Thread painting
So fun to do some thread painting. Has been a couple of years since practicing this technique.
Author: sharonwasteney@gmail.com
Dresden Plate, The Inner Circle
I am making a display quilt for Hickory Stick Quilt and was asked how I did such perfect circles in the center. Below are photos and directions for the method I like to use for this 6″ center circle. I cut 8″ squares of fabric …
Clamped Dyeing of Fabric
I tried a different method of dyeing on some small samples. Usually I use the low immersion technique instructed by Ann Johnston and seem to have lots of excess dye when ready for the rinsing stage. With this technique I used ¼ c of water with ¼ tsp. of urea and added ¼ tsp. dye powder. Since I was using small samples of fabric I trifolded lengthwise and then triangle folded as when folding a flag. I clamped two pieces of wood on either side of the fold on two pieces, two quarters on one piece and just the clamp on the final sample. I feared there would be too much white on the wood clamped pieces but was not disappointed with the result. Using just the plain clamp impression was also pleasing to me. The fabric was soaked in soda ash solution for twenty minutes before applying the dye. Dye was applied with a spoon, just dripping it on different parts of the folded cloth and into the separated folds, put in a plastic bag and set for 12 hours. A surprise was how little excess dye was apparent in the first cold water rinse and even in the hot soapy wash compared with other methods.
Now to consider a use for these brightly colored pieces. (I used black, emerald green, dragon fruit, sapphire, and deep yellow.)
Hexagon Flowers
I posted a photo of a display quilt for Hickory Stick Quilt Shop in Hannibal, Missouri yesterday. Below are the directions and photos of how to make the hexagon flowers from a two inch circle. They are a simple way to make blossoms. I have …
Van Gogh Challenge
It was fun designing, planning and constructing for the 2017 Cherrywood fabric challenge. The theme was Van Gogh and the colors were three blues and black. My design was simple but pleasing to me. They had record entries this year and mine was not among …
Riverwalk
Nearly every morning I walk along a road that leads to the Mississippi River at Hannibal Missouri. I love the quiet (it’s a dead end road) and the calm I always feel even though trying to burn a few calories. As I pass one of the homes along the way I can see a barn set back in the woods. While it is on private property there is a public maintained pathway that takes one back into a clearing that branches off into another path eventually leading back to town. I think the only time the quiet of this area is disturbed is when spring mushroom hunters comb the woods looking for their delicacy and in the summer when the mosquitoes claim the area as their home.
I tried to capture the essence of this quiet space with painted fabric, photos manipulated and printed on fabric, embellished with painted Tyvek and painted fusible in the shape of leaves from the cottonwood and maple that abound in the woods.
Contemplating
I had the great pleasure of taking a class offered by the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, NE with fiber artist, LInda Colsh. It was one of the most inspiring classes I have ever taken. I especially like her focus on “hearing the quiet”. …