Two more solvy bookmarks using ultra solvy with fabric scraps.  This time I raided my crazy quilt scrap supply that has lots of unusual fabric many of them cut from old dresses found at thrift stores.

Bookmark with solvy stitching

This is my trial book mark made by stitching little tidbits of fabric etc between a solvy sandwich.  I used ultra solvy because I already had some.  I have ordered some super solvy to see if I like that better.  It is probably over stitched.  I just can't seem to stop.  

       

Banquet table

The theme for the Ecumenical Lenten services this year is feasting and fasting.  Today the theme was the Great banquet or as it was called in Matthew 22 the parable of the wedding banquet.  The planners chose to use the theme all are invited.  I was asked to create an art project and I chose to do a banquet table.  I used a narrow card table and covered it with a patchwork table cloth in rainbow colors to signify inclusiveness.  I used two place settings and a center piece of a large gourd filled with dried plants and a cross made from dried cholla.  I spray painted everything with gold.    All of the dishes etc came from a thrift shop.  I even spray painted a couple of wooden chairs I got at the thrift store.  

I made up a little invitation to hand to everybody inviting them to the banquet.  I also included a little about the symbolisnm of the various items and colors.    

I worked many hours on the table cloth and I knew it would never be finished so I said I would use it just as it was on the day.  I was putting a border around it last evening when my sewing machine quit.  So I hand basted the edge and pinned it to the back side.  I felt like the people on Project Runway, sewing their models into their outfits just before runway time.  

I am not really a quilter so I didn't call it a quilt but it may grow up to be a quilt someday.  

Rainbow table covering

One of the first things I learned about when I moved to Grinnell in March 2006 was the wonderful ecumenical Lenten services held every Wednesday at a different church, with a little lunch served afterwards.  I look forward to attending these every year.

This year I was invited to participate by doing a visual project for one of the services.  The planners are trying to bring in different arts including visual, music and poetry.  I am the only visual artist and they pretty much gave me freedom to design the project.

The theme is feasting and fasting and my project is going to be "Feasting" centering around the parable of the wedding banquet.  Now I am not ready to reveal too many details of my project yet, but I am hard at work on a rainbow table covering.  I am not going to call it a quilt, at least not yet, as I am not a real quilter.  But I am a color person at heart and I am loving using the rainbow of fabrics I have gathered to make blocks.

Snow dyeing results Final!

Finally getting around to posting photos of my final results for the snow dyeing.  All of my experimenting paid off and I am pleased with the results.  I have shipped off some pieces and received some beautiful pieces back in the swap.

These are done on prepared for dyeing Kona cotton.

Ice painting

I read somewhere a long time ago about painting outside in below freezing temps.  I decided to try it recently during our ice storm.  I used a piece of light weight canvas and hung it outside for a few hours.  Then I brought it in laid it on a rack and painted it with Stewart Gill fabric paints.  The fabric thawed so quickly it was really not icy while I was finishing the painting.  But, I am not going to paint outside during an ice storm so my ice painting is not quite authentic.You can see the ridges made by the rack in the photo.  This is before I ironed it to set the paint.

My snow dying process

The two red pieces and the purple/blue/red  a couple of posts below are all made from a white sheet an exchange student left at my house a couple of years ago.

I bought the supplies from Dharma Trading company

I prewashed the fabric in Synthropol.  Then I soaked it in a soda ash solution.   While it was soaking I prepared my urea and salt chemical water.  I laid the fabric out on several different types of racks.  The article I read in Art Quilting stated that she used a piece of plexiglass and tilted it into a pan so that the fabric did not sit in the excess dye.  I used two small pieces of plexi tilted in my favorite pan (it is designed for fish cleaning and sold at sporting goods stores).

I also used a small baking rack over a dish pan and a shoe box sized plastic box.  In the bottom of the plastic box I placed some bubble wrap with really large bubbles.  I also slanted this so the dye would run down.

I then put the wet fabric on the racks and covered  it with snow.

I mixed the dye two tables spoons to a half cup of chemical water.  Then poured it on over the snow.  I then covered it with plastic bags and left it overnight.

The next day I sprayed all of the fabric with warm water, wrung it out and hung it to dry.  I will wash it with synthrapol in a few days.

Blue on black and white

You can get a good dark blue with this process.  I made up a chemical mix of urea and table salt and mixed it with the blue dye.  I just added half a cup of water to 2 tablespoons of dye.

I laid the fabric out on a rack slightly tilted and then covered it with snow.  Then I covered it with plastic and left it overnight.  I rinsed this fabric with warm water (I have a hose with a sprayer in the basement and I just sprayed the water on)  Very little actually rinsed out and the final rinse came out clear.

Snow dyeing results. day 3

I am figuring this process out now.  I am using fiber reactive dye on cotton soaked in soda ash.

Snow dyeing results

This is the sumi paper while it was being dyed and after it dried.  I used some radiant rain and some alcohol inks which gave it much deeper colors than the cloth.

Light weight muslin.

Some heavy weight silk fabric. 

More snow dyeing process photos

Snow dyeing

I have been reading about snow dyeing and since we have piles of snow all around I decided to give it a try.  I just used what I already had around and it wasn't the best dye for the projects.  Most of my results are quite faded looking.  I am ordering new dye to try to get better results.

This is what the snow dyeing process looks like.  You put down your fabric (or paper) on a rack and then pile on the snow.  Then you pour on the dye.  As the snow melts the fabric gets dyed.

Paper cloth (Fabric paper ???)

I cut a piece out of this paper cloth to make a small greeting card.  

This is a close up of a piece that I painted heavily and then scratched with the brush handle.  This is some of the Stewart Gill fabric paint that I bought recently, such a beautiful color, magenta.

On  this piece of paper cloth I drew designs which I call Inklins with a black pen.  Then I sprayed it with workable fixative and then I painted it.  Not sure what I want to do with it now.

Crazy quilt pieced paper cloth. Painted, inked stitched etc.  

Paper cloth, crazy quilt pieced and cut into book marks.  I backed them with painted Lutradur.

Liberated quilting

 Last fall when I was first interested in quilting, I checked Gwen Marston's book Liberated Quilting out from the library.  I really love her quilts and ideas.  I started making little houses shown in her book and then decided to make them into a quilt for Miles.  Now let's face it, what I knew about making a quilt could be put in a thimble.  So I just made it up as I went along.  This is the result.  I backed it with fleece and tied it with crochet cotton and some buttons.  It is not just "liberated" it is down right odd.  I keep looking over my shoulder to see if the quilt Police are coming.  Lots of the fabric I got from Guinevere, my dear daughter in law and some of them were left over from the crib sheets and accessories she made when he was a baby.

Christmas stocking

I made

this stocking for grandson Miles just before Christmas.  It was really fun and took only a few hours.  That's because I practiced on the Victorian boots.

This is the boot I made for the swap.

Crazy quilted Victorian boot

This is the boot I made to practice on before I made the one for the swap.