MICROWAVE ICE DYEING

The Fiber Junkies began about 12 years with one simple notion that I had.....to create a group made up of 6 like-minded fiber friends who would be willing to meet monthly to explore as many surface design/dyeing/printing/painting etc. techniques we could find to play with.

Though microwave dyeing with dye solutions isn't new to us and we had dabbled with microwave ice-dyeing one other time several years ago....this month we hit the jackpot.  Everyone went home with successfully dyed fabrics. 

The big difference was thanks to Denny.  She spent lots of time doing a series of experiments to come up with a reliable formula.  We've been missing Denny at our meetings for months as she recovers from a back fusion.  Wisely she's allowing her body to heal by keeping fairly inactive.  So 4 of us Asheville area members traveled to Simpsonville, SC where Kate and Denny live. Denny, seen here, is taking a well deserved rest after getting us started.

 Kate had everything all set up in her garage, including a new small microwave provided by Denny.  First we soaked our fabric in soda ash.  I concentrated on working with one of my favorite fabrics, silk noil.  Here a small piece has been rung out and loosely placed in a quart size 'Dollar Store' plastic container.  Of course fabric can be positioned more deliberately, but I was aiming for mottled all over results.

 Crushed ice is sprinkled evenly over the fabric, topped with small amounts of Procion MX powdered dye.  (Yes, we wore masks and rubber gloves!)  Denny found that plastic cling wrap worked better to retain the heat than the lids that came with the storage bowls so that's what we used.

To create a shorter processing time and prevent damage to the fabric or plastic bowls, Denny suggested we use finely crushed ice.  This is a lower watt microwave as the small size would indicate, so the timer was set for 4-5 mins. depending upon how much fabric and ice was in the container.

In a very short time we were hanging fabrics on the line to dry!!

 Here are some of my results.....this was simply scrunched into the container.

 This piece was bunched up in the center, held in place with my fingers while swirling the outside edges around inside the container.  I was pleased how that method provided movement to the pattern.

 I placed these two pieces together in one container and was surprised how evenly they dyed.

One last example......honestly I can't wait to do this again.  Obviously if the goal is to work with large fabric pieces, pan ice-dyeing would still be the way to go, but for immediate gratification with smaller sizes.....oh my....this is it!!!!

Many thanks to everyone for making it such a great day, special kudos to Denny we all loved seeing you again!!

Check out these blogs for inspiration this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday and Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday.

3 FISH - NEW WORK

It's taken awhile.....but that's to be expected when one creates one-of-a-kind wall art.  Colors are a bit brighter in person, esp. the ice-dyed background but after dozens of photos...this is the best I've got!

3 FISH

Available Here

Artist hand ice-dyed & commercial fabrics.  Machine appliquéd & quilted.  Fabric hanging sleeve on back for immediate use!

MOUNTAIN ART QUILTERS - DYEING PART 2

In all, 16 trays of ice-dyed material was processed, yielding a lot of beautiful fabric.  Here are some closeups for you to enjoy.  I used mainly white PDF cottons, and a few previously dyed solids and prints. All were soaked in soda ash before dyeing.

 But....just so you don't think every piece was wonderful....here's evidence of some that weren't.   My over-dyed solid (right) that had been dyed at least once before was still ugly.  The mercerized cotton piece on the left had some lovely patterning, but the colors were simply blah.....

Not so with this one......great combo of colors and patterns.

We had time to do some acid dyeing.  Our equipment was fairly limited so for the most part my felted wool results weren't special, however, this small piece of was!  Others dyed silk scarves which came out great.

Sometimes achieving really bright red color can be difficult, less so though when using acid dyes.  Here I used 100% felted wool which was left to boil in the acid bath for about 8 mins., turned and processed for about another 8 minutes.

Lower right is my pile of ice-dyed cottons and above, on the right, are two pieces of cheesecloth that we dyed and shared equally.

We were so very lucky to have had picture perfect weather and such a great place to get wet and messy!  

