Fabric for Sale - Join Me on June 10th!

I'm excited to be heading back to Connecticut to visit friends and family! I also have the privilege of participating in a Windham Textile Museum textile exhibition - Locally Inspired. Please stop by my booth on Saturday, June 10th between 10 - 4 to say hi and fondle some fabric!

Invitational Fiber Art/Quilt Show– “Locally Inspired” 

Solo Show – Sheila Rae Lutz

 Windham Textile & History Museum

411 Main Street and 159 Union Street; Willimantic, CT 06226

June 10^th - Quilting & Fiber Arts Day – speaker and vendors schedule:

Speakers

10:00 a.m. - Hope Barton – SAQACT and SAQA Traveling Quilt Show talk and display

11:00 a.m. - Martha Sielman, Author – Art Quilts International “Abstract & Geometric”

12:00 p.m. - Music & Lunch available at the museum - Allison Wilbur – Sashimi Stitching

1:00 p.m. -  Patricia Ferguson - How to Hang Quilts/Fiber Art

2:00 p.m. -  Lois Palmer – Quilt Appraisals

3:00 p.m. -  Jamie Eves, Executive Director WTHM – The Singer Sewing Machine

4:00 p.m. -  Day ends

Vendors and on-going Demonstrations

- Allison Wilbur

- Barbara Coleman Adams

- Carol Eaton Designs

- Catherine Whall Smith

- Dawn Allen

-  Joan Blade Johnson

- Michele Palmer

- Patricia Ferguson

- Schiller’s Sewing Circle

- Stitch Chicks Fabric Store

Screen Collage with Thickened Paint!

After reading Breakdown Printing by Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan I've started to soak the fabric in soda ash and water before screening. In the past I've added soda ash and baking soda to the thickened dye mixture but it greatly reduces the shelf life of the dye. With this system I can keep the thickened dye around for days allowing me time to complete more projects without remixing. I'm not sure how long the shelf life is but I plan to experiment and find out! 

Here are a couple of pieces I did this past week... lots of fun to free motion screen! 

I started by creating yellow vertical lines with the thickened dye. Next I laid the screen on top and pulled red and blue across the surface. I repositioned the screen moving it around until the surface was covered. 

Detail: 100% Cotton, 36.5" X 44", $25

For this piece I used yellow and blue thickened dyes. A lovely green meanders through the design as the colors mixed. Overall it a soft bright look. 

Detail: 100% Cotton, 36.5" X 44", $25

If any piece needs to be in your stash please contact me by email and let me know!

caroleatondesigns@gmal.com 

Custom Fabric for Fairwinds Hotel!

I was contacted by James Risinger who is an Architect and Interior Designer in Miami, Florida. He had seen images of my fabric online and thought they would be a good option for art work in the newly renovated Fairwind Hotel project he was working on. His vision was to frame ten, 18" x 22" pieces to hang throughout the hotel. James was great to work with and as an artist himself he left free creative discretion to me for whatever I felt would work in South Beach! 

Below are the unframed pieces ready for shipping. 

I look forward to installation photos so I can live vicariously through my artwork... I've only been to South Beach briefly years ago. This may be the closest I get for a very long time! 

Today's Color Palette - Desert Influence!

With unusually warm temperatures in the Denver high desert area I was able to paint fabric outside. 

I trimmed some branches to create an outdoor creative space. I was happy to find my work table tucked right into the niche. I took a deep breath, calmed my brain and thought about the beautiful desert colors that have become part of my landscape... here are the results!  

1- SOLD Desert with a little gold bling! 

1- SOLD Desert with a little gold bling!
DETAIL 

2 - Desert Flow

2 - Desert Flow
DETAIL

3 - Desert Dunes

3 - Desert Dunes
DETAIL

4 - Desert Winds

4 - Desert Winds
DETAIL

5 - Desert Textures

5 - Desert Textures
DETAIL

All pieces are 100% cotton - 1 Yard- $22 each

If a piece catches your eye and must come home to you please email me at caroleatondesigns@gmail.com 

Shipping extra

Final Fabric Sale in Connecticut!

