Confetti Dyeing + Linen = Birch Grove!

I'm experimenting with different weight fabrics and pulled out some linen to try. The folded confetti dyed technique creates a nice linear design and I wondered how the texture of linen would come out. 

I started by soaking the fabric in soda ash and water. Next I laid the fabric on a table and created horizontal folds. I sprinkled dye powder across the surface and left to dry. I washed and cured the fabric and voila - a birch grove was born! 

The weight and texture of the linen worked well. It absorbed the dye quickly and I can't wait to try it again with other colors! 

Mother's Whispers!

My adult children are scattered across the US and even though I know they are happy and healthy I think of them daily and send them silent wishes. I imagine all mother's have favorite wishes they send to their kids either big or small. Let me share mine with you!

I started by writing my wish on a piece of parchment paper and rolled it into a scroll. I dug around in my scrap basket to pull out fabric that symbolized my wish. I added a few thermofax screen and stencil designs to help tell my story. The installation is cording with cut down clothes pins to hang each piece. 

Mother's Whispers
each piece is 6" X 8"

Health
May you continue to be blessed with strong healthy bodies and keen minds!

The element symbols are for chocolate and coffee... now I know that is not a long term diet for a healthy body but you can add some fun into the mix!  

 

Curiosity
I wish you a lifetime of curiosity about people, places and how things work!

I rusted the fabric and added some commercial travel stencils. Everyone in my family embraces adventure and cultures. I wish our future generations continue to be curious about the world.

Courage
Keep reaching for your goals and be confident with the path you choose!

My son Rob created this confetti dyed fabric and I've been saving it for a special project. For the "life" ladder I painted wooden sticks and laced them together with silk thread. Following your dreams can be filled with doubt along the way and I wish my kids keep climbing and reaching for the stars.  

Love
May you experience endless unconditional love! 

Here is another rusted fabric that had a sweet heart shape right in the center! I added snippets of Rob's fabric symbolizing an overflow of love spreading everywhere and encompassing my children's lives.

Balance
Take time to find balance in your life!

I started with a discharged piece of fabric. I wanted to keep the design super simple with a calmness about it. It's a daily focus to keep life balanced and my wish for the kid's is they discover a way to balance all the demands they will encounter as they move through the years.

I enjoyed working on multiple smaller pieces and I liked the idea of a scroll. I think I'll take those 2 elements and incorporate them into my next family oriented piece. Have you tried anything like this before! 

Cheers! 

Look What Dawn Allen Did!

I met Dawn Allen at a CT SAQA meeting and was instantly intrigued by her unique 3D fiber art. Dawn visualizes her designs in a way that I haven't really seen before. She is the master of 3D construction... click here to view her full work! 

Dawn recently created "Confetti Garden" using some of my confetti-dyed fabric plus fabric she designed! Dawn described her design process as, 'thinking about what it would look like if someone had a party and threw confetti across the lawn. The flowers are inspired by Bluets which are typically more toward white (I took poetic licence.)'

25" x 29"

For purchasing information and to view Dawn's full gallery visit her website at http://dawnallen.net/new-products/confetti-in-the-grass. 

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! 

A Chance to Win One of a Kind Fabric!

I am the guest blogger for The Printed Fabric Bee during the month of June. Each week I had an opportunity to interview a guest and introduce a unique surface design technique with a focus on working in Plein Air! 

Week 1: Creating an Outdoor Work Space + Ice Cube Fabric Painting

Week 2: Cyanotype & Heligraphic Printing with Sue Reno

Week 3: Rusting Fabric with Maggie Vanderweit

Week 4: Fabric Painting, Dyeing & Discharging Fabrics from a clothesline ~ Finding Creative Inspiration with Lorie Hancock McCown

Hop over to The Printed Fabric Bee blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a pack of fat quarters for each technique discussed in June. The winner will be announced June 30th! 

Week 5: FABRIC GIVE AWAY! 

Only one more post before the Working in Plein Air Series is over and The Printed Fabric Bee moves onto our next member's inspirations and techniques for the month of July!

Summer Studio Workshops~ Registration is Open!

     Have Fun * Get Messy * Take Home Fabulous Fabric!

I will be hosting a fabric PAINTING workshop August 27th and a fabric DYEING workshop September 10th in my Shelton, CT studio. I'll share my experience from over a decade of experimenting and fine tuning my approach to surface design.

Registration is open - only 10 students per class - so let me know quickly if you'd like to come play! Click on the workshop title to register.

Fabric PAINTING Workshop

August 27th / 10:00 - 2:00

Learn a number of unique ways to paint the surface of your fabric. We’ll use the sun to print images, we'll create a textured appearance on fabric and you can try my new painting with ice cubes technique... and more! 

Each student will create and take home 4 yards of fabric.

Fabric DYEING Workshop

September  10th / 10:00 - 2:00

Learn the secrets of three different surface design techniques; ice dyeing, confetti dyeing and free-motion dyeing. Each method yields very diverse results – all fun and distinctive! We'll be using ice cubes, shakers, spray bottles, silk screens... and more! 

Each student will create and take home 4 ½ yards of fabric.