One Color Palette + Paint Brushes, Plastic Balls, Ice Cubes & Bleach = A Variety of Results!

A fellow artist asked me to create some fabric in a specific color palette for an upcoming project. She was also looking for foliage and water colors. That just happens to be one of my favorite palettes so I was excited to get started! 

I choose 2 soft blues and 3 greens for the project. Since I wanted to offer a variety of designs to choose from I decided to incorporate low immersion dyeing (sort of!) and ice dyeing.The thing I'd like you to remember is that in every piece I used the same color combination yet the outcomes are very different from one another. 

Once I mixed the dye and water I opted to paint the dye onto the fabric surface.
After I washed the dyed piece I went back and discharged some color for a more "watery" feel! 

For this piece I tied small plastic balls randomly in the fabric. I painted the dye across the very lumpy surface! 

Detail of the "lumpy" fabric

This fabric was the most mellow in the project. I scrunched the fabric and brushed the tops of the raised surface with dye. 

Now you can see how the colors seem to shift.
This piece is ice dyed and the colors are deeper.

The exact same color combinations are being used but with the ice technique there are more unpredictable results! 

This is another ice dyed piece. Just like one of the other fabrics after I washed it I went back to discharge some color. 

We shall see if any of the fabrics catch the clients eye... and if not that's OK too! Each project is a challenge and allows me to stretch myself and grow as a surface design artist! 

Hope you are enjoying your summer and getting OUTSIDE to create beautiful art! 

Experimenting With Over Dyeing!

In my previous post I mentioned dyeing with just browns and blacks to see how far I could push the color range. I decided to over dye a few of those pieces - just because! The photos on the left are the "control" pieces to show you what was over dyed. The piece on the right is the over dyed piece.  

I used evergreen on this one. You can still see the browns underneath and when fully opened the fabric has a forest-like organic feel.

Just like the first dyed piece this one is just as mellow. Although slightly deeper the color is less dramatic than the other expedients. With that being said there is no reason to "dis" mellow! I can envision many designs this will work with!  

This piece of over dyed using Cobalt Blue. It's harder to see the browns from the first dye but the brighter blue keeps the fabric interesting and added a
"depth" not seen with just one dye. 

It's always a treat to experiment and "learn things"!

Experimenting with Browns & Blacks!

I have a hankering to see how far I can push the limits of browns and blacks! Yesterday I ice dyed some pieces placing a variety of browns in one bucket and a black/gray combo in the other. Here are 2 pieces I will leave untouched...

I don't usually fold the fabric when I ice dye but in this experiment I thought it was the best way to separate the color particles with the most drama! As you can see the variety of brown I used ranged in the recipe from reds to tans = fun! The black/gray was very mellow as I suspected it would be. This one reminds me of winter so I won't touch it BUT I have some other lengths of fabric from the experiment that will go back into the dye bath. Using the same color combos I will scrunch the fabric back into the dye buckets to see what will happen.... to be continued!

Ice Dyed Cotton!

I rinsed out some ice dyes over the weekend... here are detail shots! 

I love the happy-dance-affect when I see a color combination that looks exciting! 

I hope you had a wonderful creative weekend! 

New Inventory!

I'm channeling autumn colors this month and trying to capture the green, red, yellow and oranges I see in my neighborhood. The ice dyed fabrics all represent the colors of our New England foliage but there is soooo much more to be done! Today on a run I saw jewel tones of brown, red, black colored tree... yummy! 

This is the aftermath of my dyeing session! 
The new inventory is up; please click the Ice dyed Fabric tab at the top of the page.

New Ice Dyed Fabric!

My ice maker is on the fritz in a good way! It simply refuses to stop making ice - if I don't watch it carefully when I open the freezer door ice tumbles out. I'm not sure what the long term plan will be but for now I'm trying to keep up by ice dyeing! I posted detail photos to highlight the lovely patterns the ice makes as it pulls the dye into all the nooks and cranny's of the fabric. The full size photos are on the "Ice Dyed Fabric" tab at the top of this page... they are for sale if you are so inclined! 

Fabric Inspired by Mt. Willard!

I tried hard to emulate the variety of greens I saw from the summit of Mt. Willard last weekend!  

I love how ice dyeing creates a soft and free floating feel to the colors. 

The pops of bright green add interest to the view and it also happens to be one of my favorite colors!

I created two 1 yard pieces. On the next sunny day I plan to sun print over the dye... wonder how that will work out!

Ice Dyeing Vintage Textiles

I'm of an age where my folks and their generation are clearing the clutter so to speak. They've started to give away items collected over a lifetime to simplify their lives. Recently my mom was helping her dear sweet friend Ethel consolidate her space when they came across some doilies and crocheted table runners made long ago. About the same time my mother in law gave me a pile of forgotten fabrics she'd discovered tucked away under the eves. 