I have one final vending gig in Connecticut before I head west to Denver! Please join me at the Farmington Valley Quilt Guild's show, "We the Quilters...". Stop by my booth to say hi and fondle some fabric!

October 22 / 10:00 - 5:00

October 23 / 10:00 - 4:00

University of Hartford

Gengras Student Union

200 Bloomfield Avenue

West Hartford, CT 

I hope to see you there! 

Windham Textile and History Museum
411 Main St. and at 159 Union St
Willimantic, Ct. 06226

June 11th / 10:00 - 4:00

VENDORS 

Carol Eaton – Hand Dyed & Painted Fabrics - STOP BY AND SAY HELLO!  

MJ Fiber Art – Unique Hand-Dyed & Painted Fabric 

Michele Palmer – Vintage fabrics including Toile,  Barkcloth & Americana. Her books on textiles, which include some of the fabrics she has for sale. Michele will be on hand to sign books and answer your vintage fabric questions. 

Schiller’s Sewing Circle – Sewing & Embroidery Machine Demo’s 

Catherine Whall Smith - Quilt Art
Stitch Chicks - Quilting Fabric and Notions 

Allison Wilbur – Vintage Quilting & Fiber Art Embellishments

DISPLAY HANGINGS (Dugan, Rear - Union St.) 
Catherine Whall Smith – Fiber Art 
CT Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA)
Spool Quilt Barbara Barber – Hand painted “Mill Girls”

MUSIC 
Heartstrings – Melanie & Mack Johnston, mountain dulcimer, mandolin & guitar 1-2 pm 
Sally Rogers – Folk & Mill Music

DEMONSTRATIONS (Dugan, Rear - Union St.) 
Ongoing:
Schiller’s Sewing Circle – Sewing & Embroidery Machines 
Carol R. Eaton Designs – Designing Fabric for a Quilt 

Scheduled:
12 pm Hand Quilting – Catherine Whall Smith 
1 pm Folk & Mill Music Sally Rogers 
2 pm Printing Images on Fabric – Catherine Smith and Joan Johnson 
3 pm Working with Pre-Cut Fabric Stitch Chicks Quilt Shop

LECTURES in Main Building (second floor) 
11 am - SAQA Trunk Show - Hope Barton 
11:45 am – Modern Quilting - Rita Hannafin 
1:15 pm - Quilt for Change - Allison Wilbur 
2:00 pm - Mill Girls – Barbara Barber 
2:45 pm – Anatomy of Appraisal Lois Palmer, Certified Quilt Appraiser 

Fabric for Sale & Surface Design Technique Demonstrations This Weekend!

Please join me at the 9th Annual Quilt & Needle Art Show, Winchester Center Congregational Church Route 263 Winchester Center, CT

April 23 10:00 - 5:00 & April 24 1:00 - 5:00 

I'll be in the vendor section with an array of fun fabrics for sale! Throughout the show I'll be talking about the techniques I use when creating my fabrics so be sure to stop by and say hi! 

BONUS - Premiere Exhibition! 

The Farmington River Quilt Project--a 50 foot-long quilt depicting 25 scenic locations along the Wild and Scenic designated portion of the Farmington River will be hung in the Jean Hurlbut Room.  Several items for sale and queen-size quilt for raffle at $2 per ticket.  

Admission $5 adults, $3 kids and senior citizens.  Homemade soups and sandwiches available.

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! 

New Inventory is Up!

I've been a busy studio-elf replenishing my stash after sales at the Fiberlandia conference! I added some ice dyed pieces, screen design,Confetti Dyed, Hand Painted and mixed techniques. Please click onto the tabs at the top of this page to take a peek! 

It's time... the SAQA Fiberlandia Conference is This Week!

Come say "hi" on Thursday, April 30th at the vendor mall! I'll have piles of hand crafted fabric for your pleasure and of course fabric fondling is encouraged! 

