Wall Art #5

Today's project:

This print has been ready to mount as long as all the others, I just couldn't decide on the right background.  Today I was looking through my stash and pulled out this piece and decided it was the right balance for the blue.  It is a piece that was originally dyed green, and this summer I over-dyed it shibori style in blue, just using up some left-over dye.  I'm happy with the result.

QC6 Day 19

We made another trip to Keepsake Quilting today, with a stop at an antique shop on the way and the grocery store after, so didn't accomplish much in the studio.  But I did wash out 4 more pieces of indigo dyeing (pictures of just 3) and, I made pie!! (Keeping up with my 1 my per week assignment, only this week I was an over achiever and made 2.)

The top photo is a fat quarter that was clamped with wooden circles to resist the dye.  In the 2nd piece which is cotton gauze, I used wooden discs and buttons with rubber bands wrapped around; the stripes are also done with rubber bands.  The third piece is also cotton gauze that was pole wrapped.

The pie this week is Shoo-fly Pie, a PA Dutch tradition.  This is my great grandmother's recipe, which makes 2 pies (that's why I made 2).  Yum!  Haven't had this in a long time.  Part pie, part coffee cake.

At Keepsake we happened to get there for the first day of their fat quarter sale.  I didn't need any fabric but........40% off!

QC6 Day 18

Wow!  Today we got to see the first of the indigo results!  That was fun.  I had only 1 of the 2 pieces I dyed on Tuesday that was dry, so that's all I have to show right now.  It is a rayon circular scarf, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  The other piece was pole dyed and it is still drying out.  Hopefully I will be able to rinse it tomorrow.  I dyed the rest of my pieces today (5 more) so it may take a day or 2 for them to dry.  Here's the scarf - on the left it is still wet; on the right it is dry.

I also experimented with using up some leftover dye by brayering it on fabric that was laid over top of stencils, to see if it would create a pattern like a rubbing.  This was somewhat successful, enough so that I will do a bit more experimenting.

 In the picture below, the blue piece is one that I dyed a few days ago - and had forgotten about!  I think it turned out really well, considering that (again) I was using up some leftover dye and experimenting a bit.

The next 3 photos are yet another experiment - comparing Solar Fast dye and sun printing.  For sun printing, certain paints react in sunlight leaving images on cloth of items used as resists.  I use Pebeo Setacolor paint for this.  One of my first QC6 posts was about a sun print I started with and continued to add layers to.  Solar Fast is a fairly new product by Jacquard that is a dye that reacts in sunlight.  So I took a fat quarter that had been previously dyed, split it into 2 pieces, and used Solar Fast on one and Setacolor on the other.  I did similar arrangements of ferns and set them in the sun.  I work on a foam core board that is covered with plastic, and cover the arrangement with organza tacked to the board to keep everything in place, especially on a windy day like today.  After 30 minutes the Solar Fast has to be washed out.  The Setacolor is paint so just gets heat set with an iron.  The photos show the before, during and after of the process; Solar Fast is on the left, Setacolor on the right.

It was about 1:30-2:00 in the afternoon when I set this out in the sun; ideally around noon is a better time of day when the sun is directly overhead.   I think that's why the sun print in particular is not as clear as it might be.  I think the Solar Fast may give a bit more depth to the print.  Both yield interesting results.  There are some other options for Solar Fast besides using natural objects; more experiments are in order!
 

QC6 Day 16

After I finished posting last night, I realized I forgot to include a picture of the one new thing I did yesterday.  I tried a product called Solar Fast, which works similar to sun printing.  You apply the solar fast dye to the fabric and place things on top to create shadows (items from nature, stencils, etc.); you can also make transparencies of photos but I don't have the equipment here to do that.  Cover with glass or something sheer (I used organza) and place in the sun for about 30 minutes.  Then remove and place in hot water with the solar fast wash or synthropol.  I used teal dye on top of a fabric that was previously dyed, a lighter teal color.  That's why the impressions you see are not white.  The actual color is not quite as brown/gray as it appears in the picture.

