Ugly Fabric Challenge

I signed up to participate in an Ugly Dyeing Fabric Challenge this past spring, and finished my piece before the deadline. For this procrastinator, that is a minor miracle.

The challenge consists of the leader sending all the partiicpants a piece of hand-dyed fabric that she thinks is ugly. I really didn’t think it was ugly, but we are supposed to try different techniques on the fabric and transform it. Here is a picture of the original:

There was quite a bit of brown in the fabric, so I thought I’d try discharging it in a solution of 50% Clorox bleach with 50% water, and this is what happened when the fabric was submerged:

It looks like it’s in a bubble bath. The minute that fabric hit the liquid it started bubbling. When I swished it around, even more bubbles surfaced. After 5 mintues, I took the fabric out, neutralized it with anti-chlor, then rinsed, and rinsed, and rinsed. The fabric would not stop forming bubbles. Hoping a trip throught the washing machine would help, I tried that next. Nope, the washing machine filled up with suds, but this is what it looked like after being washed and dried:

Onto the next step. We were enjoying some nice sunny weather, so I thought I’d try sunprinting for the first time. I used Setacolor Transparent – Oriental Red and Dy-na-Flo Periwinkle – 2 parts fabric medium, 1 part paint – with a crocheted doily over the top:

And here are the results:

And here is a close-up:

I was really disappointed with my results. I was hoping for more distinct images, but the mottled fabric background combined with the airy crochet stitch, did not make for a good sun printing session. Lesson learned – use a solid image if you want a good print. The doily let in too much sunlight to the background fabric for a distinct print.

This was my first time participating in this challenge, and I’m afraid I turned a nice looking fabric, into a really, really ugly fabric. All is not lost though. It was a great learning experience. Thank-you, Barbara for offering me this opportunity.

Hugs…

Table Runner and Napkins

Last week I was in the mood to do some easy sewing. I had made an embroidered and quilted table runner the week before, and dealt with precise positioning all those little shapes, so felt I earned a little relaxing type of sewing:

The 4 napkins certainly qualified as relaxing sewing. All you do is cut two 16″ squares, put right sides together, sew a 1/4″ around leaving a 2-3″ opening so you can turn the napkin right side out. I turned the little opening edges under, ironed all around, then top stitched all around. One hour later, 4 napkins joined the table runner.

These were donated to GVQC, and will be in the silent auction at our upcoming Quilt Fest Show. If you click on the link, it will give you the location and hours, and I hope lots of you come to the show. There will be over 400 quilts on display, lots of vendors, and even an Iron Quilter competition. Plus, you can bid on lots of items in the Silent Auction.

Hugs…

Exhibit at Ogden Farmers Library

The end of April, members of the Ogden Fiber Art Group gathered to set up an exhibit of some of our recent work. The library has 2 locked cases in the entrance, and this is a picture of the left case:

There is everything from jewelry, quilted wall hangings and jacket, lace knitting, and glass work, to handmade paper.

And here is a picture of the right case:

A felted jacket, mola purse, pillows, hand dyed scarves, and a woven scarf are some of the items included.

Our group is willing to try new techniques, use materials in traditional and untraditional ways, and enjoy exploring our creativity. If any of my blog readers are close to Spencerport, NY, I hope you take the time to visit this exhibit. It will be up for the entire month of May, and has garnered a lot of interest since installation.

Hugs…

This Feels Like Something That Would Happen on a Monday

Are we sure it’s Tuesday today? I’m sure having a Monday kind of morning.

I was minding my own business, sitting on the sofa in my living room, when I heard a bug fly into my hair. Thinking it was a fly, I ran my hands through my hair to shake it out, but the little critter was well and truly stuck.

If at first you don’t succeed try, try again, so I ran my hand though my hair again, and I felt a little pin prick. Then I heard some LOUD buzzing. I got up and got serious about getting whatever was tangled in my hair – out of my hair. I headed to the kitchen for my purse – the contents of which could solve just about any problem in the world. It certainly weighs enough. I figured a hairbrush would resolve this situation. It should free whatever was trapped, and we’d both be lots happier.

Ouch, ouch, ouch, no little pin pricks now. My scalp was getting full out stabbed, stung, and abused, and the buzzing increased in volume with malevolent intent.