Don't forget to enter to win my awesome giveaway! 

Some fabulous and generous artists donated their wonderful products so we could have even more fun... books, DVD's, screens, stencils, TAP, fabric packs, a tee shirt and tote - come down to enter before 5:00!

Giveaway items donated by Lesley Riley, Lynn Krawsyck, Julie B. Booth, Terri Stegmiller, Deborah Boschert and me! 

I look forward to chatting with you about your work and of course what's new in fabric design. The vendors will only be available Thursday between 12 - 5:00 so make sure you allow time to shop. 

The conference will be awesome with lots of activities, workshops and speakers. I'm looking forward to all of it! 

See you there!
Carol

Doubletree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, OR 

Getting Inventory Ready for Fiberlandia Sales - April 30th!

Slow and steady wins the race... it's my April mantra! I WILL have enough inventory for sale... I WILL have enough inventory by the April 30th SAQA conference! It's time to crush distractions and focus on creating piles and piles of one-of-a-kind fabrics for sale! When every piece is unique it can be pretty slow going but with my new mantra I will be fine (I think!).

Over the weekend I created a small but decent pile of "design starters". Each piece was screened onto my fabric and can be used to spark the beginnings of a new fiber art piece. 

This design was created by Hannah my talented daughter-in-law. I printed about a dozen in a variety of colors. They would be beautiful incorporated into a wall hanging or perhaps on a handbag!

This sweet teacup was designed by Lynn Krawczyk of Smudged Textiles Studio!
Drop by her website to see her latest projects... QA's TV... DVD's and more! 

I can't remember the next 2 artists who created these lovely designs but I will defiantly dig into my files to figure it out! My wish is for artists to sign the screens before they ship them out. I feel sad when I forget who the original screen designer was! 

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 

My Handcrafted Fabrics Are Now For Sale at Etui!

I'm delighted to announce Etui Fiber Arts shop and gallery

is now carrying my handcrafted fabrics!

Etui Fiber Arts is for fiber enthusiasts of all kinds!  The shop carries a full line of high quality supplies for knitting, crocheting, spinning and now my handcrafted fabrics! Owner Julie Saviano promotes the "Field to Needle" movement where crafters are connected to the farmers, growers, ranchers, and hand-dyers who create yarns, wools, and cottons that they use in their crafts. 

Exhibition Artist: Jane Davila

The in-house gallery features monthly exhibitions of regional and national artist

Mark your calendars - November 9th - I'll be giving a demonstration and talk about my techniques and approach to surface design... it'll be fun and I hope you join me! 

Etui

2106 Boston Post Rd., Larchmont, NY 10538

http://www.etuifiberarts.com/home.html 

914-341-1426

Summer Hours, beginning July 1:

Wednesday - Thursday 10-5

Friday - Saturday 10-4

Closed, Sunday - Tuesday

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

Fabric Paint + Ice Cubes = Cool Effect!

I've been playing with ice cubes again but this time with fabric paint rather than dye. The end result is a fun crystal look that can get pretty wild depending on the colors used! In this post I used black... not such wild a color but those posts will come later! 

First I painted the entire surface with black fabric paint.
Next I crinkled the fabric and randomly placed ice cubes across the fabric.  

Once the fabric was completely dried (this can take a while!) I heat set
with a dry iron for permanency. 

This is one of the rare times with the design on the back of the fabric
might be more fun than the front! 

The back is gray vs. black but the crystal-look seems sharper.

I can't wait to show you more... my next playtime will include 

multicolored pieces that are truly wild! 

Have you played with ice cubes lately?! 

SNOW DYED FABRIC - When it's Gone it's Gone!

I just uploaded my remaining inventory of snow dyed fabrics to the "Snow Dyed Fabric" tab. 

When they are gone... they are gone... at least until the snow flies again! Having just had a taste of summer and the fun of sun printing Old Man Winter can stay away for a while! 

Click here to view...