Posted on

dyeing and printing large and graphic fabric

As I enjoy creating larger quilts, I need larger pieces of fabric.

This year for Lent I chose to create 16×16″ quilts (bigger than the 12×12″ quilts from last year). My goal was to lean into creating and not worry about finishing anything, but to explore printing expansive fabric. (Good thing … I’m just beginning to finish some of the quilt tops!) Interwoven with this I am using collage to create quilt tops, overprinting and discharging the tops at times.

flour resist layers

I used flour resist over existing fabric and to add texture. A challenge was to get bold enough without getting too bold.

Alternatively it is always useful to have low volume fabrics with just enough texture.

Wanting even bolder designs I’ve been using a paint brush for more graphic circles – a theme I’ve been exploring as part of my “infrastructure” thinking. It is amazing how much of what we take for granted runs through pipes and wires.

Many of these fabrics are still waiting for overprinting to create some additional texture and complexity to the designs.

Overprinting and dye removal together can also add interesting texture. This fabric is showing up in a couple of the quilts I’m working on.

Posted on

quilt for Jayden

This past spring I made a quilt for my niece’s baby. Jayden is now four months old, so it is time to post this quilt! I used as a centerpiece a hand-printed fabric that my daughter Kelsey (Lovely and enough) printed several years ago when she studied abroad in Florence. The flamingos are so much fun! The simple courthouse steps with bold color blocking was inspired by Hopewell Studio.

I just love stripey bindings

 I was so glad Kelsey brought me this fabric to use! She really enjoyed how the quilt turned out and you can see more about the inspiration and this minty Hortensia at her blog. You can see two more variations that Kelsey tried, a modern courthouse featuring Hortensia and citron Hortensia.

the soft blue whale was also for Jayden, crafted by Taylor

Daughter Taylor wasn’t to be left out of this and sewed a fun, soft whale for Jayden. I think it was nice contrast in the middle a semester of architecture study.

Posted on

Forms of Lent

This year for the season of Lent, I’m choosing to fast from the inclination to always be doing something useful (even when sewing), and feasting into moments of being creative just because God created me to create. Last year my daughter Kelsey and I created space for creativity and sewed a new 12″ quilt each week, see Kelsey’s Twelves and my Lenten Twelves.  This year more family members are joining in, with photography and 3D modeling in the mix.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I might do when Lent started on Ash Wednesday. However, I’m really trying to create just for fun. So, I pulled a set of fabrics I liked from my collection of hand dyed and printed fabrics. I needed more low volume fabrics and fabrics with bigger patterns, so I mixed up dye and started in. The fabric on the right with the subtle khaki brush pattern is from the first set of printing.

  
Second layer of flour resist dyeing is on the printing table right now, can’t wait to see them tomorrow!
  
The design wall has seen multiple layouts in progress …..
I’m hoping to play with design scale, layering, and color removal. The yellow circle and subtle circle on the burgundy are from color removal. I’m working on removing more color from the burgundy. 
I decided to work with 16″ squares this time; not sure how many I’ll finish, but I’m having fun with the printing, sewing, and overprinting. I’m thinking that next I might play with layers of resist on pieced squares.

Posted on

fifteens

After finishing the Lenten twelves series of 12″ quilts, I decided I wanted to switch up the palette and work a little bigger, so I’m trying 15″ squares. Going bold, here is the fabric stack!

15s fabric stack
I’ve been printing fabric and these fabrics include the new set of colors I’ve been focussing on, golds, turquoise, steel blues, burgundy, burnt sienna, with pops of purple for fun.
Spring 2015 fabric printing
Moving to the design wall, I began to try out combinations but the process slowed down considerably!

 Here is the first I decided to start quilting, auditioning thread for the free-motion quilting I’m hoping to do. Then the weather got nice, and I have not been doing much sewing (but my beans are 6′ tall and flowering!).

Posted on

memories of summer

The studio is clean, and I’ve been enjoying creative warm ups with small projects. These are the cards I finished. I can almost hear the swish of Lake Michigan and seagulls squawking “mine, mine” “mine, mine.” Unfortunately the only water in Ann Arbor this weekend was the snow, then sleet, then rain, then flooded roads, then slush…

I’m making progress on Kelsey’s 21st birthday quilt – I’m aiming for the top done in time for her half-birthday. The good news is I didn’t ruin any of the fabric she brought back from Italy and all the plus blocks are done!

