Dyeing Workshop!

I'm delighted to be teaching a workshop on dyeing at the New Britain Museum of American Art on March 29th! 

Learn 3 fun ways to dye fabric!

The class will explore dyeing with ice, the low immersion process and confetti dyeing in a bag. Students will learn how the dye reacts differently to the 3 techniques. Students will gain an understanding of the dye process and tips on how to dye fabric successfully at home. The class will create 3 yards of one-of-a-kind fabric to take home!

Fabric and dyes included; students bring small containers, gloves, dust mask and a few other incidentals. Supply list available with registration.

Adult Studio Workshop

12:30-4:30 p.m.

Sunday March 29th

Registration required

$70 members/$95 non members

Oh Glorious Snow... You Are Still Here!

The Northeast had a slight reprieve from the bitter cold jet stream this weekend. With 4" of fresh snow and the temperature creeping up into the 30's playing in the snow was a pleasure! 

I didn't take any process photos this session but here is the clean up... phew! 

The clean up photo actually allows you to see what I pull from the recycle bin to create the "snow burst" design. In general any item you place underneath the fabric to elevate it will give you a lovely design. In this session I used the same size containers (on the left) but if you vary the sizes the design is even more interesting... give it a try and remember it's impossible to make a mistake! 

This weekend's finished pieces! 

This is a detail from one of the snow burst centers

This is the full piece at 2 yards

Here is another detail of the snow bursts

These tea towels are much less dramatic but I made them for my 25 year old son who is in need of kitchen supplies (according to his mother!)

This is a second 2 yard piece

Although more mellow the snow bursts are still kinda cool 

Here is the final snow burst to share! Let me know if you try the technique! 

SAQA's Fiberlandia Conference Will Be Here Before You Know It!

I'm looking forward to another great SAQA conference May 1 - 3. This year the gathering takes place in Portland, OR so the conference is appropriately titled "Fiberlandia"! As attendees arrive on April 30th I'll be vending fabrics so please stop by to say "hi" and fondling fabric is highly encouraged! The vendors will be there only between 12 - 5 so make sure you allow time to shop.

Doubletree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, OR 

Snow + Clamps + CD's = More Cool Designs!

OK - I'm totally hooked on experimenting with snow and manipulating the fabric for unexpected results! Although using CD's as a resist when dyeing fabric is not new it was a little unusual when dyeing with snow.

The challenge with snow is to ensure enough moisture and dye reach into the center of the clamped fabric. I've resorted to stuffing it into nooks and crannies as it melts!  

 I'll keep experimenting until I get this technique down... I love how the colors migrate across the fabric but I need to get a more consistent pull throughout the piece. I believe I also need to change up the tub I'm dyeing in. Something with less depth might help with the coverage... to be continued! 

Have you tried this yet? What were your results?!

Look What Linda Cooper Did!

Linda Cooper has been busy creating another beautiful piece titled "Ice Flowers". This is a second in her series... fabulous work Linda!

What a treat to see how Linda used the ice dyed fabrics to create 

these beautiful flowers. 

Snow + Clamps + Dye = Awesome Designs!

I waited for it to warm up from -10 to about 5 degrees before venturing out to collect snow for dyeing! Baby it's cold in Connecticut right now... but I digress! With this challenging weather comes an abundance of snow to dye with and for that I am grateful! 

I'm still experimenting with clamps. I wasn't sure how the snow dyeing technique would work with clamps but they are too fun not to give them a try! 

 I still have some fiddling to do when it comes to how to position the snow on top of a clamped piece for optimum dye coverage. 

 Here is a detail of the multicolored piece. The yellow and orange was a nice pop next to the violet.

In this piece I used only black for color. I wanted to be sure the dye had decent coverage so after the snow melted I scooped some of the dye at the bottom of the tub and poured it over the fabric.

Next I'll try clamps and CD's to see what kind of design I can come up with! Do you have any tips to share?! I'd love to learn more...

Look What Linda Did!

Linda Martin is a fellow Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective member. Linda is known for her fun and fabulous applique work - aren't her color combinations full of life! Here is Linda's latest piece titled, "Moonlight Bathing". I'm honored Linda chose a piece of my fabric for the background! 

For more information on the Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective 

and Linda's work please click here!

We Have a Winner!

Monica WeidmannFebruary 5, 2015 at 3:56 PM

Time to play! Liked your piece. The "I thought the scarf needed something more" sentence sounded very familiar. :)

ReplyDelete

Replies

1. 
   CarolFebruary 14, 2015 at 8:12 AM

   Monica - you are the winner of Fabric Printing at Home AND 4 Fat Quarters! Please email me your address at carolreaton@comcast.net!
   
   Congratulations!

THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment! I hope you all click HERE to purchase your own copy of Fabric Printing at Home... you're going to LOVE it!

Happy Creating!

