My Experiment in Ice Dyeing . . .

turned out better than I thought it would. Let me say again that the instructions for this came from the August/September issue of Quilting Arts Magazine in an article by Lynda Heines. First of all, here's my set up. I found enough pie pans, racks, etc to do 6 pieces, so I did 6 half-yard pieces:

I used what I had--pie plates with holes punched in them on top of foil pans. I've found that the dye does something to the foil, and they leak. So I had to double up on the foil pan that "caught" the liquid dye as the ice melted.

Since I'm out of my very favorite colors of dye, the hardest part was trying to come up with color combinations that I might like. Some worked better than others. I also tried to keep records with my camera (I'm not so great at writing things down as I work!). But this is what they looked like after soaking the fabric in soda ash, scrunching up the fabric, loading on the ice and sprinkling on the dye:

Not very appetizing is it?

I was worried that I had mixed the colors too much, and had mixed some complementary colors that would turn to mud. But things turned out better than I hoped:

It was fun, but I'm not sure I'll do it again. What do you think?

Today's Fiber Frenzy

Today was such a treat! Jodie did the program on painting on fabric--her work is beautiful!

She explained first, how she took the photo, then talked about each step in painting the fabric--branches first, then leaves, then adding the shading to the tree branches (first medium, then dark, then light). At least I hope I got that right.

The she showed us some more of her work, talking about the details. For example, in this photo, she talked about painting the sky:

She showed us the various steps she took when painting the cafe scene below:

And explained how she got the feeling of an "old" painting on this work in progress:

This was the work that got her started, a class with Susan Brubaker Knapp

It was fun to see Jodie's work and learn about her process. A great meeting!

And then we had some eye candy to feast on!

Frances brought her thread painting of a kitty looking into a mirror:

She always does such wonderful and unique work! She also brought a work in progress that she's trying to make a decision about what to do next:

Anita brought some of her hand-made silk paper (more on that in another blog):

And finally, the supreme of eye candy, Cleo showed us some of her ice-dyed fabrics. Too yummy to even describe!

Cleo got her directions from the latest (August/September 2011) issue of Quilting Arts Magazine in an article written by Lynda Heines.

I couldn't wait to try it, so as soon as I got home, I got everything together and went to work. I'm afraid of what it's going to look like though. I think I may have mixed my colors too much, and forgetting that mixing complementary colors makes mud, I may have some done of that too. But good, bad or ugly, I'll show you my results. It was fun, anyway!

Mary Ann

Stick bugs

Usually I "stick" to fiber art topics, but this little fellow caught my eye:

Can you see it? Looks just like a stick stuck to my screen. Must be why they (or is it just me) call them "stick bugs." But even after staring and staring and taking this photo, it didn't move, so I just gave it a little nudge off the screen, thinking, maybe it really IS a stick.

But look, it looks just the same. Now I'm REALLY wondering. So I put my foot down near it. Have you noticed that at no time did I touch it? I REALLY, REALLY am freaked out by bugs, but this one is different, that is, until he moved.

Yep, it was definitely a bug, and now that my curiosity was satisfied I was ready to get away. My little dog, Sweet Pea, who likes to catch and eat bugs, sat staring at it, with his head cocked, as if not knowing what to make of it. So it's appearance is a deterrence to not only bug predators, but to humans and dogs as well! Just a fascinating creature!

Scissors Sheath

I made this little Scissors Sheath for Anita to show off her hand-dyed wool roving. Aren't they yummy? And the quality is first rate!

It took hours to perfect the pattern, but it was worth it and I think it came out pretty well. I'll also be using this pattern to propose a class to yarn shops.

And don't the colors look wonderful?

Here's one that shows Anita's hand-dyed fabric for the lining:

Of course, I couldn't help but add my own touch:

You can find Anita and her wonderful hand-dyes next at the East Cobb Quilt Show, September 16 - 18.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fiber Frenzy in August

Now that it's almost time for our September Fiber Frenzy meeting, I'm getting around to posting about last month's. As usual, it was fun!

Anita and I gave the program, which you've heard way too much about, I'm sure! One of the most fun parts for me is to see what everyone has worked on. This month a challenge was due: Leaves.

Here are the results:

This is Anita's printed elephant ears:

Jodie's leaves:

Nancy's fern:





Shirley's beautiful quilt:

And for the most original interpretation of the challenge subject, Maddy's:

I wish I'd gotten a better picture of it--it was painted, and all kinds of stitching--it was just wonderful!

Oh, I almost forgot mine, mostly because I'm not thrilled with it, and of course, it's unfinished, but here it is anyway:

It was fun, though, and maybe I'll even finish it someday!

I hope I didn't leave anyone out--these were the only photos I could find. I think I'm going to choose my 2012 word early: ORGANIZATION!

Thanks for stopping by!