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.

HOUSE REFRESH FINISHED..."I THINK"

The final phase of our home refresh was to update the stairway and my studio loft railings.  We got tired of the bulky pine log look, wanting a fresher look instead.

 The railings served as such a handy surface for displaying some of my antique quilts and quilt tops.

However, as you can see, I have plenty more displayed...on ladders and hanging from the stairway wall (photo below.)

Here's the new look.....and I'm smitten.  Feels so much more open, larger and lighter!

I may drape one or two quilts from the studio railing just to disguise the ironing board and some of my storage bins that live beneath my cutting table.  I'm giving that decision some time.  So, unless we win the lottery (of which we don't  play), our home reno projects are now complete!  

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?

CAR CLUB SCOUTING TRIP

Our local PCA car club is extremely dedicated to developing 'drive and dine' outings that combine the beauty of Western North Carolina and the love of our Porsches!

Thank you Jim Moore for your leadership and always providing such great photos that celebrate our time together.

This week 5 volunteers scouted an upcoming drive to Clingsman's Dome. They checked out the dining options in Bryson City, NC.

 Clingsman's Dome, is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This observation tower is at 6,643 feet elevation. 

Awesome views....enough said.....

GO PACK GO

For die hard Packer fans like us......if the Packers never win any other game during a season, it's a MUST to beat the Chicago Bears.  After living in the Chicago area for over 30 years.....we've had to put up with 'Da Bears' and their fans...when everyone knows America's favorite team is the Green Bay Packers!!! 

                So for the first game of the season tonight....let me say......
            
             GO PACK GO......GO PACK GO

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

INTERRUPTIONS

Studio time isn't happening this weekend.....instead we are doing more physical labor than either of us care to.  Besides the deck project that's been ongoing since the beginning of July, we've had a few other upgrades waiting in the wings.  (But today we did some wood staining, bush/tree trimming, power washing, window washing.....dust from all this construction seems to be everywhere!)

  This is a view of the ugly course gravel the home contractor placed beneath our front covered porch.  We have so much decking we never utilize this space, however the appearance of the unused space as always bugged me.

Since staying in this house until our assisted-care rocking chairs become necessary, we decided to make it more appealing.  Freshly painted outside entrance doors, inviting shrubbery pots, and a flagstone path.

My desire was to fill the whole space with flagstones......but after getting the quote I had to adjust my wishes.  This path took our landscapers an entire week to create...and they worked non-stop.  The old ugly gravel became the base and now we have very colorful pea gravel surrounding the flagstones.  Soil had to be added to raise the ground level to the new wood barriers.  We will be watering that area now in hopes that the grass seed sprouts before the snow flies.

STUDIO TIME

Back in the studio...puttering/auditioning...not sure where this is going yet but enjoying the journey.