Highlights

I didn't like the orange red colour of this silk shirt of mine, so I decided to overdye it, and toss a few other scraps into the bath while I was at it. The flower worked out well until I washed it with the other dyed fabrics and it lost its highlights. And the shirt didn't absorb much of the darker colour and ended up a mottled orange red. Oops. But fabrics are settling onto shelves in the studio and the design walls are up and ready to be covered with felt.

Circling

Fall is a waning of growth, a cycle of decline with a changing beauty of it's own

and seeds of promise for other seasons to come.

I also dyed some linens and a backing for this feather piece, which shows a little brighter than it actually is, since I took the photo when it was still wet.

More This and That

We are to bring a stamp for the next Mark Making class, so I decided to make one. I've also been sewing various materials into cords

and building up stitches on the flower I showed yesterday. And I did a little

dyeing - and washed out some cotton that I had dye painted in the class - the red one on the right.

More Greening

If this was a swirl of ribbons, I'd be using them in my stitch piece! I'm having to dig deeper into my stash to locate more varieties of green. We are to have several fabrics coloured with our colour of choice for our next class. I painted cheesecloth (top left) and next to it is felt and below are two close ups of cotton that I dyed with two different greens. I was hoping for a bit more contrast and may add some later. I do like the patterning on the cotton, though.

Tomorrow I will be part of a show opening at Satin Moon Quilt shop, along with the other members in my art quilt group. I've put four pieces in this year and expect a fun time looking at everyone's work.

Small Pleasures

Interesting forms are popping up in the forest right now. Such variety - some look like flowers.

And a faded shirt of mine needed some colour, so I gave it a makeover,

tossing in a pair of socks. Small pleasures on a rainy day.

Changing It Up

I love the texture of this caterpiller, with its tiny feathers and whiskers - what a beautiful 'coat'! Quite awhile ago I bought this cotton jacket in a thrift shop, planning to alter it because the sleeves were too long and I didn't like the colour. Here it is before and after the mixed blue dyebath:

To me it's the colour of growth, and I'm adding meaningful symbols to it - small quilted patches in a group of three on the left front panel and probably a pocket to balance it, on the lower front right. This patch is cotton, linen and a diamond of my natural dyed silk with a feathery fringe.

And here it is with a heart patch Jude Hill sent me

Now to finish the transformation...

Before and After

I've spent some time playing with wools and additions to past works in progress, as well as creating in other mediums and dyeing over the last few days. I wanted to overdye some fabrics to see if I could improve them and here are a few 'before and after' shots which I still plan to take further:
Both are on linen.

I really like how this turned out - it looks like trees, to me, with falling leaves and is on flannel.

And today I dyed yellows on silk velvet, and cotton.

Small hit and miss steps of learning, changing me along with the fabric.

Second Dye Lot

I'm pleased with the rest of the dye results from today - except the marble technique, which made the purple piece too busy. The top photo shows a small portion of some dyed cotton embroiderie anglaise - at least I think that's what it's called. The second and last photos are linen and the third and fourth are silk charmeuse and silk velvet shibori. The last linen photo was a beige to begin with and all the others began as white or cream.

Another Dip in the Dye Bath

I've been doing some further dye experimentation - the top photo has large marbles wrapped inside the linen piece I dyed yesterday and was taken before I dipped the part with the marbles back into a dye bath. The second photo is a scrap of silk velvet that I've discharged to test drawn lines, sequin waste, a wood block, and a door stencil. And the pink and white linen is my first Sekka shibori attempt - folded into triangles and just two corners dipped. I have numerous other samples in the dye baths right now and hope to post results later tonight once they are batched and rinsed.

Rolling the Dice

I've been wanting to dye for some time now, and when I found some stained linen napkins in a thrift shop, that added fuel to the fire. Just a quick experiment with a mix of three colours as I was heading out the door, leaving me with a surprise to open when I returned home. There is nothing quite like unwrapping dyed cloth - this piece reminds me of dice and I'm happy with this gamble!

Paint, dye and glue

Today I painted one of the blue glue gel resist pieces I worked on yesterday - the one of the sun and water - an impromptu drawing. The photo above it is a glue sketch I did of Lawren Harris' 'Mt. Lefroy' - not exact but another experiment I've been wanting to try. I also did two more glue resist fabrics - a circular one of an art deco style fish on linen and another that is a mixture of random patterns and drawings. So it looks like I have more painting ahead! I also dyed the cave style fabric - hoping the dye stick drawings would resist the dye, which they did - and the other ugly fabric I received as part of the challenge to make ugly fabric better, and I think the golden yellow improves both.

Blood Cloth

Yesterday I overdyed this linen cloth with black, using clamps and a heart shape. I also dyed the largely white piece I'd dyed earlier this week and one more new one that is turquoise and cream. I plan to further their development. I also found a bunch of silk scarves at a garage sale but they smelled musty. After washing, then washing with vinegar added, then soaking overnight in a baking soda bath and then washing with soap again, they finally smell okay but have bled in places onto each other - which must make them 'blood relations'.

Cancellation, Completion and Carrying On

Yesterday I was very disappointed to learn that the 'Mark Making on Fabric Intensive' workshop I was signed up for with Hilary Young this week was cancelled! I had washed my fabric and done some brainstorming with respect to a theme in order to choose the most appropriate supplies to bring, as well as organized other aspects of life, so I decided to go ahead this week as if I was at the workshop in my studio, attempting to create a meaningful piece of complex cloth without a teacher. I dyed fat quarters today, and am especially pleased with the ones pictured above - although the colour of the last one is much more blue then the photo shows. I just love the excitement of unscrunching the wet fabric to see how the dye has taken - what designs and colours have resulted. One piece that sat in bright scarlet and yellow for hours came out largely white because the dye hadn't penetrated the folds. The middle photo is silk and I also dyed some linen and cotton. Some pieces I will over dye again to improve them to my satisfaction. I also added the binding, sleeve and necklace to complete 'Entering The Flow'.

Over Dyeing a Sweatshirt

I found this cotton sweatshirt for 4 dollars in a thrift shop and I bought it because I thought it was the perfect candidate for a makeover. I decided to dye it first to try to get a green and brown from the original orangey rust, which did not look very attractive. I immersed it in a turquoise dye bath and did end up with green and brown with some leftover rust. Now comes the fun of auditioning fabrics and creating a design! I also finished pinning the scalloped edges of my watermelon quilt and I handsewed one side and quilted that border in the ditch.