FLAT DYEING RESULTS

FIRST  - VENTING.....my nearly 8 year old computer (which worked just fine I might add), had to be replaced due to technological obsolescence.  My browser was too old and my equipment could not be upgraded to a newer version anymore......which infuriates me.  So I've spent the last 4 days, swearing, cussing, banging my head while trying to migrate the old with the new.....you know the drill....you've probably gone through it yourself.  Why oh why do they have to change things??  I LIKED the way my programs worked before.....and even if they worked differently, I wish they'd at least work.  Today was call # 5 to Apple Care.......this time it only took an hour to solve the current problem!!!  

Okay....I feel better....hope you don't feel worse.......

Back to fiber talk.  Over-all, I'm pleased with the results from the Fiber Junkies dyeing day.

 Originally light green silk noil

 All the rest were mercerized white cotton.

My goal had been to create background fabrics.......so several above will have to be chopped up to use.  I did too much playing around which led to 'patterns' rather than interesting backgrounds.....  Oh well.....next time.

Dr. McDreamy - a new career

WHOOH....HOOO...... I guess the career change has worked out for Patrick Dempsey......his team came in 2nd in their division at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans!!!

Porsche also placed # 1 and # 2 in the overall main category.

 THEIR BACK!!!!!

PTA FIBER GROUP - JUNE MEETING

Really, life is good when one has fiber meetings two days in a row!  

 PTA (Professional Textile Artists) member Lynne recently moved from South Carolina to Flat Rock NC.....now that she's settled we got to visit her beautiful home.  Look at this view from her living room window!

 11 of our 14 members were able to gather.....all talking at once.....sharing so much it was sometimes difficult to absorb it all.

Here's a fabulous idea!  Credit goes to Lynne for this clever way to inventory possessions.  Two moves ago, she packed up some of their 'treasures', and kept pictures of the wrapped items in the top of each box.  As things go sometimes......they were never unpacked after the move, and now they've been moved again!!  She has no room for these items anymore, so....she passed the photos around for us to choose anything that interested us.  Brilliant!!

 Connie Brown (an AQS appraiser) was sharing Paducah quilt show news.....and brought two interesting photos.  This year, the appraisers had an opportunity to enter the quilt museum's 'vault'.  Here you can see how boxes of quilts in their collection are labeled and stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment.

And what a coincidence.....she was standing next to box #52.....which holds a quilt by our very own Judy Simmons.

Though we had an inspiring show and tell.....my photos didn't turn out well enough to share.  But, I'm happy this one did. Dort is so skilled at creating 'story' quilts....here is one in progress.

MORE FLAT DYEING......

Perhaps photos of our flat dyeing process are one of those things that "you just had to be there' to appreciate....... but I'll try to explain some of the various approaches we tried during our flat dyeing day.

 Kate actually decided to use some previously dyed/printed fabrics.....here she's stenciling using a thickened dye.

 Such a simple step with a very eye catching result.....I believe she added more than just this one image, alas....honestly I was so into what I was creating....I didn't follow up and take another picture.

 I probably say this every time I blog about our Fiber Junkies play date.  We ALL want to be Val......she is the quietest member of our group who very thoughtfully goes about any task we tackle.  Most of us arrive....and run around like headless chickens.  NOT Val.....she's made decisions ahead of time and methodically goes about creating her pieces.  

Here's she's painting thickened dyes onto a long narrow piece of pretreated muslin.......a scene depicting our area Blue Ridge Mountains.

 Denny, the fearless, fastest one among us.....was writing using a nifty syringe fitted with a writing tip.

 Gen made this storm scene.

 Kate and Judy seem to pass fabric back and forth at each gathering....pieces that were disappointing to the giver but not the receiver.  Judy is now transforming a brightly dyed piece that Kate had done. 

 Denny can never leave well enough alone.......we are always astonished how her vision allows her to see beyond a 'completed' piece.  She's now over-dyeing fabric that had featured simple writing and squiggles.  And much to our surprise.....these pieces are always improved by her persistence.

My day was busy again with another fiber group so I haven't washed my dyed pieces.......but will asap and hopefully will have some pleasing designs to share.  Stay tuned......

FLAT DYEING - JUNE FIBER JUNKIES MEETING

I'm on a mountain high.......both environmentally and artistically....

 The Fiber Junkies met at Val's house......we LOVE having our 'good weather' meetings at her home.  Her gracious hospitality would be difficult to match!

And...the view from her home....overlooking Asheville also can't be duplicated.

 Our lunch break on her porch is like sitting in a tree house!

