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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

As Promised !




"It's a Boy!" A wee "dottee" doll made for a mother-to-be!
I did finally manage to get a better picture of the wrap - this will give you a better idea of what's to come!
I LOVE doing flowers. This is a small section of a large piece - has a watercolor look, don't you think?

Friday, October 10, 2008

Last Weekend's Work

This is just a glimpse of last weekend's work -- the usual tiresome story -- can't really show more yet, just a tease of what's to come in my book! Sorry the picture isn't great but the combination of silk gauze and wool is really difficult to photograph. When I captured the rose, the gauze didn't look great and in this one, the rose (at the center back) is washed out I know - if I manage to get a better picture, I'll post it but in the meantime, this is the best I have. I'm really pleased with the results. I don't mind slaving away if I'm pleased with the end result and it is very satisfying! The really difficult part is to translate all the steps so everyone else can follow it.

Monday, October 06, 2008

So Much Information . . . .

There is just so much going on now - as I head down to my book deadline - I'm bursting at the seams with all the things I've learned refining the projects for my book - one good lesson worth learning for all of us when we are inspired by a beautiful project -- more than likely it has been a process for the designer as nothing seems to work out perfectly the first time - the ideas may be in your head - but trying to achieve what you'd like takes a lot of practice of trial and error before success - BUT when success is achieved after striving so hard, it is such a good and satisfying feeling.

This inspirational rose is only one in a box of cards for breast cancer awareness and the artist has done a spectacular job; trying to achieve the same effect in a flat piece of felt is another matter but one I felt was worth a try.
Here is the rose fiber mix.

Here is a "bunch" of roses ready for my project and finishing touches! Wish I could show you more -- I'm very excited this morning as my Rose Gauze wrap turned out spectacular after working very hard for two whole days! Even though you'll have to wait a while, you'll get to try these techniques too once my book is finalized.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Coming Soon!!!






More tiny "snippets" of something exciting coming up to share with you in the next few weeks -- keep tuned and you'll be sure to find out









Saturday, September 13, 2008

Come Play at Quilting in the Piedmont !!!


















These are are small samples prepared as visual examples of various techniques used in the three classes I'll teach at "Quilting in the Piedmont" - if you are near or would like to travel to Greensboro, NC for the September 26, 27, 28 event - we are in for a lot of fun and I'll be sharing some of my secret techniques learned through trial and error with students! Hurry -- contact Randy's Quilt Shop 1-336-545-5558 I'd love to meet you!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Still In Love with Color and Texture

A small sample of shibori pole wrapping - this luscious silk charmuese was dyed in soft cream and pink, pole wrapped and pleated before over dyeing with brighter pink.




A glimmer of the silk hankies dyed last week to be used for a very special project designed for my book - they are very lacy and the color reminds me of Vermont leaves - perfect for Fall!


Saturday, September 06, 2008

Experiments with Shibori Puckers and Pattern

I've ironed a tiny piece to let you see the pattern. To achieve this, I simply "poked" my finger up through a section of silk, "poked" the center inward, took and stitch to hold it in place using quilting thread and tightly wound the thread around this bubble. I made these bubbles as close together as I possibly could before overdying the original color which was a soft robin's egg blue, with golden brown -- a little heavier in some areas. When I get a chance to play again, I'll dye the base using a mix of colors and then overdye again using a mix to see what happens! Great fun and what a surprise when you remove the thread. One hint: use magnifying reading glasses to remove the thread to avoid holes in the fabric!

I'm fascinated with shibori - there are many different types and I'm enamored with pole wrapping. Lately, I've decided I want to expand my knowledge and although I already own one fabulous book by Karren Brito "Shibori - Creating Color and Texture on Silk", I've ordered another from Amazon by Yoshiko Wada since I want to delve more into stitching and overdying.


Some time ago, I purchased a piece of shibori cotton that fascinated me with the color pattern so I decided to make an attempt on one the soft robin's egg blue silk pieces dyed last week and this is the yummy result of overdying it with a golden brown acid dye. I'm thrilled. This is a small piece and the color is variegated throughout - more brown in some areas than others as you see.
You must leave it to dry completely before removing the thread. When I pulled the puckers apart, there is a definite pattern and I ironed a small piece to let you see although I do love those puckers! You can iron the whole piece to use as a patterned piece for a quilt piece or other project; however to keep the puckers and use it that way, just iron some lightweight fusible web to the back - when I get the time to experiment more, I'll post the results.
It began with the silk piece below and you can see what it looks like after stitching and over-dyeing.