It was fun poking through my treasures and I couldn't resist tossing a few into the ice dye. Some of you may feel the vintage integrity is lost by dyeing but my perspective is that I'm adding a new chapter to their story!

The doily absorbed the dye well and I think the soft colors keep the vintage look intact. I have to wonder though... what would super bright modern colors do for the look and would it resonate more to the 20-something generation?!  

My treasure from my mother in law's pile was a loosely woven fabric. I think it's 100% cotton - it feels super soft and light weight. The fabric is only a yard and I wish there was more! 

This photo has black behind the fabric to show the weave detail.

This photo has tan behind it to bring out more of the overall colors.

Getting Ready for Some Down Time!

I'm getting ready to spend time at our family cabin - yeah! Knowing I will be away from my studio creates enough anxiety (not in a bad way!) for me to get busy preparing fabric that I can bring. My grand plan is to add layers of stamping or "whatever" to the fabrics as a project that doesn't require full access to my studio! 

I did manage to create a couple of ice dyed pieces that felt "done" so I added them to the inventory and available for purchase if you need to add to your stash!

I can't wait to share the results from my cabin-fabric experiments. Anything can be fair game for stamping... pine cones, bark, weird shaped things found on the trail!! 

#ID023 - Detail
The colors are bright and a lot of the blue is jade. 

#ID023 - 100% Cotton, 1 Yard, $22

#ID024 - 100% Cotton, 1 Yard, $22
The colors are mostly a yellow green - it feels very calm.

Click here for details on purchasing - look for the word NEW! 

New Ice Dyed Pieces!

The weather in CT this week was cool and drippy - not conducive to getting outside for painting in the sun. I reverted back to the inside studio and dyed 10 yards of ice dyed fabric. 5 of the fabrics were happy and 5 went back into the buckets for another round of color! I have mixed feelings when putting a fabric back into the buckets; double dyeing creates a richer overall color palette which is lovely (not complaining!) but a single ice dyed piece typically has that light and airy watercolor feel. Both are great results but different from each other. Below are photos of the single ice dyed fabrics. I'll post the double dipped fabrics next week and you'll see what I mean! 

If any fabric needs to come home with you please click here 

and look for the word "NEW"! 

#ID018
Shades of Purple & Red/Pinks with some Blue

#ID016Brown, Blue & A Little Tan

#ID019
Blues, Greens, Pinks & Orange

#ID017
Brown, Blue & A Little Tan

Dye Powder Having a Party!

Silly dye powder... here is a piece I ice dyed using Evergreen and Orange. The cool thing about working with dry dye powder is the unpredictable way the color particles will separate and meander creating unexpected results. Since neither green or orange are primary colors they had quite a party in the ice bath!  It makes me giggle...

Detail

Full Yard

New Ice Dyed Pieces For Sale!

I pulled some colorful ice dyed fabrics out of the dye bath! 

All three pieces are 100% cotton and 1 yard long. 

Each piece is $22 plus shipping. 

To purchase a one of a kind fabric please click here to contact me!

#ID001 - Detail 

#ID001 - Full View

#ID002 - Detail 

#ID002 - Full View

#ID003 - Detail 

#ID003 - Full View

Ice Dyeing + Thermofax Screens = Sweet Gifts!

I created these two pieces for my darling sister-in-law! She's been looking at a blank wall above her computer for a while and now she gets to look at her favorite colors! 

This 22" X 28" piece was stretched over canvas which is a really a quick and easy way to hang art cloth. The fabric was first painted and then ice dyed. I added the dandelion design using a thermofax screen printed across the surface. I apologize but I can't remember the name of the artist who created the screen. If you recognize it please let me know so I can give credit! 

To keep the color palette consistent in the room I made a matching runner for her side cabinet. 

The fabric was ice dyed using the same colors as the above piece. It's been a while since I sewed and I was reminded of how fun it is to use custom fabric for creating a unique piece!  

Thermofax Screen + Ice Dyeing!

I finished the covered bridge piece. I'm going to create a series of prints using the bridge titled the "Wedding Series" . I know it's not the most dramatic title but it describes it accurately. 

I showed a few photos in yesterdays post on how I started the design. Below is a recap for you:

Terri Stegmiller made the thermofax screen from Hannah's wedding invitation design.

I applied fabric paint from Speedball.

I continued the design across the surface of the fabric. I let the paint cure for about 12 hours and then heat set using a dry iron. 

The final step was to ice dye the fabric. The goal was to use summer colors to represent the area where Hannah and Connor will be married.