Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Summertime and the living is easy...

Lisa, my cousin, visited from Kansas and came to play in the studio with me.  She is a new quilter having been spurred by the birth of Tutti, her first grand child a year and a half ago.  We had so much fun catching up and hanging out! So much fun that the days following when I was again creating alone, I almost didn't know what to do with myself. 

I've been beading on a recycled quilt cut into 3 6"x6"s mounted onto a canvas frame...(you know what has been said about idle hands).  Beading, like hand stitching, offers space for quiet meditation for gaining clarity in thought and returning to my center.


and it was Marla Jackson's photo  on her facebook page that pushed me to finally try ice dyeing after months and months of seeing snow dyed and ice dyed fabrics on blogs.

These are 6 small pieces that were layered in a parfait.  They were placed in wet.  When I return tomorrow or on Thursday I'll try it with dry fabric to see if it gets a sharper crystalline pattern.
I'm considering overdyeing these with ice  with orange and aqua marine dyes. 
 
If you're in the city, stop by Kore Gallery this month to see more of my work as the featured artist.
 
 
 
 





10 comments:

  1. I like the look of the ice dying. The material reminds me of the universe. I can hardly wait to see what you do with the beaded material.

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    1. Donna, the beaded quiltlet is 6"x6" and will be mounted on a canvas frame. When I complete all 3 of them I'll show you.

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  3. I love how you describe your state of mind while beading. I feel exactly the same way, but you put it much more eloquently than I could have. It is much more fun playing in the studio with a friend. I had a play date with a friend recently and enjoyed it SO much. You'll love ice dyeing. It is a lot of fun, and you'll get some great pieces. I have trouble using them, though.

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    1. I do like the ice dyeing but I'm not sure the results are enough difference from scrunch dyeing. What do you think? I've wondered about the hardness of the ice and if it would make a difference. I might venture into the cold this winter and grab a bucket of snow to try it.

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    2. I don't think there is a lot of difference between the two. Sometimes, though, you get really great crystal looking designs on the fabric. With scrunch dyeing, I think the color is just more mottled. I actually got better results with snow dyeing, but I found it to be more messy. The other advantage to ice dyeing is that you can do it any time of the year.

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    3. The crystal pattern is in small areas. You have any suggestions for getting it all over? I thought about freezing yhe dye and letting it thaw on the fabric. I need to find some tiny ice trays for the studio fridge.

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    4. The crystal pattern is in small areas. You have any suggestions for getting it all over? I thought about freezing yhe dye and letting it thaw on the fabric. I need to find some tiny ice trays for the studio fridge.

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  4. Great dye pieces. I am going to use mine in a "whole cloth " quilt. After I washed the piece my colors were not as saturated as I would like. I am going to try again though.

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    1. I rinsed out my 2nd batch of fabrics today. I'm not thinking it will be a mainstay method for me. I'll wash them out this weekend and get a picture up here.

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