All batiked out

February has been batik month at And Then We Set it on Fire. If you want to read about how these were made, check it out here.

February Batik again

I bought these little cookie cutters at Walmart the other day for $3.00. They're nested, and I used them for batiking on Sunday. I had to use a little clamp to hold them while dipping into the wax because they got pretty hot.

After dipping the flower shapes, I painted with dye/soda solution, then removed the wax, and dyed the whole piece in a light periwinkle color to get rid of the stark white outlines. This piece looks spring-ie, I think.

Here's a potato masher batik piece that I painted with fuchsia & green, then removed the wax and overdyed in khaki.

On another unrelated note, how many miles on my car is too many? It's something that wears on my mind a lot...

Batik on Sunday

I just posted these on "And Then We Set it on Fire"--make sure to check out all the great projects there.

Where did the weekend go??? I didn't get started on any batik until late Sunday afternoon, first I waxed some large leaf designs on a piece of fabric that was around 18" x 44.
Then I stretched the fabric over a large box, pinned it in place with push pins, and took it outside to paint. Which I could do because it was in the 50s and sunny.

The leaves are painted with avacado and the background blue is sky blue. Had to keep moving the fabric down and repinning it.

Here it is all painted--I went inside to get a large garbage bag the cover this so it didn't dry too quickly in the sun, and by the time I got back outside, it had blown across the lawn because it was kind of windy. The blue and green blended by rolling across the lawn, which I didn't really want to happen.

I left it overnight, will have to work on it again tonight after work.

I also had time to wax another small piece, this was done with a weird kitchen tool that I got at the Goodwill store. I mixed up a little rust orange dye, then left this overnight. Rinsed it out this morning--think I might dye this again in a warm yellow after I remove the wax.

Hand Stitching

This little piece started out a while ago as a drop cloth underneath some things I was painting and dyeing last summer. I really liked how it looked, so I added the flowers a while back. It still didn't speak to me, so I added the avacado green border. I was happier with it then, but I've been doing some hand stitching on it and now I'm really starting to like it.

A co-worker of mine is having a baby in April, her theme is dogs, her colors are light brown and chocolate brown. I volunteered to make her a baby blanket, and ordered the dog prints from fabric.com (one of my favorite stores). The dog print fabric arrived today (I already had the rest of it), so I better get started!

Finally, some shibori I like!

Finally, some shibori that I'm really happy with! They look a little faded because I took the pictures after work tonight, when the sun was already down but there was still a little light left.

I learned a lot this month, and am happy with the results. I learned that I really had to scrunch the fabric down hard on the pole, and keep it tight to get the results I wanted.

I've also been working on this little piece--still hand sewing the binding down. I'm not sure if I should display it with the half circles up or down. Opinions would be appreciated! All the colors in this piece were made by blending cobalt blue and tangerine--isn't that amazing??

My favorite part, the free motion quilting:

Next month's project is Batik...

Cut Away Circles

An easy technique from the latest issue of Quilting Arts magazine--thought I'd give it a try over the long weekend.

First - get some fabrics from stash:

Then, stack the fabrics--using about 4-6 layers is recommended.

Sew circles using FM foot, crossing the lines in random places.
This is what the finished circle looked like from the bottom.

Start cutting away the layers, exposing the different fabrics below. I used a seam ripper to get each layer started, then finished with my sharpest scissors.

Here are four already done, each will be cut to a 6.5 inch size square

PAQA-South Call For Entry

The Professional Art Quilters Alliance-South (PAQA-South) announces its ninth Annual Juried Exhibition of Innovative Quilts: Movement evokes moods as varied as the individuals contemplating it. Rhythmic strains of music, the flow of language, lithe dancers, or public change and social advocacy; all are examples that encompass the meaning of movement. Are you startled by a sudden movement, drawn in to the quickly moving plot of a good book, or feel the pulse of your heart as bloods flows through your veins? Military maneuvers, the inner workings of a watch, and a well-oiled machine all portray this basic necessity of life: movement. We invite you to share your interpretation of Movement in quiltart form.

Exhibit Opens: May 20, 2011
Deadline for entry receipt: March 19, 2011
Show dates: May 20 – July 24, 2011:
Durham Arts Council, Durham, NC http://www.durhamarts.org/facility.html
Entry Fee: $15 for PAQA-South members, $25 for non-members for up to three works submitted.
Size Limitations: No larger than 40 inches wide and 60 inches high.

Download Movement Prospectus & Entry Form

Contact: AQmovements@gmail.com with questions.
Note: ARTQUILTSmovement will be judged via unenhanced digital jpg image, only.
The PAQA-South International Juried Exhibition: ARTQUILTSmovement will open in the Allenton and Siemens galleries of the Durham Arts Council of Durham, NC. The opening reception will be Friday, May 20, 2011, 5-7:00 p.m.

*It is possible that the show will travel, so please be sure to check the entry form as to whether or not you give permission for your piece to travel with the show, should it be chosen.

Shibori Sunday

Worked on some Spiderweb Shibori today. For this piece, I started with a white piece of fabric, then tied it off. First I dipped the tied tips into some blue, then dyed the whole piece black.

This piece was one I dyed a few months ago (mixed soda ash with dry dye powder--purple & green, then sprinkled it onto the fabric). I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out, so today I tied a bunch of circles into it, then dyed in a cobalt blue dye bath:

And here's a composite of my dyeing day--

Color Palette Challenge

Three creative studios is having a color palette challenge that I'm going to sign up for. They're going to post a new palette on the 16th of each month, then we post the finished quilts on flick:

Free quilting magazine

Found this link to a free on-line quilting magazine: http://www.quiltposium.com/

There's lots of downloadable patterns, some crafty stuff, some recipes, and of course a few articles. Lots of quilting travel packages, too--the magazine looks like something a travel agent put together, but you can overlook all that, if you're so inclined! I don't think I'd like to take a cruise or trip to a foreign country and worry about toting my sewing machine and all my quilting "stuff" with me.