I turned my head sideways and vigorously ran my hands through my hair. Plop, out came a wasp – a big a$$ wasp – a monster-sized wasp, the wasp from h*ll.

How the heck did that get in the house? And why was it attracted to my nice clean shampooed head? I use unscented shampoo and unscented conditioner. Does my clean hair look like a good place to nest? I dearly and purely hope not.

Mother Teresa I’m not. As soon as that angry wasp landed on a flat surface, I whacked that sucker with my AQS magazine. See? Being a quilter who subscribes to AQS magazine pays off in more ways than one. Aside from all the loverly patterns, learning new techniques, and getting a discount card for my JoAnns shopping expeditions, it’s also the first line of defense against monster-sized wasps. Who knew?

I’ve got an ice pack on my swollen noggin, and hope there are no more of his relatives sharing my home. I’d just as soon they stay outside, and out of my hair.

Hugs…

RAFA – April 2013 Meeting and Lesson 2 Piece from Online Course

Last Thursday was our monthly Rochester Area Fiber Artists meeting, and it was a great meeting. Unforunately, most of my pictures didn’t come out, but France’s Cro Magnon photo did:

It’s a 3 dimensional piece, and those are palm fronds that had fallen off her plant around the piece. If anybody lives in the Rochester area, I do believe she will will be exhibiting this piece at the upcoming Rochester Gem, Mineral, Jewelry and Fossil Show and Sale.

This is the piece I made from Lesson 2 of Katie Pasquini Masopust’s Online class:

I still have to put the binding on, and I’m not sure if you can see the stacked buttons on the red piece of fabric – which still needs to be stitched down, but I really like the black pathway I created with the different sized button trail. That button trail is a result of trial and error.

All day Monday, I worked through multiple techniques trying to get that look. First I tried deColourant. I used it through a window screen, as a solid circle, then used a circle stencil, and painted little dots of deColourant inside. That didn’t work.

Next I tried making my own screen, and screen printing circles. Didn’t like that.

Then Shiva paintsticks came to mind, and I tried using them with the window screen – which made a royal mess. Then cut a paper stencil, and rubbed the Shiva paintsticks over that. Didn’t like that. Used a paper towel to remove some of the paintstick from the stencil, and it smeared over the fabric, and looked pretty darn good. It wasn’t as heavy handed as when I used the paintstick like a crayon, but it still wasn’t right.

By this time I was getting frustrated, and took a break to do some laundry. Has anybody succeeded in keeping their laundry hamper empty for more than a couple of hours? Please share your secret. I always seem to have laundry waiting to be done.

But I digressed. That little break didn’t help with solving the circle dilemma. The next thing I knew it was midnight, and time to go to bed, but while waiting for my turn for the bathroom sink, I walked into my sewing studio, looked at the work in progress and thought, “What about buttons?” The rest is history.

I can’t wait to get the critique from Katie about this piece.

Hugs…

6″ x 6″ x 2013 Rochester Contemporary Art Center

After taking a break for a couple of years, I am again participating in the Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s global art exhibit. You can read about RoCo‘s mission by clicking on the name.

This year’s contribution is Out of This World:

It started with a gelatin print I made a few years ago, that also has some gold metallic eraser dots scattered over the surface. Then I looked through the embroidery designs in my sewing machine, and selected a design that looked like a swirling galaxy, with shooting stars being flung from the center.

I didn’t sew out the design exactly as programmed. Instead of 3 little dots over the extended rays, I went through my beads and came up with some rock looking pieces. They were attached with a seed bead in deep burgundy.

The backing was fused on next, and then 4 strands of yarn were twisted and zig zagged in place to cover the edges. It’s the first time I’ve used yarn instead of a binding, and while it wouldn’t work for something that was going to be laundered a lot, it’s a nice look for a piece that will be hanging on a wall. It adds texture, and a touch of whimsy.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to quilt it or not. The batting is kept in place by the embroidered design, so it really isn’t necessary, but I’m thinking it would look nice. Since I have to deliver it Thursday morning, the quilting will be done if time permits.

Hugs…

Cute Visitor

I’m lucky to live in a beautiful area of Upstate New York, and am constantly entertained by the parade of animals who meander through our property. We’ve lived here for 38 years, and even though we pay the taxes, the animals really own the land.

