I have so many more ideas for dyeing that I am back to it!
Creamsicle cotton gauze scarf
This beautiful orange Arashi Shibori or pole wrapped piece unwrapped into a beautiful cream and orange scarf. It reminded my husband of a favourite childhood ice cream treat – the Creamsicle!
Creamsicle cotton gauze scarf unwrapped
Here it is partially unwrapped, once washed it is a softer colour.
Radicchio 2 cotton gauze scarf
I was asked to make a scarf similar to the Arashi Shibori scarf in raspberry that I wrote about in July. I didn’t keep track of the colours I mixed to create that shade and was challenged to recreate the colour.
They aren’t exactly the same, but very similar. When I first unwrapped the raspberry coloured scarf, washed and dried it, the colour and veining reminded me of radicchio. Radicchio is a beautiful Italian chicory lettuce that grows in a tightly wrapped ball. The leaf is a purpley red while the veins are white. Next time you are at the grocery store look for it – the colour is gorgeous.
I am also dyeing scarves in a silk/cotton blend and a linen/rayon blend. I’ll have more photographs of those scarves as well as some velvet that I’ll be making into pillows.
This is the last postcard I created for the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild swap. With this postcard I tried a technique that was new to me – trapunto. I added a layer of quilt batting behind the butterfly, stitched around the outline and cut away the excess batting. This was then layered over a 5″ x 7″ piece of batting and backing. The strips were added in a quilt as you go style through the batting and backing.
Butterfly postcard
All the fabrics used in this postcard are from Cotton + Steel. This year at QuiltCon, Cotton + Steel had a large display booth with all of their fabric lines on display. They also had sewing stations set up for quilters to make and take a small project using their fabrics. The last day of the conference, attendees were allowed to go through the scraps and fill a bag to take home with them. The recipient of this postcard and I were one of those waiting for the conference to officially close so we could fill our bag.
Back of the Postcard
The back of the postcard is a solid white cotton that is fused to a heavy weight fusible interfacing. I used an ultra fine permanent ink marker to add the information. Postage is the same as it would be for any postcard mailed in Canada.
The presidents of the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild suggested we do a fun min-activity since the guild doesn’t meet during July and August. I signed up to make three postcards and will receive three back.
The second postcard I created for the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild swap also used the hand dyed fabric scraps from Laura Wasilowski of Artfabrik.
Tiny House in process
This tiny house emerged from the scraps with a trellis waiting for flowers.
Tiny House with embroidery
Embroidery floss and hand dyed perle cotton stitches are added to bring out the personality of the house.
Tiny House postcard
The finished pieces is layered with a stiff fusible interfacing and finished with a satin stitch around the edges in a variegated thread.
The next postcard for the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild swap uses a different technique and I know my recipient will recognize the fabrics. Stay tuned for the next quilted art postcard I made for the swap,
The Toronto Modern Quilt Guild doesn’t meet during the summer months, but to keep us active our Presidents have organized a Postcard Swap. Interested members of the guild have signed up to make and receive up to three postcards. This is a casual no stress activity with no themes or restrictions, we could do whatever made us happy. I signed up to make three postcards and will receive three in return.
Flowers postcard in process
The postcards only need to be received before August 31st and the participants are asked to bring in the postcards they will receive to the meeting in September.
Flowers postcard with embroidery
I decided to use some of the beautiful hand dyed fabric left from the Tiny Homes – Fusing Workshop I took with Laura Wasilowski of Artfabrik. I haven’t yet finished the piece I started during this workshop and have small pieces of scraps fused and ready to use.
Once the pieces were fused, I began to add detail with embroidery. I enjoyed this part of the process much more than I expected to. I used embroidery floss and perle cotton, including some I hand dyed! To finish this little flower garden, I embroidered my initials, added a tiny bumble bee and satin stitched the edges with a variegated thread.
I will be posting photos of the other two postcards I made for the swap in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
I spent an inspirational day with Amy Garro of 13 Spools. She taught her workshop on Graffiti quilting to a group of very enthusiastic quilters. The workshop was well planned with lots of useful information. First we practiced the motifs by doodling on paper, then on the sewing machine.
Amy GarroAmy Garro explaining her graffiti quilting
It was helpful to see Amy practice her technique and also to hear her thought processes when she decides on her designs.
Amy Garro Icy Waters quilt
Amy brought a selection of her quilts including the Icy Waters quilt pictured above. I was happy to hear that her aim in quilting is not perfection.
A few of us brought quilt tops that needed to be quilted but we were having trouble deciding on a quilt design. Amy asked what we liked most about our quilt – the precise piecing or the colour combination or the interaction of the blocks. With this in mind, select a quilting design that makes this a feature of the quilt.
I’ve begun the quilting on a piece that I’ve had on the design wall for some time. How do you decide on your quilting?
I’ve just completed two table runners made with the Indigo fabrics I hand dyed in May.
