted with a muslin backing (no tucks or pleats). A flea market top find, with repairs using vintage fabric replacements where necessary when it was finished in 1998. However I can't tell where any repairs were made yet I know the maker took some of the blocks apart and freshened them up.

***UPDATE.....I decided to soak it myself....wow.....the border stains are barely visible now.....amazing....was afraid I'd lose color in patchwork but not so....GREAT quilt again!!  

Some staining WAS on the outside muslin borders, suspect that was caused by a storage issue, whether original or later is unknown. I'm guessing perhaps a nice soak will be enough to remove them. DONE....  From what I know, this was never used, the fabrics are still bright and in great condition.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. For the safety of vintage quilts, shipping is via USPS flat rate priority @ $13.65. Will mail the next business day if possible. I've taken the cost of shipping in consideration when pricing this item. Smoke free home.  Email me (use link on right side bar)  to claim the item. US sales only.

 These colors are true to the quilt......the full size photo isn't as respresentative....not sure why but I simply could not get a good photo....probably due to the lighting in my studio.

Detail

ASIAN INSPIRED QUILT  SOLD

A 47" x 54", machine pieced and quilted quilt that can be used as a lap quilt or wall art by adding a sleeve. It's a charming combination of Asian fabrics along with indigo blues. Bento Box pattern by Judy Turner, made in 2005 by Ms. H. Downie.

On a personal note - For anyone following my months of selling fabric for my elderly friend's nursing home expenses.....this is the first of 80-100 of her finished quilts that I'll be offering for sale. I've said so often she's been more worried about the disposition of her fabrics than her health....so I'm finding homes for them.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $13.65, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home.  Email me (use link on right side bar) to claim the item. US sales only.

TWO KIMONO QUILTS - SOLD

Two kimono wall quilts sold as 1 lot. Sizes: 22.5" x 45" - with hanging sleeve attached and 21" square that could also be used as a table topper. It does not have a fabric sleeve.

They are machine pieced and quilted, never used. In my humble opinion, both would benefit from more background and border quilting.  Made in Illinois in 1995, pattern by Jill Liddell.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home.  Email me (use link on right side bar) to claim the item. US sales only.

LINKING to:  Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop, whoop Friday