It Finally Snowed!!!!

Well...just a little.

Our only snow of this winter fell just enough to be pretty and I was able to skim enough clean snow to dye about 8 yards of fabric!

Beats buying ice to get the job done :)

Footnote: To learn how I do this click here . :)

Taste of Art

Tonight I taught silk scarf dyeing at Sawtooth's Taste of Art. This class is a 2 hour make and take where participants can bring in snacks and beverages and enjoy a creative, fun night out. I'll be teaching it again on October 22 ...come join me!




Aren't these great?



This group knows how to have fun!!!

It SNOWED!

Here in Piedmont NC we rarely get snow. Ice, sometimes, but even that comes around only once in a while (thankfully, because it usually knocks out the power). Oh, but THIS year, we got SNOW! Not just once, but so far, twice! And not just the two-flakes-are-falling-quick-run-buy-bread-and-milk kind of snow, but honest-to-goodness-cover-the-ground-and-then-some kind of snow. Look at my driveway...Beautiful!!

(OK, I know my northern friends are experiencing SNOOOW, so this will not look like much. My heart goes out to you...some is good, but 2'+ is too much!! I used to live in the DC area and I can't imagine!)

Anyway, we had a blast sledding and watching the dogs romp about. We took a walk under the full moon which lit up the night, casting shadows of the trees. The boys even enjoyed an outdoor breakfast of hot cinnamon rolls and cocoa. And then...

I dyed.

I'll admit, when I first saw that technique in Quilting Arts I didn't give it much thought. Looked fun, but at the time it was published snow was not a consideration here. However, being inspired by those on the QA list who had tried it, I thought I might as well take advantage of this rare appearance here. And it was FUN!

I pre-soaked my scoured fabric in soda ash solution, then bunched it up in dishpan tubs, about a yard per tub. While the fabric was soaking I prepared my dyes (Procion). I like to use squirt bottles which I get at my local beauty supply store. Then I scooped up snow from the driveway, covering the fabric almost to the rim of the tubs and squirted the dye across the snow.

(I'm sure my neighbors were wondering...though they should be used to my driveway productions by now - rust dyeing, painting giant Hokie birds...)

I let it sit in the garage for a while, then moved it inside the studio so it could start melting...

Here it is all melted...pretty! I let it sit overnight to batch then did the rinse, repeat, and hot water / Synthrapol wash and....

TaaDaaa!

I'm thinking it might be OK if it snows again...just a little! :)

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... :)