Heat Wave = Time to Dye!!

We have had triple digit temperatures for most of the past two weeks, so I decided to take some time off work for the specific purpose of dyeing fabric.  I sweated, had to take breaks in the air conditioned house, but I got about fifteen yards of fabric dyed.  I never tire of the process!!

This time I decided to set up a studio in the garage, since I wanted to do some soy wax batik also.  It worked really well- I had two tables and a TV tray, which gave (usually) plenty of room for my equipment and room to work.  Here's the setup after I was done, with all the fabric ironed and folded.  I never did get around to taking any pictures when I was actually working!

I had room to lay plastic on the floor of the garage, and also my Ikea drying rack.  The best part about the setup is the table on the right.  I got it at Walmart, it was labeled for tailgating parties.  It's sturdy, it folds up to half the size for storage, and it was very reasonably priced.  I put a 2 by 4 piece of plywood on top, covered that with a couple of towels and plastic, and it worked great.

I did some solids, flat dyeing on the table. . .

(except the four on the far left are multi-color pieces, I just squirted dyes on).

These are the best of the soy wax pieces.  I was especially happy with the one on top- I used a sponge in the soy wax, and it held the shapes very well.

I also had fun doing some clamp Shibori pieces.  I now have three sets of acrylic triangles, and two sets of squares.  I also found some round plastic carpet casters that worked great to do circles.

The piece on the left I just drew with a tjanting.  It looked great wet, not so great once it was washed and dried.  

I experimented again with flour paste resist- something I'd tried on silk a few years ago, and wasn't happy with.  I was so happy with the first one, I did a second and also tried oatmeal resist.  I think I like the flour better, but both are cool.

My favorite is the one in the middle- pale green, with dark blue veining.  The one below that is the oatmeal resist.


I did several flag folded pieces with the acrylic shapes, and loved how they came out.  I ended up dyeing two colors on each- here they are at the end of two dye baths.

The bottom right piece was done with the square shape.  The green on the left was originally a boring scrunch dye without a lot of texture, so I flag folded it and discharged in a bleach bath.  I really like how it came out, I think I will be doing more pale scrunch dyes that I overdye in a flag fold.

And I had to have something to wear, right?  This is a light rayon poncho from Dharma- I was hoping for a pastel Monet effect.  As much as I diluted the dyes, I should have diluted them more, it is a little brighter than the pastel effect I was hoping for.  But I'll still wear it!

Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to use all this fabric!

I'm linking this post to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  Take a look at what all the other fiber artists there have been up to!

Waxing Eloquent

Well, maybe not eloquently, but I was busily waxing this weekend.  I spent several hours at fellow USDG member Robin's home, playing with soy wax and dyes.  Some I got done there, some I finished up at home.  

The last time I tried using soy wax, I remember having issues- like, it wouldn't soak into the fabric.  This time the wax behaved perfectly.  I'm guessing that I didn't have it hot enough the first time.  

I took some white Pimatex fabric, and some pieces that were already dyed.  The results told me that it really does matter what kind of fabric I use.  The smooth, tightly woven fabric (like Pimatex) seem to hold the wax better, which means less dye seeps under the line.  Since I was doing multiple dye baths on some pieces, that makes a difference.  So here's the fabric I ended up with--

The two on the right were done on yellow fabric, the one on the left started with white Pimatex.  I absolutely love that one.

The one in the upper left is on white Pimatex, the others started with yellow fabric.  I used three different potato mashers, a pastry cutter, and a small brush.  I did three different dye baths, then waxed after each, then I waxed the entire piece and put thickened dark blue dye on.  I probably crackled the wax a little too much, but I love this piece anyway.

What's not to love about all that texture?

The last piece is really different- I wanted to see what would happen if I just put brushstrokes of wax on the cloth, then paint different colors on.

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but it is growing on me.  I really like the movement I got with the brushstrokes.

I had more dye adventures this weekend, but they will wait for another post.  Time to wash the dye out of my hair!!

I Made It!!

I made it through the workweek after time off, and I have the Sunflower piece almost finished- just a sleeve and label left. I will still be gifting it, but have changed my mind about the recipient. An even more perfect one has come to my attention.