MOUNTAIN ART QUILTERS - ICE-DYEING IN THE MOUNTAINS

Several members of the Mountain Art Quilters gathered for a few days of fabric dyeing.  The Mountain Art Quilters grew out of the SAQA chapter that met about 5 hours away in Raleigh.  It became apparent a local group would be more beneficial given the great distance we had to travel, so it quickly grew from the original 6 to around 18-20 members at this time.  One isn't required to be a SAQA member to join Mountain Art Quilters.

The weather was PERFECT....and nearly as fast as our tables and other supplies came out of our cars.....we were set up in a sunny clearing prepared to do some serious ice-dyeing.

We all brought MX dyes to share.....behind is the cabin in the Pisgah National Forest that we rented.

 We also brought bags and bags of ice in coolers......our screens are placed on kitty litter trays, soda ash soaked fabric was arranged on the screens, topped with ice.

 Donned with gloves and masks.....we sprinkle on several different colors of MX dyes.

 Each tray is wrapped in black plastic, secured with clips and left in the sun until the ice melts (overnight if necessary).

 Then it's Christmas morning when the plastic is removed.....

 Oooos' and Ahhhh's are constantly exclaimed.

After rinsing and rinsing and rinsing till the water runs clear, the fabrics are hung to dry....with more sighing and high fiving.

More results coming next.

3 FISH PROJECT COMING TOGETHER

Since no contractors have invaded our house today, there was a window of time to work on "3 Fish".

Darn it....I was determined to add some air bubbles for the fish. Seriously, I tried at least a dozen different materials. Persistence pays off....I had narrowed it down to painting them directly onto the background, but no matter what color, they wouldn't show up well enough. (Good thing I tried it on scraps of fabric instead the nearly finished quilt!)

 Alas.....lame' was the answer....fussy cutting & the fusing process took time, but it worked.

Yup....the light reflects nicely off this shiny fabric.

By the time you read this I'll be off the grid temporarily as I abandon 'the husband" & Sooty the rescue black lab for a few days of ice-dyeing, acid dyeing, and any other mischief my pals and I can come up with. Back soon....

3 FISH WALL ART - CONTINUES

If you follow this blog you'll notice the design/construction of this whimsy fish quilt continues.  No, it's not finished yet.....studio work is on hold again while my open loft railings get replaced. 

This piece was inspired by a hunk of my ice-dyed background fabric. Honestly, if you've never ice-dyed....you MUST.  I love the magical results.  Sometimes working with bigger pieces can be challenging because of its energy, but that's also what makes the fabric so appealing. 

The design is slowly coming together.....check back for updates won't you?

FISH WALL ART....IN PROGRESS

With so many household tasks on my to-do list, studio time has been very limited.  However, with a few breaks here and there, fabric choices and layout decisions have jelled.

I hope to begin the actual construction soon....stay tuned.....

Ice-dyed background & colorful fun commercial fabrics

MARSH AT DAWN - Completed

It's always nice to put the finishing touches on another project.  Small, but hopefully a powerful image for anyone familar with marsh life.  It brings me such good memories of the Sheboygan Marsh, located near my home town in Wisconsin.

MARSH AT DAWN - 20" X 15"

Available Here

Hand ice-dyed silk noil, machine appliquéd, embroidered, and quilted.

During this busy holiday season....artists are still working in their studios...check out what these hard workers have accomplished this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts.

MARSH AT DAWN

As mentioned on yesterday's post.....I'd cut a section from a larger hunk of ice-dyed silk noil for later use.  Well...I got to use it quicker than expected since the previous project was an utter mess.

The remaining piece is rather small, measuring only 21" x 15" which will become even smaller once it's squared and edges finished.  I created a larger 'marsh' themed piece last year that was the very first piece sold at my Arboretum exhibit, so I decided to experiment with a similar but different view.  

So far this is what I have.....as another idea began to brew....

I keep stumbling over my bin of black and white fabrics...it needs to find a good storage space, but my fabric closet is overflowing already.  Now this puny use of those fabrics won't reduce it by much, but this addition might be just what my little marsh piece needs.

