NQR

NQR...that's "Not Quilt Related" for my non-fiber art readers!

Though it was inspiring on many levels and I imagine there are elements that will make it into a future piece or two... guess where we were this past weekend?

Here's another hint...
Yes! Charleston!

Beautiful, elegant, historical Charleston, South Carolina.

*swoon and sigh*

:)

Guess where we slept?

That's right! Aboard the USS Yorktown! Our Scout pack traveled for an adventure weekend, and with several hundred other Scouts from other areas we learned the history of the ship and it's aircraft, saw an amazing movie about the Blue Angels, and even had a hands-on science lesson about the ecosystem of the area. The boys learned how to measure salinity and how the level of that affects aquatic life, and they gathered plankton and studied it under a microscope. Someone had even scooped up a tiny jelly - smaller than the tip of my little finger! We explored the ship,viewing the many artifacts and exhibits aboard, and yes, we ate and slept much like the original seamen would have done back in the day. Only 8 women came from our pack and we were given officers quarters...so we only had to share rooms that would accommodate six. The boys and men, however, got the enlisted quarters and slept 60 or so to a room, with bunks stacked up to 4 high with not much room in between. Quite the adventure!

The timing of the trip, being so close to Veteran's Day, made it all the more special. God bless our Service men and women! Because of their sacrifices we are free.

Woo Hoo!!

"Rising Above Adversity with a Clear Conscience" (seen on the right) just won 3rd place in "Uncommon Threads", a juried fiber arts exhibit at the Davie County Arts Council!!!

The award came with a check! That's a first for me. A fun first.

:)

Big News!

In another one of my "why not?" moments I decided that if I'm going to design patterns for the classes I teach, I might as well publish them. Sounds like a good plan to me...see what you think!




My first offering: Falling Leaves

Complete with photo illustrations of the process, this pattern is available for $12 USD.

To order, please visit my website at www.kfridy.com

How I Dyed

A few people have asked how I got the results with my adventures in dyeing, so I thought I'd post it here.

First, the color dye....I used Procion dyes and you can see in the set up photos a few posts down that I just used a card table in my garage, some quart size zip-top plastic bags, an old shower curtain pole suspended over one of my kids sleds (a trick I learned in Robbie Joy Eklow's first book) and bottles I picked up at the beauty supply store that are supposed to be for hair dye (long tip squirty bottles). First I pre-soaked my PFD fabric in a soda ash solution, squeezed out the excess back into the soda ash bucket (use gloves!), then either bunched it up in a bag or draped it over the pole. Next I mixed my dye colors using all the necessary safety precautions - respirator, gloves, etc. - straight into the squirt bottles, then proceeded to squirt the colors of choice either into the bags which got mushed about to distribute the color(s), or across/down the fabrics draped on the poles. I even threw one FQ into the sled (drip catcher pan), which turned out to be one of my favorite ones! I left it all to batch for a few hours, then did the 'rinse,repeat' until the water ran clear, at which point I gave it all a good hot wash in Synthropol (colors separated), more rinses and then dried and ironed it all. I know there are dyers out there who have controlled formulas for achieving consistent results. Fascinating to me, but I'm not one of them! I think it's fun to just say 'what if'...that's how I approach most of my work. I mixed the colors until they looked yummy and from there I played.

For the rusting...the first few photos were done by fan folding the fabric, wrapping it around a decorative, unfinished metal stair picket, and then wrapping that with unfinished floral wire. I covered it in plastic wrap and left it outside for a day or two. The last photo was done with metal washers in various sizes tucked into the fabric folded multiple times. In all cases I pre-soaked the fabric in a white vinegar/water solution, mixed about half and half, squeezed out most of the liquid, then proceeded as described. I washed the final products in hot water and Synthropol. Sometimes I soak the end results in a salt water bath before I do the final wash.

It doesn't take a great lot of space to do. Time, yes. Which is why I only processed about 6 yards in this session. But it's all really easy and fun to do!

Give dyeing a try!

Oooohh! Part 2 - Rust

More fun dyeing...this time with rust!

That's my most favorite one of all!!

Ooohhh!

Dyeing is fun...here are a few of the things I did

Wait 'till you see what I did with RUST!!

Dyeing...

...as opposed to the alternative spelling.

I spent all day yesterday in the ER with my DH (nothing life threatening, thank goodness! Just a 4mm kidney stone...ugh). And after fighting two weeks worth of my allergies turning into cold turning into bronchitis I finally dragged my own self to the doctor today.

I hate being sick.

This is my way of fighting back...

I'll post the results in a day or two...once the antibiotic has kicked in... :)