My small group, WAQ, met on Friday. I took the Sunflower, Blue Tsunami, and Autumn Mountains for critique. Blue Tsunami got good reviews, with only the suggestion that some beads might be a nice addition. Not too many, just some. Since I had been thinking that myself, I'll be going ahead with it. They said Sunflower needed beads, too- and it was like a knock upside the head- of course! I'd already added the metallic paint over the background quilting, and loved the effect. I spent Friday and Saturday night beading, and this morning hand sewing the back of the binding. I am very pleased with the result, and am even more pleased with the learning that came from doing this piece. I got experience dye painting with soy wax on a wholecloth design and applying paint after quilting. With that, I can cheerfully let Sunflower go to a new home. I'll do similar processes on her sister, and hopefully will see improvement in my skill with the techniques. Here she is finished-



And a detail shot-


I'm going to hit Home Depot in hopes of finding a paint roller that is only about an inch wide. And, I will figure out a way to mask the flower on the second piece when I paint. That should help alleviate the problem I had with too much paint in some areas, since I was trying to keep it off the flower. As for the beading,
I used big seed beads, size 6 I think. And, there was a lot of variation on the size in the package- which I think adds to the effect.

We had an interesting discussion about quilting on Autumn Mountains. I was thrilled when Robyn volunteered to let me quilt it on her frame with her HQ16. It will be easier than wrangling a piece that size under my Juki, that is for sure! I will just need to practice in the morning before we load the quilt, and Suzanne volunteered to come over and make sure we got off to a good start. I have played with the HQ16, but not for extended lengths of time. I won't be doing it until late in January or February, since Robyn is leaving on a cruise. So I have time to practice with paper and pencil. I'm both nervous and excited, it would be great to get it quilted in one day!

Yesterday was a red letter day for Shannon- she turned 21. We did some clothes shopping in the morning, then she got some German beer to enjoy with the German meal she is making for us tonight. It just does not feel like it has been that many years since I held her for the first time as a newborn. Where do the years go?????

We did see Doubt last weekend, I would highly recommend it. I love Meryl Streep, and the supporting cast was excellent. Not a light hearted movie, but one to make you think.

I think I will spend this afternoon cleaning up in the studio, trying to figure out what I'll work on next. Thanks for visiting!

Batik and Monoprinting

I mentioned in the last post that I spent Saturday up at a friend's studio. She lives in Heber, which is a lovely, not-too-long trip through Provo Canyon. I had to stop and take a couple pictures of the fantastic fall colors, as seen by Bridal Veil Falls.





I do love this time of year. The cooler temperatures feel great after 90 and 100 degree summers. The colors on the mountains are lovely. The only drag for me is knowing that winter is on its way, and I will be living in a sea of beige and gray for the next six or more months. Unless it snows a lot, in which case I will be fighting slick roads and all the hassles that go with it. Not my favorite season by any stretch.

I took a lot of fabric, both already dyed and plain PFD. I never got to the PFD, and didn't even finish all the dyed fabric I took. I did both soy batik, and monoprinting. I wanted to make more fabric in similar colors to some I did in the batik workshop this summer. Blues and turquoises--



I have three or four in these colors.

Then I wanted to try monoprinting. Here I used construction fencing, red dye on yellow fabric. I got two pieces from this, here's the first--



And the second--



The bits of turquoise were not intentional. I had these batching with the turquoise peices in plastic, and they bled. Ah well, I'm going to cut them up anyway.

This is my favorite. I just smeared print paste on my plate, and then squirted turqoise and ecru dye on the paste. The colors were running before I ever got the fabric on the plate. I think I started with a light yellow base, you'd never know it now! Then after getting the fabric on the plate, I remembered that I hadn't soaked it in soda ash. So I just dripped a soda solution on the fabric with a brush. It seems to have worked!



I did other pieces, but the patterning is so subtle that it didn't show up well in photos.

One more note from Reno, sort of- my brother and I are both book addicts, and I always have to check out his bookcase to see what treasures he might have. I found this, which has been on my Amazon wish list for awhile-



This is the best book on the creative process I have found yet. Paul let me borrow it (his is a signed copy, the author spoke at Cal State Fullerton when Paul was an srt student there), but I will be buying my own copy. It just speaks to me in a way that other books on creativity have not. I highly recommend it.

Surprise!! (And, 200 posts--)

I had a lovely surprise when I went to the mailbox today- a box from Nellie Durand. Inside was this--



Isn't she great!! Nellie posted about making these birds earlier this summer. This one happens to be made from some of my hand-dyed fabric that I sent to Nellie along with threadies and other fiber stuff that I used to throw out. I just love her!! I'm already trying to decide where to display her to best effect.

I've also been stitching, on one of the sunflower batik panels. I want to have it at least partially done before the Surface Design meeting in Salt Lake next Wednesday. I'm well on the way, all I have left is the background.



It took awhile, but I heavily quilted the center area. I love the texture this stitching gives it.



Later, I'll add beads. I'm also debating adding some paint, like the Kemshall's do. A nice sparkly metallic, to give it some pop.