I've never been all that keen about fusing......however, one must keep construction time in mind when pricing quilts for sale.  Fusing is such a time saver over hand appliqué.  Each section is separate and for the time being, just tacked together with a bit of glue stick until it's time to add it to the piece.

Stay tuned....and check out what other artists have worked on during this very busy past holiday week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday.

SUPERMOON - first new work 2018

 I don't keep track of the number of pieces I create in a year.....but I will note that this is the first for 2018.  Talk about great timing....with the fabulous show the Supermoon provided for all of us several days ago.  

However, that was not the inspiration for this piece...just a coincidence. My idea came after seeing a photo my childhood friend Doris posted on her Facebook page.  She takes the most beautiful sunrise/sunset photos I've ever seen.  Though in the end, my piece is really nothing like her photo....but the fabric choice was based on her picture!

Ice-dyed silk noil, stabilized with lightweight non-fusible interfacing, sheer over cotton - hand appliqued moon.

Process of trees being appliqued.....

SUPERMOON  20.5" x 18"

AVAILABLE HERE

Ice-dyed silk noil, cotton and Ultra-suede hand appliqued, machine quilted.

NEW YEAR - NEW WORK

A new project in the works....what a great way to start the New Year!

I've had this piece of ice-dyed silk noil (left) on my design wall for a couple of months, along with an ice-dyed linen napkin and eco-printed silk motif (right). The later came together fairly quickly and is already in my online gallery for sale.  However, a design for the other piece kept eluding me.

 After following many dead end paths, I'm now on a roll.....

 Of course a roll doesn't mean the construction is going quickly....hand appliqué can be so tedious when sewing through a stabilizer, not to mention the 3 layers that make up the moon.

Instead of tackling the many year end tasks every household must face, not to mention my little cottage industry, I spent the first day of 2018 happily stitching away while binging on episodes of "Vera".

FALLEN LEAVES - new work

There's a certain sense of satisfaction one achieves when a lowly, single linen vintage napkin is transformed into a piece of wall art.  It was a pleasant journey!

FALLEN LEAVES - 15.5" x 15.5"

AVAILABLE HERE

Artist ice-dyed vintage linen napkin, leaf printing on silk, 

machine stitched, hand embroidered.  Fitted with hanging device.

Thank you for visiting this blog....check out what other artists have been working on this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts.

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EENY MEENY MINY MOE

Besides the fun and learning experience of creating one's own fabric, for me there's that challenge to develop wall art from the diverse materials. 

 That may take some 'marinating'.....as several combinations stare back at me from the design wall. Eventually one speaks louder than the other and the designing begins.

 The images on this 6" x 8" piece of silk derive from processing a couple of leaves, secured between thin sheets of wood, simmered in vinegar water for 2 hours.

 The base of the wall art is a vintage linen napkin. A gift from my good friend Kate which I transformed by ice-dyeing.  Because the material was naturally fairly flimsy, it was machine stitched to a light weight non-fusible stabilizer.

The eco-printed silk was secured to the linen and some hand embroidery has begun to help highlight a couple of the leaf prints.

Please check back and see where this goes......

THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

 This house-warming gift was my obsession; devoting non-stop 8 hour days for a month.  A true labor of love for some very special people in my life who happen to live in San Francisco.

The piece was worked onto a non-fusible light-weight interfacing, featuring many of my ice-dyed cotton fabrics.

Landscape themes that require drawing are not in my wheel house, especially motifs that require perspective. After a lot of trial and error, a paper template was created........

.......... Which was translated into fabric.  The shadowing came from using the right and wrong side of a print fabric and stitching with dark and light thread colors.

 The recipient is bicyclist who travels the bridge to access trails on the Marin Peninsula.  I tried many methods to add this detail and eventually came up with the idea of printing the image onto fabric that matched the sky.

THE BRIDGE -  26" x 34"  

(click on photo for larger image)

The thickness of the layers prevented using a facing as the edge finishing, instead I created a binding by piecing fabrics to match the body of quilt as seen above.

It's Friday....see what other artists have been up to this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts.

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