We’ve put up fences to protect our garden, and planted deer resistant perennials, but the deer are thriving. They leap over any and all fences we’ve tried, and feast on our supposedly deer resistant plantings. Our expensive Asian lilies have been their dessert. We’ve learned to plant day lilies. They leave them alone.

The year I planted hyacinths was equivalent to putting up a welcome sign to the squirrels and voles. Tulips? They went the way of the hyacinths. Daffodils do well, especially the 100 year old double daffodils we got from the foundation around my husband’s grandmother’s home in PA.

But one visitor who has been visiting for the last 4 years doesn’t do any damage, and he is oh so beautiful:

Now isn’t he a handsome fellow? We know it’s the same fox as something happened to his tail. It’s compressed down the length, then fluffs out at the end. No, he doesn’t have mange.

This fellow found a girlfriend a couple of years ago, and we had the joy of seeing his kits play in our back field. We’re hoping he finds another one this year.

No textile talk this post. It is time to reflect upon nature, and enjoy the sun. It is the first day this entire month that we will have a full day of sun.

Hugs…

Sparkly Wheels and CQ Wool Christmas Ornaments

Last Thursday was the Ogden Art Group meeting, and we made Sparkly Wheel buttons. It was a pattern in Interweave’s Beadwork July 2010 magazine, and we had so much fun selecting colors. The directions were easy to follow – even for us beginner beaders – and the results were gratifying.

This is the bead I made:

You might recognize it as the bead I used on Joyce’s round robin Stem block. Her block must have been in my subconscious when I selected the colors.

And here are a few more:

Janet didn’t want to bead, but brought along another project, her crazy quilted wool Christmas ornaments:

I do so love those ornaments, and have purchased some for myself, and my daughter.

Hugs…

Joyce’s BAS Blocks

Joyce’s blocks were mailed to Pam today for the last round of stitching.

This the Chain stitch block:

This block was pretty full, and I wanted to leave enough room for Pam to do something so I outlined the goldfish with 2 strands of metallic DMC thread, straight stitched around each scale, and added French knot eyes in the center block, then added a little whimsy with a back stitched snail on the bottom left.

And here is the Feather stitch block:

It was a lot of fun adding the beaded feather stitch on the right, along with knotted center stem stitch roses with a grey 10/2. The grey was used to tie in with the grey fabric used in the block.

Next is the Fly stitch block:

I embroidered a fly stitch anchored with chain stitch instead of a straight stitch using light green Jeans stitch, then spent hours, and I mean hours, weaving some silk ribbon on the left. The ribbon was threaded under a fly stitch, then I raised the ribbon with a blunt needle to form a loop, and anchored it in place with a glass seed bead. Stitch by stitch, loop by loop, bead by bead, up one side of the seam and down the other I went. I do hope you like this seam treatment, Joyce. I like it so much, I’m thinking about using it as a trim on another project.

And now for the Herringbone block with a twisted herringbone lattice stitch in the bottom left corner:

I thought I was spacing the rows properly, but it got a little wider towards the bottom. The fabric was too fragile to take it out and redo that section, so I’m going to say it was a deliberate attempt to create persepective by going from a narrower to a wider lattice. That’s my story, and I sticking with it. LOL

Stem stitch:

Portuguese knotted stem stitch around the center bead – which I made. I’ll post more about that later this week.

And last but not least the Straight stitch block:

Raised chain stitch with my snow dyed #5 perle cotton, whipped stitch on lower left, and scattered bugle and seed beads for the straight stitch.

I’m sorry I forgot to take a picture of the Anything Goes Block, but I added a beaded daisy chain stitch to that one.

Whew, that’s a lot of pictures. Don’t forget to click on them so they will enlarge for you. I do so hope Joyce will like what I added to her blocks.

Hugs…

Curved or Square?

I signed up for Katie Pasquini Masopust’s online course a couple of weeks ago, and our first assignment is due tomorrow. As usual, I can’t decide on which version to send. That duality gene I possess is acting up again. I’d love to hear from my blog readers which version you like best.

Here is #1

And here is #2

Guess what? I just looked at this post in preview mode, and decided I really like the second version the best, and will send that to Katie. The curved design in the center looks so much better with the curve being repeated in the border.

What do you all think?

Hugss…