This is my 200th post since I started this blog in March of 2006. I didn't know if it would last, since I was never one to maintain a diary or journal. But for some reason, this works for me- I love doing it, and love the connections I've made around the world through blogging. To all those who visit, read about my art and life, and maybe even leave a comment- thank you!

A Mixed Bag

I finished all my pieces yesterday. The batik was a smashing success, I got crackle and better control of my lines. After waxing the entire surface of the sunflower pieces, I scrunched them (trying to avoid the leaves) and applied some chocolate brown dye. After ironing out the excess wax (quite the process), I steamed them for close to an hour. After drying, here's what I got:





I think with some quilting and beading, these are rather respectable practice pieces. Next, I want to try a more abstract look without thickening the dyes. That will take planning, not my strong suit.

The red kitchen utensil batik also looked great after I knocked down the in-your-face red a bit.



I think I like the movement those straight lines add to the piece.

The deconstructed screenprints are another story. I obviously did something wrong, because the dye washed out almost completely. Here's the turquoise piece after steaming. Up close, I can see bits of the green- but that's about it. Compare this photo to the one in the previous post and you'll see what I mean.



On the white pfd, the green became a very pale, ghostly gray; on the multi-colored hand-dye, it pretty much disappeared. I'm not sure if I didn't get enough soda ash in the print paste, or what. Next time I will use dried, soda soaked fabric. Despite this disappointment, the process is too much fun to give up.

An additional note- Ive been thinking about what I did with the deconstructed screen prints, and think I have figured out why they washed out. I re-read the instructions for making soda print paste, and realized I just stirred the dry soda ash into the paste- I neglected to dissolve it in water. Dumb, dumb, dumb. There is a fine line between working quickly and intuitively, and being just plain impatient, and I crossed it yesterday. Hopefully the soda ash will have dissolved by now, but if I still see granules I'll add some urea water. AND use soda soaked fabric until I use up that print paste!!

We have gone from 90's on Friday and Saturday, to 60's today, with rain. Funny how a temperature that feels balmy in the spring can feel downright cold at the end of summer. We have tickets to see Three Dog Night tonight- in an outdoor venue. Here's hoping the rain goes away so the concert can happen. I love taking my kids to see the bands from my youth in the 60's!!!

Batiking Again!!

I've spent all day today in the studio, doing more soy wax batik. Both of the sunflower pictures are outside, for their last drying before I steam them. I did another piece of fabric with kitchen utensils, and did some discharge with discharge paste.

I used discharge paste once, a long time ago- the stench from the ironing was awful. The bottle of discharge paste has been sitting on my shelf ever since. Now that I have a steamer, no need to deal with the stench. I used some big foam stamps on a silk scarf I dyed a few weeks ago, on the turquoise not-so-hot piece I did at Anne Munoz's workshop in July, and a piece of black fabric I pulled out of my stash. Here's the black fabric before steaming, waxed and discharge paste applied with a sponge roller.



The three pieces spent twenty-five minutes steaming on our barbecue gril burner, and these were the results. The black turned a sort of gray, very different from discharge pieces I've done with dishwasher gel.



The turquoise, my least favorite piece from Anne's workshop--



And the green silk scarf, I think much improved with the leaf motifs--



While those were steaming, I started on the two sunflower pieces. Here's what they looked like after the first dye applications. I decided to use thickened dyes this time, hoping for more control of my lines. I think it worked.



And, lastly, just a fun piece batiked with a potato masher and a pastry blender. I started with bright yellow, added golden yellow, then went to Chinese red. I think I'm going to do one more color, that red is just too garish.



It's about dinner time. I'll steam the sunflowers and red piece after we eat. So, more pictures of the completed fabric tomorrow!

Looong Weekend!!

We'll just ignore the fact that it's the weekend that marks the end of summer. I'm hoping we have a nice, long autumn, to make up for the nonexistent spring. Like a month of weather in the 80's. Perfect.

I was going to get a lot done today artwise, but it's 4:30 and it ain't happening. So I'm resigned to getting the laundry done, kitchen cleaned, and maybe a few other housekeeping chores. I did some running around today, and did score some more goodies for batik--



An iron for dischage with thiox or discharge paste, and two more circle tools. That big pillar the iron is sitting on? That, my friends, is an end from a roll of plain newsprint. I scored FIVE of those for $5!! So I'm hoping to try my hand at fabric steaming this weekend!

And, best of all--



Rayna's book arrived this week!! I have been devouring it, it is a treasure trove of information and inspiration. I did manage to get two pieces waxed this morning, and having her book helped. I think I have an idea of how hot the wax needs to be for the best results, and I'm slowly getting better with the tjanting. i have my print paste made up, ready to go tomorrow morning. Here's one of the pieces I have waxed and ready to dye--



I also got some canvas at Joann's to make a press board or a print board, haven't decided yet.