 Because we didn’t have quite enough fabric, I was able to include one plus of Kelsey’s hydrangea print from her summer printing class. The big question is “Where to put the hydrangea plus?” What do you think?

Posted on

Pinwheel beach

Finished this pinwheel quilt a couple of weeks ago. Originally I designed it for my office, but by the time I finished it, I had moved my office around and it didn’t work … in fact, the colors weren’t quite warm enough for my office! Ended up finishing it with straight line quilting in a purply-gray (see it before here) The fabrics include many of my own hand-dyed fabrics, and even a couple from my printing for the March 2013 hand printed fabric swap. The binding is pieced with gray hand-dyed fabrics, a Marcia Derse mottled gray, and one fun print. Another quilt finished!
The blues and warm reds are simply lovely in our home, and when Taylor was home she helped shoot photos and then lovingly found a place for it on Kelsey’s trunk where it looks just right. A beach flavored pinwheel quilt that I can enjoy all winter long!

Posted on

Fabric stacks

As I “spring clean” the studio, I enjoyed seeing my stack of fabric from the fabric printing exchange earlier this year. Wanted to share these fun prints with you. How to use them? I have an idea for a bag that some might be a good addition to, I’m working on a table runner using some of my fabrics, and these could be an excellent addition, or ……… the ideas just keep coming.

from my fabric exchange partners – what fun!

Take a look below, and you can tell these are right up my alley! Or, take a look at the previous post and realize that maybe I could have used several in the quilt I’m working on. Here are the fabrics that came in the mail (and from our new fabric store in Ann Arbor) as possibilities for Taylor’s quilt (or maybe my stash).

just arrived in the mail except the elephants that came from Pink Castle in Ann Arbor
(yeah! a new fabric store in town pinkcastlefabrics.com)

Posted on

Do art every day

Sara Groves wrote a song that I love called “Add to the beauty” (saragroves.com/lyrics/addtothebeauty/addtothebeauty). Life has been a beautiful kind of crazy with Taylor graduating from high school, I’ve been trying to catch up on gardening before the mosquitoes get too large, and I haven’t found much time for doing art. I love Sara’s song’s message wanting to “add to the beauty. Tell a better story.” We each have the opportunity to do that in every moment of our lives.

I’m hoping to turn pieces of this fabric into thank yous for the people who have walked with Taylor through the years to her high school graduation. She’s been surrounded by wonderful folk who have encouraged her to thrive and bring her own contribution of beauty to this world. If you are one of them, know that you are appreciated. (and that I am really slow at getting cards out)

Posted on

handprinted fabric swap finale

Sorry this has taken so long – Holy Week/Easter/Spring Break came hard upon the heels of my finished fabric. I had a great time creating fabric for the fabric swap that Kelsey encouraged me to join. I counted, I have 8 yards of dyed and/or printed fabric to add to my stash. Yeah! I liked my fabric rubbings better than my screen printing, so I picked my favorites to send, and also included a sample of my screen printing which turned out rather subtle gray and white/light blue and felt like it maybe wasn’t quite done. Watching the progress of the swap gave me the courage to keep trying.
I received a really fun set of fabric from my swap group. You rock! I loved the background/print color pairings. Karen posted a fun picture of her collection – great idea. I will try it tomorrow when there is a little more sunshine.

Posted on

Rubbing

Decided to experiment with rubbings using dye paste over a foam grid of circular openings and a metal mesh. Tried various combinations of dry fabric/wet fabric and thinner/thicker paste. The circles were a lot of fun. My favorite is the most dramatic mauve/khaki one in the center (I love the grunge look and the thicker paste which gave crisp lines), but I will use the more subtle fabrics, love the caramel versions too. The mesh was harder — rubbing was trickier, and dye paste consistency mattered quite a bit in terms of the final look.

Next up – screen printing with dye paste and/or ink on the ~10 fat quarters I have left. (or if this doesn’t work, I have a few mono-print ideas in mind)