Chinese Lanterns

This 36" X 36" piece is titled Chinese Lanterns and created using a variation of the traditional log cabin block. Although I don't usually work within traditional boundaries I entered the Keepsake Quilting challenge this spring and the log cabin block was required. I was given 6 fabrics and had to use at least 4 plus add up to 2 fabrics of my own. The colorful fabrics are from the shop and the brown/black background is from my "discharge" collection. I embellished the background with some gold stenciling and stamping (I couldn't resist!). I didn't earn any recognition from Keepsake Quilting but I had fun stretching my imagination to create a traditional wall hanging with the log cabin block! Chinese Lanterns will be available for sale at Keepsake Quilting in Meredith, New Hampshire June through September. www.keepsakequilting.com

Dyeing with Fruit

 

We hope our first fiber artist group show will be at a CT winery this fall! As a "wine trail" challenge I'm dyeing fabric with grapes. My first attempt using the grapes was disappointing so I slowed down and remembered how to handle dyeing with natural products. I created a journal of what steps I took so I can repeat the process later - in theory at least! The theme of our show will be "Harvest" so what better way to create harvest colors than to dye with natural products! I have my eye on a package of cranberries I unearthed in the freezer for my next dyeing attempt. I'm going to rummage through my spices to see what interesting colors I can come up with... more later!

Below are the results with the grapes. I either left the fabric untreated or treated the finished product with white vinegar or alum.

 Purple Grapes

1 - Silk (vinegar), 2 - Cotton (vinegar), 3 - Silk (no treatment), 4 - Silk (alum), 5 - Cotton (no treatment)



Fiber Art Office Installations

This 3 piece office installation is titled "Reflections". It hangs in the waiting room of Sharon Colwell APRN, BC at 999 Oronoque Lane, Stratford, CT. The goal was to create a peaceful feeling while retaining a gender neutral design. 

I hand painted the fabrics using cotton for the main panels and hand dyed silk for the brown squares and cream colored strips. Lastly I created a leaf stamp choosing gold ink to tie in all the other colors. The leaves and quilting help define movement in the pieces.  

The above piece is titled, "Painted Ladies" and hangs in Ms. Colwell's inner office. I desigend this piece using hand dyed fabrics for the center panel and geraniums. I created a geranium pattern from a photograph I took of the geraniums in my garden. The border fabric was developed with the discharge method. I scattered buttons onto black cotton and sprayed the cloth with bleach and water. This created the unusual look of a black and tan design.

If you know of a space that needs a customized look please feel free to contact me and we'll come up with a one of a kind piece just for you!

SNOW DYEING!

Dying fabric in a pile of snow is a fun way to enjoy the winter! First you need to dig a hole in a snow bank about 8"-10" deep. Ball up a length of fabric and place in the bottom of the hole. I've tried both wet and dry fabric and liked the results of the dry fabric better - the colors were more vivid. Next lightly cover the fabric with snow. Mix up your dyes at room temperature and pour over the snow covered hole. Now.... walk away and let it sit for 4+ hours. When the time is up go dig out your fabric and see what surprises are in store for you! You never know exactly what you'll find... rinse dyed fabric as you normally would. I like to rinse out the bulk of the dye and toss into the washing machine on hot with some Synthrapol. You'll find the colors will be more muted than typical fabric dyed indoors but snow dying is a good way to beat the winter blues!