Arashi Shibori table runner
This piece is white cotton that was folded in half, wrapped around a pole, and dyed with Indigo.
Arashi Shibori table runner detail
The table runner is backed with a cotton/linen blend and machine quilted following the flowing lines of the Arashi Shibori. I love the look of this piece. It reminds me of water moving in a stream.
Arashi Shibori Linen table runner
The cotton/linen blend of the second table runner was also Indigo dyed using the Arashi Shibori technique – pole wrapping. This time the fabric was seamed to create a long tube that was then scrunched onto a plastic pipe.
Arashi Shibori Linen table runner detail
A hint of the hand dyed cotton backing is visible in the photo above. To see these two pieces as well as other hand dyed fabrics, come to Quilts at the Creek this weekend and have a look at the Shop ‘Round the Corner. There will be a selection of lovely handcrafted items, so you can start your Christmas shopping early!
I’ve been having fun hand dyeing scarves. They are made out of 100% cotton gauze and are available in two sizes.
Itajime Shibori gold
I’ve folded, clamped, stitched, wrapped, scrunched, and twisted to make a variety of designs.
Itajime Shibori blue
Can you guess what I used as the resist in the above photo?
Itajime Shibori turquoise
This turquoise scarf was folded and loosely coiled. The dye was poured into the bottom of the container first and then the dry scarf was added. The dye was completely absorbed by the scarf to create a beautiful ombre stripe.
hand dyed serviette fuschia
I also dyed a few linen napkins that I purchased at auction. I added them to the inside of the tubes I wrapped and the bottom of a couple of containers while I was dyeing the scarves. They have a lovely mottled look.
Kumo Shibori green
This green bundle was loosely rolled around a string, pulled tightly and tied. This creates a texture similar to snake-skin.
Kumo and Nui Shibori pink
The scarf on the right was ombre dyed as well as the being stitched and gathered to create a border effect. The scarf on the left was tightly twisted and dyed with two colours, yellow and red.
Nui shibori purple
A mauve scarf was stitched, gathered and then dip dyed in a blue dye bath.
Arashi Shibori purple and raspberry
These two scarves are pole wrapped: Arashi shibori. They have both been dyed with the same colour of dye. The difference is that the bottom scarf was white and the top scarf had been dyed with a light turquoise.
Arashi Shibori purple
This is the turquoise with purple dye being unwrapped. The colours are gorgeous!
Arashi Shibori raspberry
This is the scarf that was white. Dyeing is a fun process, you never really know how the finished results will look. To see what these scarves and others I’ve made will look like you’ll have to come to Quilts at the Creek Saturday July 18th and Sunday July 19th, 2015. I will have a selection of these hand dyed scarves, hand dyed quilting cottons, table runners and baby quilts for sale at the Shop ‘Round the Corner located in the Pioneer Patio, left just as you enter the park. Hope to see you there. I’ll be in the shop Sunday afternoon stop by and say hello!
It’s the end of the school year and there is always a scramble to find the perfect gift to give your child’s teacher. Since my son began attending school, we have been creating personalized quilted art postcards to give as gifts. Each postcard is 4″ x 6″, the perfect size for a small piece of art that is easy to display.
Trip to ROM drawing
I asked my son to draw a picture that reflected something memorable from his school year. This year he drew a picture of the class trip to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). They travelled by subway to spend the day visiting the exhibits. The drawing was coloured (with helpful suggestions for me!) on a blank sheet of paper.
Trip to ROM postcard
I translated his sketch into the postcard above by fusing fabrics, machine stitching and adding the details with beads. In this piece, I asked him about using sequins and beads to represent the faces he drew in the window. With his approval, I used pink beads for the two females and blue for the two males. You can see another one of his drawings that was made into a postcard in this earlier post: Quilted Art Postcards. He enjoys drawing and colouring and I enjoy the quilting! It’s a great collaboration.
If you are interested in making a no-sew postcard, check out Barb’s interview with me at ritewhileucan. I describe how to create a beautiful art project out of fabric scraps and card stock. Have a look and create a beautiful personalized gift for someone special.
This is a barrel chair we’ve had for a few years and the upholstery was the worse for wear. I found a beautiful piece of leather in stripes of cream, grey and beige. There wasn’t enough to redo the entire chair, but enough to use on the outside.
Barrel chair before
A trip to Designer Fabrics, a store that has a great selection of fabric was needed. I love going in to browse, there is always something new to look at and fondle!
Barrel chair side view before
I brought a selection of samples home.
Upholstery samples from Designer Fabrics in Toronto
I like the idea of having a circular design to contrast with the linear stripes. The design below is the one I liked the best. It is a wonderful, op art designed cut velvet.
Upholstery fabric for barrel chair
I love the circles!
Upholstery fabric with leather stripe
I hope to start this project soon. I have already removed the old upholstery. I think it will look great in our room and with the new indigo pillow I dyed!
