Another Give-Away for The Printed Fabric Bee!

 The Printed Fabric Bee is back after taking some time off over the summer. Fiber artist Lynda Heines is this month's Queen and chose Inspirational Words as her theme. Lynda has a background in writing and discovered surface design while interviewing local artists for a newspaper. She's published multiple articles including one on ice dyeing fabrics for Quilted Arts magazine that got me hooked on the technique! Lynda has a natural love of language and says this custom collection will put a daily smile on her face! 

As always I truly enjoyed being challenged by our monthly Queen's request! I had a few false starts before I had a piece that was... well... inspirational! I started with flour resist so that I could write my own text but it didn't come out as I imagined and I discarded it. Next I used thickened dyes for the text on ice dyed fabric but the overall color palette didn't have the southwest feel Lynda was looking for. As the saying goes - the third times the charm - I found a balance of the right colors and the peaceful feel I was trying to achieve. The text was created using a decolorant and thickened dyes with stencils. 

You have an opportunity to win a 6" X 6" collection of Lynda's custom made fabrics. Simply leave a comment on Lynda's blog or The Printed Fabric Bee's blog for a chance to win! She'll pick a winner on Wednesday, September 10th... good luck! 

More Fabric Kits for Kate!

Kate Themel has an upcoming Magnolia workshop at Sew Inspired quilt shop in Simsbury, CT on September 5th. This means I'm busy-busy putting ice dyeing and low immersion techniques to use. 

Here they are soaking in their respective tubs!

Next I pull a file-o-fun from the dryer!

Lastly I prep the kits for class! The students are ready for Kate's instruction and will learn the tricks to her unique layering process.

Please check out Kate's web site and explore her fabulous finer art! 

Whiffle Balls Meet Indigo!

I'm having fun with whiffle balls again... this time I dipped the whole mass into the indigo vat! Gotta love this fun design and color! 

Just for fun I wrapped a piece of cotton around an old pool hose in the below picture. There seem to be separate strips of colors and designs. I'll add another type of surface design because it doesn't feel finished yet but it's off to a fun start!

Have you tried dyeing or painting with whiffle balls yet?! 

Whiffle Balls + Fabric Paint + Dye!

Do you remember playing with a bat and whiffle ball as a kid? It's a light weight plastic ball with holes in it. The original design was created by a Dad in Shelton, Ct - where I happen to live! I'm sure he had no idea the balls were also perfect for creating fun designs and textures on fabric! 

I began by randomly placing the whiffle balls in the damp cotton fabric 
and securing them with rubber bands.

For this piece I painted with dyes. Dyes can be applied with a brush just like fabric paint so why not go for it! The colors collect and mingle in the folds of the fabric creating those darker colors.  

This piece was painted with fabric paint and left to dry in the sun. Be sure the fabric is damp to encourage the paints to spread into all the folds. 

Here is a detail of a painted piece. You can see how the paint dries at intermittent times creating fun wiggly lines! 

As I recall the balls in this piece were spaced a little further apart than the ones in the first picture. This created more individual shapes.. give the technique a try and let me know how your whiffle ball piece comes out! 

They got hitched!

My son is now a husband and I gained a daughter in law... life is grand! Their wedding was magical and my hubby and I couldn't have been more proud of them! 

Yippee!

Hannah's dad married them! 

Awww...

Their friends were so much fun! 

Life lesson #1 - never take yourself too seriously! 

My sweet boys! 

I look forward to the next chapter in our family! Thanks for taking the time to share our joy! 

Life is Wonderful!

We are so pleased that our son is marrying the love of his life next week! The celebration has created lots of reasons to ponder life and count our blessings. 

I'll come back to the studio with fresh ideas inspired by the joys of life, family and health!

CHEERS!