The 2018 Hoffman Challenge set my mind to wandering and wondering. The result, “Midnight at the Ritz”, or I just call her “the lady”. It has been a creative journey that I have certainly enjoyed so have chosen to post some photos that give a …
I have been dyeing vintage linens for several years and love every color that results. We’ll, almost every color, but that’s why over dyeing was invented wasn’t it? This summer I have been trying to master the dyeing of wool but am finding it a …
Fresh from the Oven
Dyeing fabric has been one of the most rewarding creative endeavors I attempt in relation to my passion for quilting. Up to the present I have dyed the cellulose fibers of cotton, linen, bamboo and rayon. Now the wool dye bug has bitten. While my first attempt is not what I would call successful, neither is it a failure. Results were a surprise because I based my anticipated results on a comparison with the cellulose formulas I used. I wanted the mottled effect I love so followed the oven method for wool dyeing which required little manipulation. I do love the use of the oven to dye rather than stirring over a hot stove. I did get a mottled effect but the colors were much more intense for the amount of dye used and didn’t rinse out—my first pleasant surprise! (Note to self: use less dye concentrate to get the softer colors I prefer.) My second surprise was just how much, or actually, how little dye was left in the dyebath water so you could tell the dye had been exhausted in bonding with the wool fibers. My third positive was the time factor. I kept the dyebath in the oven for only an hour as opposed to multiple hours for the cellulose. And on the downside, fresh from the oven does not have a pleasant odor. Wet wool does not have quite the same aroma as that loaf of fresh baked bread or cookies but the odor dissipates quickly by running the vent fan—and the results are just as yummy! The photos show the “fresh out of the oven” results and the rinsed and dried finished pieces from simple folding and simply scrunching.
As I continue to master this oven method for my desired results I will continue to share.
This was such fun!! I dyed some sale fabric that was classified as home dec by Riley Blake at Hickory Stick Quilt Shop. Cut some petals from some leftover metallic linen and cotton blend from Essex by Robert Kaufman and threw in some petals from …
My photo of dyed linens and linen fabric did not transfer with last post. Enjoy the colors of nature.
I was so inspired by the view from my kitchen window of the trees turning on their spring colors that I got out the dye. From yellow greens of early leaves to emerald greens as they reach full growth with the blue of sky peeking …
My first published design is now available in the summer issue of Quilts and More magazine. With the support of Hickory Stick quilt shop I designed a bench pillow using fabrics selected by the staff there. Two other designers of the magazines choosing used the …
I have not used blue in quilts for a while so when this new fish fabric came in with bright coral type print a panel-like quilt came to mind. Simple squares sewn into a nine patch formation surround the larger squares and rectangles. I’m thinking the bottom small squares will be the darker blues and a title might be Blue Seas of KFC. We’ll see when it comes time to quilt. Will it be bubbled or waves with rays of sunshine breaking the surface? Hmm, time to ponder the final layout.
Thanks to Hickory Stick Quilt Shop in Hannibal, Missouri for inviting me to be their guest designer as they selected the fabrics and one of three projects for the Scrap Lab Challenge, a featured article in Quilts and More magazine. The magazine and project kits …
