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!

BEFORE THE MIGRATION

It's time to leave again...my gypsy life is now highlighted with lists and boxes and piles and last minute projects. We're soon to leave and wind our way down I-5 toward our Oregon home.

Above is my summer challenge entry for the Quadra guild...the components were pieces I stamped and dyed at our summer retreat. I hand-quilted the flower while my bobbin case was being repaired in Comox, and once it arrived, I machine quilted the dragonflies.

This pillow was a surprise gift for Diana, one of our Refuge Cove residents. This is her cabin, tucked back in the notch at the head of the creek leading to the lake.

Here's a surprise gift for Bonnie, from her husband. I know she likes neutral, earthy colors, so I put together this raven scene.

And this surprise was a must-do, as I am soon to visit cousin Kristine who LOVES birds and blue and all things happy. I'll be staying at her house in Seattle for a few days enroute to Oregon. I hope she likes this!

SPECTACULAR SEPTEMBER

 

On a crystal clear September evening, my husband and I were sitting at our favorite perch on our front deck, overlooking the peace and beauty of Refuge Cove. It had been a stunning day, clear and sunny, and the twilight hours were just as lovely. The sky had a particular brightness against the horizon and the simple silhouette of the trees added to the scene. I looked up to the night sky and noticed the Big Dipper located perfectly in the notch created by the trees. It was a quilt journal moment! (The theme I was pairing it with in mind was "All That Sparkles".)

I knew that my black dye would leave a cast of color as it climbed up a piece of fabric, so I set to doing that. I half-filled a cylinder with black dye and soda ash, then set a loosely rolled piece of fabric into it and watched the color climb up and eventually leave a margin of light turquoise. From there it was working with blacks: creating the horizon, using “Steam a Seam Light” as a fusible for the trees, adding the binding. A wiggly, feathery stitch along the branches added texture to the trees. For the stars, I disassembled an old, never-worn piece of jewelry which happened to have the perfect blue crystal beads.

I love the stark simplicity of this piece. It will forever remind me of the many lovely nights, sitting on the deck with Tom, appreciating life.

MANIC SCREENING

After our retreat, I was on a roll: my studio was all set up, the dyes were made, and I was excited to try my hand at more screening. PLUS, the days were beautiful and warm, perfect for drying the screens (like the one above), and for hanging the fabric on the line.

Cathy was keenly interested too. She joined me for two or three days, as we eached produced a meter a day. In the piece above, she tried to create a mountain scene, and I think she succeeded.

After the initial screening dried, a top color was added. In our case we just smeared a thickened dye on with a credit card.

My favorite objects for creating the screen design were heavy cotton string, coins, and poker chips. Cedar boughs, lace, fishnet, and plastic mesh also created interesting textures.
Now I am the owner of eleven beautiful meters of screened fabric, with a winter of time to use it!

SUPER RETREAT!

What a weekend! Dawn, Terry, Ellen and I had three FULL days of fabric dyeing and creating. It was amazing!

My three friends (connected through Quadra's Quilt Guild and Cyber Fibre's quilt journal group) boated over to Refuge on Saturday morning, hauled their gear up the hill and got right to work. Each found their spot in my makeshift studio (once woodshed) and began producing amazing pieces of dyed and designed fabrics.

Here's a list of what we did:
deconstructive screening

stamp making and stamping

flag fold dyeing
monets
moon dyes
snowflake/star folds

shibori/bottle wraps

starbursts
cheese cloth prints
fish net prints
found object prints
wheat paste prints
crossover dyeing

stitched shibori prints
overdyeing
filter wraps

discharging with decolorant and bleach product
thickened dye painting
credit card smears
Shiva paint stick rubbings

PLUS, we shared great meals, stories and ideas. What a great weekend! AND I have over 5 meters of beautiful fabric to create with! Thanks friends for such a good time together. Can't wait until next year!