Today was rainy most of the morning and again late afternoon.  We decided it was a good day to try indigo dyeing - I started getting pieces ready yesterday - all different types of shibori.  Indigo dyeing is very different from the Procion MX dyes we usually use.  Its prepared in a large bucket (vat) and is a yellow-green color in the vat.  Items are submerged for 2-3 minutes, then allowed to sit for 15 minutes; then they can be dipped again if you want a more intense color. When they come out of the dye and the air hits them, the color change begins from green to blue.  The vat can be kept going for several months, unlike the MX dyes that only last a day or 2 (or a few hours depending on the process you use).  The top group of photos show some of the different ways the fabric & scarves have been manipulated.  The second collage shows parts of the dyeing process.  We only dyed some of the pieces today; the others will be done another day this week.

I also did a little bit on two started pieces today.  First is the neutral collage that was dyed blue;  I fused on a binding and wanted to show the 2 side by side.  I also plan to add some hand stitching for embellishment.

Below is the Artistic Artifacts row which I've added a border to and layered with batting and backing for quilting.  The binding will be the same as the strips between each section, so that will tone down the orange a bit.

 And finally, another rainy day resulted in another beautiful sunset!

QC6 Day 15

A day of high productivity is often followed by one that is less so.  Such was my day today.  I washed yesterday's dyed pieces and started preparing some others for indigo dyeing.  I am using some shibori processes for those so the preparation takes a little longer.  It was very hot, so it was definitely a day to jump in the lake and float around for a while.  We ended with s'mores over the fire pit on the beach and a pretty sunset.

QC6 Day 11

Today was a wash out - wash out of dye, that is.  I had 3 things batching over night that I showed you yesterday - the shibori pole wrap, clamped piece and napkins.  The napkins weren't as dark red as I wanted so after rinsing I put them back in soda ash and then back in the dye pot with some additional dye.  The pole wrap looks much better now - more balanced, and the clamped piece (circles) is interesting.

I finished my "row" from Keepsake Quilting's pattern.  The pattern is only 4 blocks; I added a third Yankee Puzzle block because I felt it looked more balanced, and plan to use it as a table runner instead of part of a quilt, so length doesn't matter.

I was going to layer my Artistic Artifacts row for quilting, but decided I wanted to add a border to make it a little wider.  Since I didn't have a piece I felt worked, I decided to print my own.  I had a piece of hand-dyed orange, and wanted to add texture and/or print.  I started by printing an all over design with discharge paste, which takes color out when heated with an iron. 

On the left I've applied the discharge and started to iron the bottom corner; on the right is what it looks like after ironing.  Then I went back to the print table and screened another image over top.  But I forgot to take a picture so I will share that tomorrow.

What else did I do today?  I made a peach pie; that's my assignment while I'm here - a pie a week!

I put together a small collage in neutral colors and machine quilted it, then put it in a dye pot - the leftover cobalt blue.  The dye is not full strength, so I'm hoping it will turn out a paler color than the piece with circles above.  This is a process we saw on a Quilting Arts video called Quilting and Dyeing Serendipity.

And finally, a little bit of a sunset.

Tomorrow, another road trip!

QC6 Day 10

Ten days already?  It's hard to believe we've been here that long!  Today was mostly a studio/sewing day.  Here is the day in pictures.

I tried out some new screens.  The photo above is before and after.  I added a little pine sprig to the fabric in the bottom photo.  In the pictures below, I was trying out a ledger page from 1899 and a postcard from 1908.

I decided to over dye the shibori piece in yesterday's post.  I wrapped it with the lighter part on the outside and put it in deep purple dye.

 

I also decided to try another type of shibori, using shape resists.  These circles are clamped above, below, and between the folded layers of fabric.  It was a light blue when I started.  It is in cobalt blue dye.

I crackled the flour resist piece and applied dy-na-flow paint.  After it dried, I washed it out.  It wasn't as successful as I hoped - too much paint; the Dy-na-flow is thin and pools underneath, which I forgot about.  But there are some decent parts.  (That is the bottom picture below.)  The top is a set of 10 linen napkins in a turkey red dye bath.  (Thinking ahead to Christmas.)

I also worked on sewing together my row from Keepsake Quilting.  It's all together, but I haven't taken pictures yet so that will be in tomorrow's post.

Finally, to end the day, a trip to Bailey's Bubble for ice cream (Maine Blackbear) and the evening sun after a thunderstorm.

