DYE DAY #2

Another Monday session at Cynthia's produced these beautiful overdyes. I once again prepped and packed them into the pint canning jars and headed over to Ashland for a fun afternoon of dyeing.

I used lots of binder clips, coins, and some hair rollers today.

 

 

And I just finished the initial ladder stitching on a collage produced at Christine's class on Sunday.

 



 

DYE DAY #1 IN OREGON

I am so happy to be taken into the fold of local dyers here in the Rogue Valley. My good friend Christine, master dyer herself (and enthusiastic), invites me along on her Monday sessions with Cynthia and Lene, two other keen dyers. I'm always learning form one or all of them.

Last Monday I wasn't sure what to do, how to get started, etc., so I grabbed my fabric, a case of canning jars and headed to Cynthia's house. There I proceeded to cut my cotton into fat quarters and fold them into perfect little flag folds, just as my fellow Quadra quilter, Ellen, taught me to do. I popped each one in a jar, added the dye and soda ash, then tightened the lids for transportation home in my car. That night I rinsed and washed and ironed them all. Here are some of the lovely results.

MAPPING

One of the difficult things about my nomadic lifestyle is remembering and keeping track of what is where, how I left something (perhaps 8 months prior!), if I contacted or paid someone, etc..  I am not a diligent note keeper, and if I were, it would be such a hefty collection of scribbles that I then would have to organize that! My notes do consist of what I need in my dye studio and for my sewing stash (very important), what’s needed in my pantry, and a wish list. We just returned to Oregon and the note I left on the refrigerator that said “clean before plugging in” was ignored by my husband before I could catch it, and now I’ll have to write a BIGGER note (maybe with some bright tape involved) for when we return in April. Such is the life of this gypsy quilter!

Three weeks ago I was tucking away my Refuge Cove garden for the winter. I covered everything with cardboard (to hopefully keep out the mass of invasive weeds that tend to overtake it) except for one small patch for my garlic. I love fresh garlic! Some years I plant little bulbs from my last year’s crop, or pick up something from the Cortes Island Food Co-op. But this year I found I had a variety and I KNEW I’d never remember what was what, so this predicament became a perfect opportunity for a journal quilt. Yes, I know, little stakes would work too, but this sounded more fun and was perfect for the “mapping” theme.

So here you have it, my garlic map. I really learned a lot about placement in this piece. Some of my attempts worked and some didn’t, but I’m relatively happy with it and after all, I was working hard to finish it before we left (which I did except for the buttons…they kept me busy on my three ferry rides on the way home).

I can’t wait to see my garlic patch next year!