Indigo Dye!

Indigo is among the oldest dyes used for textile dyeing and printing.

The dye was also known to ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece and Rome but India is believed to be the oldest center for indigo dyeing in the Old World. Today most indigo dyes are synthetic but the color is just as beautiful as the extracted plant dyes from ancient times.

I dyed this cotton using a synthetic indigo dye and then over dyed with a lighter, brighter blue. This picture might not capture the color contrast well but it's actually rather dramatic - it almost glows!

New Dye Colors!

I got some new dyes from Dharma Trading Company - yippee! When you scrunch up your fabric before adding the dye you get cool textures.

Wet Sand, Seet Pea, Wasabi & Thistle Blossom

This piece was was created using rubber bands and dipped in a bath of fushia. I wasn't quite satisfied so I overdyed the piece in lavender. I think it still needs something else... more to come!

Hands on Quilting Demonstration

Please join Mary Lachman for a hands on quilting demonstration at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield, CT on Saturday, March 24th from 10:00 - 12:00. Mary will show her collection of beautiful handmade quilts while unlocking the secrets of choosing a color pallet and piecing blocks together. Available for sale will be hand dyed and hand painted fabrics by Carol R. Eaton Designs along with various hand crafted items.

I love Surface Design!

I find surface design to be the most exciting element in my creative energy lately! I can't get enough and I want to create all day - every day! Each of the below fabrics combines a number of methods; dying, painting, manipulation, free form "flicking" of paints and over dying! Talk about losing yourself and being free... and by the way "flicking" is not a technical term!

Over Dying

Sometimes the end result of my dyed fabric isn't quite what I had in mind or it feels like it's missing something. Once I cure my fabric I start over with fresh eyes and decide if I should dye or paint over the original colors. Below are a few fabrics I decided to dye again - it's such a freeing expereince to add more layers!

I used whiffle balls and clips and poured more dye over the tops

I wonder what the creator of the whiffle ball would think!

Here I folded the fabric adding clips and rubber bands

It's a surprising look

I used the lid to a jar securing it with a rubber band

This outcome was the biggest surprise to me!

More Fun with Ice Cubes!

I'm at it again! I can't resist the unusual twists and turns the dye makes as the ice cubes melt - it's my new favorite method! I fell so lucky to have sat next to Carol Ludington at the recent SAQA meeting. She gave me the direction to get started on this unusual way to dye fabrics!

The inspiration for this batch of fabrics were photos taken with the Hubble telescope. The gases in outer space are amazing and the color combinations unexpected!