FIBER JUNKIES NOV. SHOW & TELL

WOW....what a great show and tell this month.  Denny challenged herself to make 10 quilts in 2018.  She brought 5 tops to share with us. AND...these are complicated, detailed, colorful, large quilts.  I feel like I've been sitting still all year after looking at what she's accomplished.

Gen has been concentrating on paper creations for most of the year.  She says it's easy, kinda like working in a coloring book, but to me they are awesome.  Tiny, tiny lines and thoughtful color choices are prominent as she works with inks, pencils, pens on these designs.  I'm sorry I didn't get the name of the person whose paper 'blanks' she uses..... 

Here's a sneak preview of how we played after show and tell was over.  Our happy group, minus our newest member, Susan Web Lee who took the photo.  Left to right....Kate, Judy, Mary, Gen, & Denny

Do you know what this is??

 Be sure to check out my next post....to see the crazy fun we had!!

FUN MAKING FELTED BASKETS

With non-stop rain and foggy, foggy conditions, it's the perfect day to hunker down and create.  Before the holiday shopping begins in earnest, my Woolworth art gallery inventory of wool felted baskets needed to be expanded.

The Fiber Junkies have had a number of meetings lately working with acrylic paints. I took advantage of the work time to mono-print quite a lot of wool felt.  This piece was made using the edge of a hotel key card, dipped in paint.  

 The baskets are made by fusing two layers of felted wool, or in this case, the lining is ice-dyed bamboo rayon that I over-dyed with indigo using a shibori folding technique.

Some of my botanical printed wool felt was used for this basket.

 These last two small baskets are made using the same fabric combo as the first larger basket. 

It's more tedious than it looks because besides fusing, I've edge stitched the layers together and often times adding some dense stitching on the bottom.  

I have to admit....I didn't get all this done in one day.....some of the pieces were fused and cut out the day before....as I said, it's time consuming...but really enjoyable.

LEGO FURNITURE - SORT OF

We've been doing a bit of updating to our house which all started with my 8+ year whining to have hardwood installed in our master.  We had that choice when we bought the house, but foolishly chose carpet instead........

.......and then we got Sooty....our rescue black lab who sheds, sheds, sheds despite the daily good brushing by 'the husband'.  It drove me nuts!  But, anyone who has done any sort of updating to their home knows that one thing always leads to others.  We had a 27 year old, very out of date plaid love seat in our room.  It turned into Sooty dog's nighttime bed for as long as it took for us to fall asleep, after which she would immediately and quietly join us.  I don't know why we are so surprised to find her on our bed most mornings!

Anyway, the love seat still has lots of life left, so it will be donated.  After removing it, we found Sooty pouting in the dining room, surrounded by all her comfort bones.  Oh dogs are so human at times.

 The replacement love seat was purposely inexpensive, but will probably become an expensive dog bed since I doubt we'll use it for ourselves.  Finding a small one was difficult....but eventually I found one online made by Serta.  We were dumbstruck when it arrived by Fed Ex in a big box.....and it became clear we were to put it together! 

 I've heard ads for 'chair or sofa in a box' but wasn't aware that was basically what we purchased.  There it was, all in one large box. Layer after layer of pieces, stacked like Legos.

 We organized the various units....and began assembling....surprisingly easy and quick.

 The back slid into metal channels on the inside side of each arm which we attached to the base in a similar manner.

 This view is the back of the love seat....you can see a small section of the back leather flap at the top.  It drops down and is held in place by Velcro.  This was done after we installed and tightened the big hand held screws that ran between the back and the arms.  We didn't even need a screw driver!!

The only thing that slowed us down was the impatience of 'the husband' trying to stuff the back cushions into the leather covers.  His approach was cram and shove which didn't yield very smooth results.  But that was easily resolved.

And here it is.....a leather Lego loveseat!

DECONSTRUCTED SCREEN PRINTING RESULTS

Here are my rather disappointing results from our deconstructed screen printing day.  The good thing is I think I know the reason why some are so poor....which will be helpful for future attempts.

1.  Since we were indoors, I was being extra cautious not to slop the colored print paste.....so I probably didn't use as much as I should.