Carol 

It's Here! "Fabric Printing at Home" is now available! Want to win a copy AND a 4 pack of Handcrafted Fat Quarters?!

I'm super excited about this book! I'm a practical person and that spills over into my creative side as well. The first thing that struck me about Julie's book is her design tools can be found in any kitchen. The next thing I discovered are Julie's instructions... they work! I get so burned up when you're trying to learn a new technique and the author forgets a few steps assuming you already know that part... this doesn't happen here and I highly recommend you add a copy to your creative arts library.... but first... would you like to win a copy AND a 4 pack of handcrafted Fat Quarters?! 

Julie's goal is to giveaway 14 copies of her new book, Fabric Printing at Home: Quick and Easy Fabric Design Using Fresh Produce and Found Objects!

Over the next two weeks there is a blog tour a day! From now until February 14th Julie plus one artist listed below will be sharing ideas and techniques from Julie's book. Please be sure to visit with these fabulous fiber artists. Hop on over to their blogs but don't you dare leave me until you've posted a comment here for a chance to win a free book AND a 4 pack of handcrafted Fat Quarters!

So spread the word… to Join the Tour…it’s definitely the place to be and don't forget to scroll down to see my exploration into flour resist and congregated cardboard stamps... seriously - Julie's techniques are  so cool! 

February 2: Lisa Chin

February 3: Lynn Krawczyk

February 4: Jane Davila

February 5: Carol R. Eaton

February 6: Judy Gula

February 7: Susan Purney Mark

February 8: Teri Lucas

February 9: Jennifer Coyne Qudeen

February 10: Deborah Boschert

February 11: Lynda Heines

February 12: Cheryl Sleboba

February 13: Terri Stegmiller

February 14: Jackie Lams

I started by painting a silk scarf with fabric paints

Following Julie's directions I created a flour resist.

Once the flour dried I crinkled it to create interesting cracks and applied fabric paint. (cure fabric according to the directions)

I thought the scarf needed something more so flipping through Julie's book I came across a section on creating stamps.  

Following the directions I created a stamp... from cardboard... who knew?!

I stamped the scarf... mmm... does it need more?! I'll flip through a few more chapters to see what I can discover! 

 I wanted to share my piece Julie used in the gallery section of her book. I was so honored to have a piece represented, (huge smile!). I used flour resit here as well plus a collection of fabrics collected by my buddy Leila in Ethiopia. 

Give Julie's book a try - it will not disappoint!  

Please leave a comment for a chance to win! I'll draw a winner on February 14th! What a sweet Valentine!

$10,000 raised in 2 1/2 hours! Thank you to everyone who donated to this worthy cause!

TODAY ONLY!

The first 100 people to contact VirginiaSpiegel.com beginning at 10 a.m. Central will be given a link to donate $100 by credit card directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. 

Each donor will receive an artwork from one of the 100 generous and talented artists listed below. Assignments of artwork will be made using a random number generator by someone other than me. 

Special Note: Our goal of $10,000 will make Fiberart For A Cause's donations to the American Cancer Society a nice even one-quarter of a million dollars and FFAC will be happily retired.

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/NewFiles/ACSFundraiser.html

Snow Dyeing!

Snow Dyeing is such a short season when you think about it. This winter I promised myself I would go into a snow dyeing frenzy as long as the snow stuck around! I hope you don't tire of posts related to my adventures! 

I'm still hooked on putting recycled containers under the fabric to produce the "snow burst" look. My hubby gave me a set of clamps for Christmas so I'm also having a blast learning about folding and clamping the fabric before dyeing! 

I was thinking about summer colors!

Detail

As the snow melts the "secret" clip is revealed! This is what creates the
little detail in the center circle.

This is the 2nd piece I did over the weekend.

Detail

As the snow melts it reveals the goodies! 

 

Here is the last snow dye of the weekend... clamps create such cool patterns! 

Time for Another Fabric Collection Giveaway - Are You Feeling Lucky!

This month artist Lynda Heines asked the Printed Fabric Bee members to create a fabric collection using Petroglyphs for inspiration! You'll notice a wide range of interpretations among the members which always leads to a really cool collection. YOU have an opportunity to win your own 6" X 6" fabric pack! Leave a post on Lynda's blog to be eligible. A random winner will be selected on February 14th! 

For my piece I found inspiration in photos taken on a family trip to Moab, Utah a few years ago. We were all fascinated with the Petroglyphs and I tired to channel a story through my piece. 

I imagined being on a hunt and recording the story on the wall of my cave. I used multiple layers of dye, fabric paint, flour resist, thermofax screens and markers. It's funny how in our modern world we get used to images being precise and it was hard to let go and allow the design to look like... well, like a caveman drew it! 

Don't forget to hop over to Lynda's blog to leave a comment for a chance to win this custom fabric pack. 

Next month I get to be "Queen"! I can hardly wait to see how the artists interpret my theme of a forest floor!