Fabric Dyeing

I dyed a little over 18 yards of fabric this week. (Doesn't look like 18 yds when folded, does it? Well, when you iron it, it sure does!) I think gathering my supplies, bringing them to the kitchen and doing the prep work of protecting my counter tops, etc takes more time than the actual dyeing process. But I love the results. I used three different types of fabric. One is Kona Cotton PFD which I really like and another is Kauffman Pimatex PFD which has a tighter weave and the feel of batik fabric. The other is one I don't like but had a lot of after taking a dyeing class. It is a coarser type muslin that wrinkles like crazy, so not my favorite.

This is another shot of the folded fabric...mostly 1/2 yard pieces. Below are my favorites...it's always hard to cut into your favorites. I used Procion MX dyes. I did get better color by first soaking my fabric in the soda ash solution, premixing the dyes and adding the fabric to the dye vats (rubbermaid and various plastic containers with lids). No salt added this time and I let them sit overnight before the rinse out.

I pour teal over antique gold to get this effect.

Screen Printing

Screen Print with Mono Print

Screen Printing is fun! The fabrics above are printed using Jacquard Fabric paint and a produce bag. There was enough paint left on the produce bag to do a mono print, too. The fabric is some of the fat quarters I hand dyed last year. I sort of ripped and stretched the vinyl bag so I could get better texture and design when I printed.

This piece is the first print using the produce bag. It does use a lot of paint, but I love the results.

This is a screen print done on a commercial fabric using a freezer paper stencil I cut. The red print below is an abstract leaf that I cut from newspaper. It was my first print. Sorry about the photo quality, I just snapped a picture while it was drying on my design wall. I love the crisp quality of screen printing...maybe I should do it on a T-shirt??? Nahh, got to save the fabric paint for quilts!

Yesterday, I dyed some more fabric using three types of fabric. I am ironing it this morning and will take some photos to post tomorrow. I'm getting ready for my master class with Elizabeth Busch at QSDS, so for the next three weeks I will be working on some new pieces and some old ones in my studio. I was bogged down for a while and realized it was fabric colors I needed to inspire the muse, so hopefully the dyeing session will help in that area.

Two of a Kind

Pears Two

Pears Two (detail)

Here is another pear quilt I recently made. Techniques used: machine embroidery, fabric painting, chalking, machine appliqué and free motion quilting. Materials used: textile paint, acrylic paint, cotton batting, hand-dyed fabric, commercial fabric, fusible web and chalks.

These remind me of the giant pear tree in our neighbor's yard when we lived in Altus, Oklahoma. Our neighbor didn't like pears, so I got to harvest all I wanted. I made lots of pear jam and jelly.

Thanks for reading my blog and I welcome your comments!

New Work and happenings...

Three of a Kind

Three of a Kind (detail)

This is one of my latest works. This is inspired from a photo I took of the pears that grew on my little pear tree when I lived in Ohio. I took many photos of them, rearranging them in singles and pairs and by three. When I finally got around to cutting one to eat...they weren't that tasty. But they did make wonderful subjects for art quilts. Techniques used: machine embroidery, fabric painting, machine appliqué, free motion quilting and chalking. Materials used: textile paint, acrylic paint, chalks, hand-dyed fabric, commercial fabric, fusible web and cotton batting. Tomorrow, I will post another pear quilt in which I used painted fabrics.

When I woke this morning, I had ten reasons why I haven't blogged sooner, but the number one reason was a hard drive crash. Luckily, my hubby had just built me a new computer. He was able to transfer the files from my old computer and after a few tweaks, I'm back again. This new computer is so much faster which makes blogging so much easier! So, I look forward to sharing lots of new creations and happening with you.

As always, I welcome your comments and thanks for visiting my blog!