Fabric Dyeing: Weekend Fun

I had a nice relaxing weekend without a dozen commitments scheduled so I was free to putter and play in the studio unrestricted... ah... life is good!

I experimented with Confetti dyeing and ice dyeing. I had time to start a piece symbolic of Connecticut landscapes. I've gotten deeper into stencils through Terri Stegmiller's blog and learned of unique ways to incorporate them into my work. I'm also stepping into the world of Thermofax screens through Lynn Krawczyk's site. I watched a YouTube clip she made taking the mystery out of the process so I ordered some screens and will soon be on my way to more fabric manipulation!

Why are weekends only 2 days long... so unfair!

 

 

Fabric Experimenting!

I had the pleasure of discovering stencils through Terri Stegmiller's blog and I've had a lot of fun using this "new" medium. I encourage you to check out her unique Blog Hop going on right now for a chance to win some of her stencils plus learn how other artists incorporate stencils into their work - you'll be happy - I guarantee it!

Over the past few days I've experimented with confetti dyed fabric and Wendy Aikin's stencil titled, Waterways. It's a small 6" X 6" stencil with many possible interpretations. I was experimenting with the confetti dyed technique trying to create a textured look by manipulating the fabric. Next I used Wendy's stencil but rather than traditional ink or fabric paint I used SoftSrub to bleach the dye out of the fabric. The results were fun and I'm encouraged to keep on playing!

Confetti Dyed Fabric with Stencil

My second experiment came to mind when I was out for a run and picked up some fallen pine needles. I stamped them onto a piece of cotton using Speedball inks. Once dried I painted with a transparent blue fabric paint and threw on a little salt for fun. I'm partial to this blue feeling it's a peaceful color.

Stamped and Painted Fabric

Don't forget to stop by Terri's Blog Hop!

Seasons

This is my second attempt to create a piece focusing on Connecticut's four seasons. The first is destined to become a UFO! I was just not "feelin' it" after completing the top. Sometimes when you try too hard the design process gets frozen and doesn't go anywhere.

For my second attempt I drew a sketch of geometric shapes. My thought was to create seasonal "chunks". I used only fabrics I created including the background piece. It was fun to create with no forced tension so the design flowed easily.

 

Below is the final piece:

Seasons
3' X 3'

Seasons - detail

Silk Symposium

The National Quilt Museum is hosting a Silk Symposium April 27th from 8:30 - 5:00. I'm interested in going and wondered if anyone out there is giving it some thought. The museum is located in Lowell, MA which is a hike for me but I'm up for the adventure!

Let me know if you're considering the trek!

Fabric, Fashions & Quilts Symposium

SILK

The New England Quilt Museum and the American Textile History Museum present a one-day-symposium, part of our ongoing Fabric, Fashions & Quilts symposium series.

The 2013 collaborative study symposium examines silk textiles and clothing as produced and used in America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Seating is limited, so register now!

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:
April 15, 2013
(or sooner if capacity reached)

COST:
Member of both NEQM and ATHM: $70
Member of either NEQM or ATHM: $75
Non-member: $85

I'm having trouble with blogsot - HELP!

Hello Friends!
I hope you can help me resolve a problem. For some reason when I click the icon to upload pictures from my computer files, the "browse" icon doesn't appear. Therefore I can no longer upload photos... I'm so distraught! I've been all over the blogspot website trying to trouble shoot but there are no options for what I'm experiencing. So far I've been unable to locate any human contact from the site.

Help!
Carol

Stencils, Fabric Dyeing and More!

I love the idea of starting a New Year. The world is wide open for exploring and creating! I got caught up with two projects at the end of December that made me think in a very focused and narrow way. I can only do that for so long before my brain cramps up and demands free time. Over the past few days I was able to carve out free studio time and I feel energetic and happy again... my inner balance was restored.

I recently purchased some of Terri Stegmiller's stencils from Stencil Girl Products. I'm not very familiar with stencils but after following Terri's blog and seeing how she incorporates stencils into her artwork I thought I'd give it a try. Take a peek at Terri's blog - she provides tutorials on her approach which is a real treat! Also, check out Stencil Girl Products; they carry fellow artists stencil designs and are a pleasure to do business with.

Terri's stencil designs are the circles to the far left and to the far right

Here I used Terri's circle stencil along with a dragonfly stencil. The fabric is dyed using the Confetti Method along with many layers of stamping and discharging.

In this piece I used Terri's stencil along with bubble wrap. The lighter colored circles are created by applying Softscrub rather than dye or fabric paint. The bleach in the Softscrub removes or discharges the dye from the fabric.

Next I focused on ice dyeing and Confetti Dyeing to try out some new dyes that arrived from Dharma Trading. I love my new dyes and never tire of seeing the fabric come out of the dye baths.

I had some ideas on color combinations when dyeing with the Confetti technique. I must have made a dozen or more fat quarters. Below is a sampling of colors I found interesting.

Over Dyed

Black Dye

Yellow and Blue

I dragged a comb across the dye to disperse

 

Finally I decided to try my hand at silk screening and created a template from pressed leaves. I applied to two pieces of fabric I've been working on that remind me of Connecticut's woodlands.

The fabric is dyed, batiked, painted, stamped and discharged

Detail of above piece

This fabric started with Confetti Dyeing and then batiked, discharged
stamped and over dyed

Detail of above piece

The last fabric I pulled from the dye bath was created by folding and clamping the fabric before dyeing.

The colors are Imperial Purple and Lavender

Happy New Year!

Although my blog has been quiet for a few weeks it doesn't mean I haven't been busy in the studio! My goal for the first day of 2013 is to catch up on photos of recent work and get back to blogging regularly!

See you soon!
Carol

Looking for inspiration on a snowshoe trek!