Her home is like visiting a gallery.....here's a new piece of pottery she had on display.  I'm remiss in not documenting the name of the local artist!

 Our focus today was 'flat dyeing'.....meaning we generally positioned our fabric  flat on the dyeing surface. Of course we are such rebels.....folding, scrunching, and tray dyeing all came into play as well.  Here Kate is carefully measuring our dye powder.  We try to remind each other to take the necessary precautions when mixing powdered dyes.

Across the table, Judy is doing the same...starting first with urea.

This is the first piece I did....not sure why I kept the reddish dots...rather than pull in more dye to even them out.......hopefully once it's washed out I'll still like it!

 What I did really like was how the dye split, providing a bit of a pattern.  I began with a dry piece of soda ashed pale yellow silk noil.

 This is the same fabric, but it was wet when I began the dyeing. My goal today was to create some 'background' fabrics'.  I sort of forgot that when I did my first one!

The dye placed on this white cotton fabric (pretreated with soda ash) struck so quickly, a pattern emerged before my eyes.....I didn't want a pattern!!

Which made me even more careful when I dyed this pretreated white cotton, using a foam brush.  Once my fabrics are batched, washed and dried....I'll report back whether I had more successes or failures.

Stay tuned too for a look at what my FJ buddies created......

HELPFUL FABRIC WASHING HINT

It's uncommon to find a piece of fabric in my stash large enough to back a quilt!  Apparently, I've been saving it for?!?!

I need to be sure the fabric is colorfast since the finished quilt is certain to get washed.  Of course there are commercial products to stabilize dyes......and I plan to use one.  But here's an additional test I also use.  I safety pin a small piece of muslin onto the fabric.  Wash and dry as usual.....if there's any dye residue on the muslin......I can decide if it needs further washing/treatment, etc.

Generally I do this on every washable piece that enters my house......but by the pristine look of these folded 6 yards, I didn't test it.

QUICK GRADUATION GIFT

It's graduation time.  Perhaps there's a student you know only casually, but someone you'd like to recognize.  That's my situation.  I wanted to send a token gift to help celebrate this success.  

After lots of pondering, I decided to cover a journal that she can document the beginning of her college life.

Asian inspired fabric was used as a nod to her heritage.

No, this isn't a masterpiece, and it took me a lot longer than I expected.....but now I know how and future projects will be a snap!

WILDFLOWER FANTASY - NEW WOOL WORK

After many happy hours stitching on this small piece....it's now complete!

Sometime ago I blogged about the process of altering a section of this peachy National Nonwoven's Woolfelt fabric.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their products.  

First there was a rather unsuccessful attempt to micro-wave ice-dye it.  I believe the unsatisfactory result of that experiment was because the piece was too large and it 'cooked' too long.

On a re-do.....it was monoprinted using slightly thinned acrylic paint and a stencil.

I always stabilize felted works to keep them from distorting during the stitching process.  Often I'll sketch some basic design placement ideas on a piece of lightweight non-fusible Pellon interfacing. (I don't draw....so this is really rough.)

The interfacing is thread basted to the wrong side of the altered fabric and here ultra-suede stems are being added. (Sometimes following the sketch I've drawn on the wrong side, sometimes not!) 

Stitching with Burmilana #12 thread and beading using a variety of styles of seed beads is in progress. Next the interfacing will be trimmed to about 1/4" from the outside edge, a backing and edge finishing will be incorporated.  Finally, a hanging device and label will be added.

WILDFLOWER FANTASY  10" x 12" 

AVAILABLE HERE

Artist microwave ice-dyed, monoprinted, hand embroidery,

bead embellished.

UPDATE:  I've had several inquires about how I finish the back of these pieces, plus inquiries about hanging devices.  I blogged about it here:  http://marystori.blogspot.com/2012/11/backingslabels-for-wool-quilts.html

See what other artists have been up to this week:  Nina-Marie Off The Wall Friday, Whoop, Whoop Friday, 

SIZES OF FETLED BOWLS

I received a question wondering about the sizes of my bowls.  They are smaller than you'd think considering all the time invested. I used 2 template resists, one for the larger & one for the smaller bowls.  Shrinkage during felting isn't always exact.....too many factors.....but the following will give you an overview.

 5" diameter - 3" tall

3" diameter - 2.5" tall

WEEK LONG WET FELTING BOWLS

After nearly a week spent wet felting bowls......here are the finished pieces. This may not seem like a lot, but the process is just plain time consuming.

 Some have been embellished, some waiting in line for their 'pretties', and others will be left as is.

Again, thank you to my friend Jo Timko who gifted me the fabulous pieces of sea glass used to embellish some of the bowls.