Silk + Sharpies + Isopropyl Alcohol!

I've been working with Silk, Sharpies and Isopropyl Alcohol again = yippee! The more I experiment with this technique the more I learn and look forward to expanding my approach!  

After some trial and error I decided the best way to stretch the silk was to use the largest quilt hoop I could find. 

Using permanent Sharpie Markers I colored across the surface of the silk.

It's a very slow process as I move the hoop around to fill up the fabric surface.

Here is a detail shot of dropping the alcohol onto the colors which gets them to move and mingle! As you can imagine this is why the technique takes so long. After dropping alcohol across the surface I let it dry and repeat the step multiple times until I'm happy with the end result. 

Here is the completed orange, brown and green piece!

Detail - orange, brown and green 

This finished piece combines blue, purple and yellow!  

Detail - blue, purple and yellow

When you try this technique please be sure to have a fan in the room. The Sharpies tend to be smelly - not toxic - but not pleasant either! The good news is they dry super fast and you can keep going. 

Staying on Track!

Life piles up sometimes and it's easy to veer off track managing your priorities! I work full time and I need to carve out daily creative arts time for my overall well being. I imagine many of you feel the same way. Creative people are wired to express themselves through their art in whatever medium they are passionate about. If more than a few days go by without studio time do you feel it? Something is missing right! Make sure YOU are a priority; put yourself on the calendar! 

To manage my projects I recently developed a Project Tracker document that forces me to set beginning and end dates. Having project details visually displayed for a quick review at a glance is hands-down the most helpful. Being reminded that I have 20 yards of ice dyed fabric due in February triggers me to stagger dyeing fabric in-between a different project due this month. It's a very basic system but when life goes sideways I need a reminder so I can pick up where I left off. This may be too rigid for your style but for me staying on track of commitments keeps stress at bay. When stress is reduced it allows for free flowing free time and creative energy bubbles up and jumps out! I'd love to hear your process and tips for staying on track. 

PROJECT TRACKER

CUSTOMER:

DUE DATE:

PROJECT	DESCRIPTION	START DATE	END DATE	RETAIL PRICE	TOTAL SALE
\\\\\\\

NOTES: Keep detailed notes of design and color specs! 

More Work on My Leaves....

I spent some time over the holiday stitching my leaves... it's a slow go and I have to remind myself it's OK to slow down and enjoy the process!

The leaves were picked, pressed onto cotton with thickened dyed, colored with more dye and Inktense pencils and now ready to be stitched! 

I decided to back the leaves with organza. I thought this would allow the leaves to have little stability when I adhere them to the organza background. 

I pinned the leaves to both the front and backside of the organza

Stitch... Stitch... Stitch! 

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!