2.  The section of the table I was using had two small cracks......so my screen didn't lay very flat and it wasn't very wide.  I just didn't have enough room to lay out things properly.

3.  We were working directly on a wood surface.  In the past at Val's house, where we had a dream set up.....we worked on padded table surfaces...which yielded a better print.

Some of the really poor ones not shown here will be overprinted.  Nothing will be lost....just an opportunity to play again.  Still it was so great to be working with one of my favorite techniques.  Thank you Judy for hosting and Sue for sharing all your interesting resists.

PLAYING WITH DECONSTRUCTED SCREEN PRINTING

It's been AGES.....since the opportunity presented itself to spend a day doing deconstructed screen printing.  My long time pal Judy Simmons, Sue Lee, and I began on a raining, but mild temperature wise day.  Our outdoor set up got moved into her husband's woodworking studio...which required some shrinkage of workspace but yahoo......we were creating!!!

With sharing in mind, we all brought resists that were no deeper than about 1/8" and silk screens.  This technique is really a simple process, but there are so many variables to obtain great results.  We just wish there were absolute RULES......so we could work off a check list (ha....not that we ever would).  Basically we wing it.....if we aren't happy with what got printed.....heck, we can always add surface design or print over it!

 I started with some ferns, picked the night before and stored flat in my car outside overnight so they stayed fairly cool.  Unfortunately, the rhythm I had developed was absent after such a long time away from this technique.  So, starting simple.....ferns were arranged on plastic, surrounded by thin wood button.

 My smallish screen was placed over the arrangement.

 My second layout began with pine needles, a tin metal 'something or other', and corrugated cardboard.

 Again, covered with my screen.

 And my final layout, already covered with a homemade screen.

 The next step is to squeegee dye infused print paste through the screen......this is a small piece of Judy's.

 After each screen has been covered with colored print paste, they are left to dry.  

 Next, the fun begins.....starting on the left....the screen is placed over dry fabric that had been soaked in soda ash.  This step aides the dye molecules to attach to the fiber.  Clear thickened print paste is pressed through the silk screen.....dissolving the dye and allowing it to attach to the prepared fabric below.  Each 'pull' yields a different look.  Normally 4-5 prints can be achieved from one screen.

 Here's my second pull from my first screen......because of space limitations....I rolled each print between black plastic before printing the next one.  The bundle will 'batch' for at least 24 hrs.

 This was one of Judy's wonderful prints.....I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the color.

I'm anxious to process the fabric in 24 to 48 hrs. because so far, I'm not finding the kind of prints I expected.  The ferns, pine and cedar branches don't seem to have printed well.  No matter what I get...I know I'll be grinning........  Come back and see won't you??

See what other artists have been working on this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Friday.

FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS

We are early risers and happy about the time change...it's back to being light enough by 7:00 AM'ish to get out and do our daily 'forced march'.  We live in a mountain valley where it takes a longer period of time for the sun to come up over the Eastern ridge.  I just want to get the exercise part of my day over with as soon as possible!

 And wow.....look at our scenery!  Frost on the ground and lovely golds, rusts, and some reds have now appeared just about everywhere. 

The leaves are dropping now faster each day but plenty still remain to admire.  I'm not a fan of what follows, but one endures winter to be able to enjoy spring and fall!

INSPIRED BY THE TEXTILES OF THREE CATS

Among the vast, vast collection of fabric my dear friend tasked me with finding homes for was a large bin of Shweshwe - indigo cloth.  The discharge block printed indigo fabric has a long history, originally printed for commercial use in Lancashire, England and exported to South Africa.  Eventually 4 companies produced this type of material.  Spruce Manufacturing produced the most popular brand name; Three Cats.  

In 1992, South Africa's De Gama Textiles, who trade marked a similar product; "Three Leopards", purchased the sole right to own and print the branded Shweshwe "Three Cats". 

My friend's stash included vintage indigo printed in Britain for the South African market, but also other printed in South Africa, including some difficult to find reds, and brown. 

Much of the fabric is very stiff and requires multiple washings before use and yet some styles are more loosely woven than others and are quite soft.  She owned a large variety of blue tones....from lights to darks, large prints to small prints.  It's been a real challenge to come up with a design that can highlight this special material without it getting lost in the patchwork and companion fabrics.