QC6 Day 9

There wasn't much new on the project front today. I did wash out a shibori piece last night, which you see here.  I was over-dyeing a piece that had large areas of pink, which you can still see.  The fabric was pole wrapped and compressed and the dye didn't penetrate well to the inside layers, so I may do another over-dye with the lighter end on the outside. 

I also started a flour paste resist last night, which is still drying.  When it is dry, it gets crackled and then another color dye is applied which seeps into the cracks.  Maybe it will be dry enough tomorrow.

  
Today we had an errand to do on the opposite side of the lake to pick up a mooring sticker, so decided to combine the trip with visits to quilt shops in the area that are participating in the Row by Row Experience.  We found 3 shops that were in the general vicinity and stopped to shop and pick up the free row patterns.  Some of the shops also have fabric license plates available that can be added to the back of your row or used in some other creative way. 

I love the quirky sense of humor you find up here. These landmarks have been here for years along route 109 around the northeast side of the lake.  But they still amuse me and give you something to look for as you drive the country roads.  Clockwise from the top right: lady bug rock, frog rock, chicken mailbox, tin man, and the giraffe in the barn window, this year joined by the lady in the helmet.  One year there was also a baby giraffe.

Weekend Shibori Class - Final Reveal

We finished up dyeing Sunday afternoon with 2 dye baths - one of Brazil Nut, the other Black Cherry.  Both of these dyes produced wonderful results. Since the colors are a mixture of other colors, you see some of those component colors separating out in the dyed fabric, making them look like they'd been in multiple dye baths instead of just one.

The picture below is actually 3 strips side by side that were clamp-resist dyed, first in kingfisher blue, and then the 2 outside pieces were over-dyed in black cherry.  I really like the 3 pieces together.

This piece was originally pole wrapped and dyed yellow, then accordion pleated, banded and over-dyed in Brazil nut.

We dyed several different silk scarves throughout the weekend including this one that we started Saturday morning with a direct dye application, allowed to batch over night, then washed and dried before pole-wrapping and over-dyeing in Brazil nut.

The next one was pole-wrapped and dyed twice - first in sea foam, and then in kingfisher blue.

This scarf was also pole-wrapped first and dyed in scarlet red.  Then it was folded, clamped with a large square, and over-dyed in black cherry.

The last scarf we worked with was a silk charmeuse, wide and long enough to be used as either a wrap or a scarf. There were some very beautiful, dramatic results with these.  Below is Alice's scarf; she used a variety of techniques for some interesting patterns.  I think this was done in emerald green, but see how the blues separate out.

Kathy spent a lot of time stitching her scarf, but it really paid off with the results she got.  Click on the picture so you can zoom in closer.  This was dyed in Brazil nut, but you can also see the blue components of the dye.

I decided to accordion fold and bind my scarf - it was one of the faster techniques, but still can create amazing results.  I dyed it in black cherry; it's hard to believe it was only in one color!

This was a fabulous class and I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend in Lancaster.  I would have enjoyed having time to explore the shops and art galleries as well - I guess that means a return trip!  Props to the PA Guild of Craftsmen and Kachina Martin for a great workshop.  I highly recommend it!

Weekend Shibori Class - Part 3

Here's what happened next with the homework pieces from day 1, and the results after dyeing on day 2.  All the stitching was pulled really tight to gather up the fabric and knotted off.  The top picture is a scarf with Mokume Shibori, or stitched wood grain.

 

 The piece above is called Orinui, which means undulating lines.  This is the wavy stitched piece from yesterday.  The one below is Karamatsu which is a Japanese larch and gives a circular effect. The stitching is 3 concentric arcs to make each patterned circle.

This is what they look like after dyeing and removing the stitching.

This is one half of the scarf, dyed in scarlet red.

The Orinui was originally yellow and overdyed in scarlet red.

The larch was originally rust orange, overdyed in brazil nut. 

Another technique we learned on day 2 was clamping.  The fabric is first folded and then wooden shapes are placed on the outsides (and in between in this case because there are 3 pieces of fabric) and held in place with clamps.  The dye comes in contact with the exposed fabric while the shapes act as a resist to prevent the dye from penetrating. 

 

This is one of the pieces from the clamping resist, dyed in kingfisher blue.

Come back tomorrow for the final reveal!