So....here's what I been working on:

 I've chosen to marry the fabric with a simple white on white print.  After consideration, the color scheme will be all navy indigo prints and I'll save the lighter ones for another project.  So the center square of the right block has now been replaced with a white one.

There were lots of rejected design ideas along the way.....but finally I settled on a very simple plan.....two different patchwork blocks using a square in a square theme.  

 After the blocks were completed it should have been easy to assemble the rows.  HA.....even simple patchwork is not in my DNA....twice I ended up sewing the rows together incorrectly...that's right, even after having it all laid out properly on my design wall.  Geesh.....

I decided it was an exercise in maintaining a humility, especially after patting myself on the back, thinking it was going so smoothly!  The top is now correctly assembled.  Hopefully I can get it sandwiched and the quilting begun this week.  Will update the progress as it happens.

Thanks for checking in with me!

STRESS FREE SEWING

It was the wish of my friend, for whom I was dispersing her lifetime of quilting materials, to use some of the fabric for community quilts.  There were plenty of smaller amounts of older fabrics that were suitable.

My small group, The Fiber Junkies, took a meeting day to organize, color coordinate, and cut enough fabric for 8 kits, which included backing and binding.

At our most recent PTA meeting we began the process of sewing them together. 2 kits that we didn't get to that day came back home with me.  I spent the last 4+ days assembling/quilting and binding them.  It was such a relaxing time....not having to select fabrics or work out the design, instead I could simply enjoy carefree sewing.

The next stop will be the Asheville Quilt Guild where they will be appropriately distributed with size/color in mind.

Perhaps the next time you are looking through your stash, wondering what you are going to do with all that fabric.....think about seeking out one of the many groups that coordinate community quilt and offer your help.

UPDATE:  Here's a link to a project supporting those who lost their homes in the Carolinas due to the latest hurricane:   https://frommycarolinahome.com/2018/11/02/carolina-hurricane-quilt-project/

To see what other artists have made this week visit: Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts.

"BOTANICAL MAGIC"

 Several years ago I became determined to learn eco-printing.....and was relentless in bugging my fiber buddies to take up this technique.  Kate, Judy, and I did our first marathon 3 years ago at Kate's place on Folly Beach.  We realized it took lots of experimenting and more knowledge than we had.  However, we came away with some successful pieces.....and haven't stopped experimenting ever since.

Eco-printing (dyeing) involves the transfer of plant pigments to cloth or fiber with or without the use of mordants and other substances.  Here I've soaked a piece of wool in a soy milk bath, sprinkled with cumin and arranged pine needles over on top.  It was then rolled around a wood dowel, secured with string or rubber bands. At this point the bundle can be placed in a steamer (or a large turkey roaster pan) containing a vinegar/water solution and steamed for 1-2 hours.

In this case, we used a large pot filled with a rich iron/vinegar water solution on a stove top and simmered the fabric bundles for about an hour.

Tongs are used to transfer them to an old cookie sheet to cool before unwrapping.

After removing the plant material, without rinsing the fabric, it was hung to dry overnight. The following day the fabric was washed with Orvis soap to remove any remaining debris & iron/vinegar/etc.

As I gathered fabrics for a new project I was kinda surprised at how little I have left in my once fairly large 'magic' stack.  I love working with the eco-prints and have created a lot of wall art featuring the fabric. I guess it's time to get the pots out again!!!

Here two prints are teamed up with rust/brown colorways of  batiks.  They were printed on a lighter weight, good quality burlap type fabric...not really sure what it was but it had a soft, drappy hand which printed beautifully and provided extra texture that a traditional cotton weave wouldn't have.  Happy with the results....I kept going and the finished piece is shown below.

 "BOTANICAL MAGIC" - 22.5" x 26.5"

AVAILABLE HERE

Natural cotton burlap eco-printed with leaves & pine needles. Steamed in vinegar/iron solution to transfer their natural tannins to the cloth. Imported cotton Batik surround the magical prints. Machine quilted with metallic thread.

DETAIL

Linking to:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday & Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Friday.