Oh, yeah- the shoulder is much better. I had a bursitis attack, which the orthopedist said can happen out of the blue. Hopefully the week of Motrin 800's he prescribed will take care of the problem, because the next step is cortisone shots in the shoulder. Rather not, thanks, unless I absolutely have to.

I'll post more after I actually have so fiber related pics to post!

Lessons Learned about Batik

I finished dyepainting the background of the tulip batik, and washed it out last night. I LOVE being able to wash out the wax the same time I am washing out my dyes! So here's the final result, washed, dried, and ironed--



Mmmm- I like all the colors, with the exception of the orange. I know my color mixing with dyes, but I will need to do a better job of thinking through my color sequencing next time. I really wanted a rosier, pinkier background, not the stark orange.

I looked carefully at the white lines, wanting to see if my waxing needs work or if the soy is just different than traditional batik wax. I could tell that my lines had tiny breaks, enough to cause the issue with escaping green dye that is so obvious. So I will work on my technique with the tjantings. I also remember that I may not have had the wax as hot as I did the other times I waxed, so that may make a difference with the tjantings too. And, I will wax both side of the piece if I want to make sure I contain the dye. It sure seemed to work with the last waxing I did, since the red dye stayed where I wanted it to.

Can you tell from this that dye painting is not my favorite way to apply the stuff? Smooth transitions are hard to do, and I just don't get the color coverage I want. Since I don't have a setup conducive to painting large pieces, I'm less inclined to improve my results with practice. Printing fabric to cut and use with other fabric, this is much less of an issue. And I suspect I will want to do more of that, not wholecloth pieces.

My frame setup is another challenge to resolve. I don't like using a box if I have to move the piece to wax the entire piece. The wooden frame I made did work, but it was a little too small for the tulip piece. And pounding my tacks into the wood was not fun or easy. Also, I managed to dye the thing with several colors from this piece- now I'll be worried about backstaining on the next piece if I tack the fabric directly into the wood.

I have another image I think I will enlarge and try- a big sunflower, from the same book. Maybe a size just smaller than my frame. And I think I will go for a much deeper color background.

I also got my rust dye piece washed, dried, and ironed. This is one process I don't think is for those with control issues. If you think dye is hard to control, it's nothing compared to rusting. I wanted the image on the garden ornament to show clearly- I got part, not the whole thing. So next time, I think I'll do a wrap with wire around a pole. Something where I'm not trying for a specific image!!



This morning, I cleaned up the studio while Bentlee worked on a couple of postcards to give her mom and dad. We've found that my Featherweight is perfect for her, and I can set it up on a lower section of the table my Bernina is in. She stitched, then added some details with stamps and fabric paint.



After the edges were done, we added the final touches with hot fix crystals. According to Bentlee, every postcard needs so glitz!

Tonight, we're off to the county fair; tomorrow, a Bees' game in Salt Lake.

Batik and Rust

I added the last color to the tulip batik this morning, and now it is batching away. Definitely a learning experience, not a masterpiece. I've got it upsidedown so the red will bleed towards the top.



In between a couple of hours of work, and some cleaning / laundry, I decided I wanted to try some rust dyeing. I found a small piece of overdye I did some time ago- a pale turquoise-y with subtle rust accents. I figured more rust would work just fine. I wanted to use a garden ornament Shannon bought DJ last year- something that was designed to rust! Then I added some rusty odd and ends I found in the garage. Apparently rust doesn't take long here. I soaked the fabric in vinegar, and have had to wet it twice to keep it damp- that just in the space of an hour or so.



I have lots more small pieces of this sequenced overdye, this may lead to something bigger.

This weekend it is the county fair, and Bentlee will be spending the weekend with us. So it will be a busy one.

Soy Wax Batik

I got my tjantings from Dharma, so I hunted through my copyright-free books and came up with a design to do. I can tell my garage-sale overhead projector will get plenty of use, it made enlarging the design a simple task.

Friday afternoon I waxed it. I got the skillet hotter this time, to see if having the soy wax hotter would make it behave more like the traditional wax I used at Anne's workshop. It didn't, it still has wax on top- but it went through, I could tell by looking and feeling the underside.

After brushing on soda ash solution, I dyed the almost the whole piece yellow. I want the tulips purple, so can't have yellow as an undercolor- but the rest of the piece, I can.



I batched it awhile, then did the stem, leaves, and flowers- so blue on the first two, grape on the flowers. A bit of yellow bled into the flowers, but I'm ok with that- it will help shade the flowers.



Today I hope to wax part of the leaves, so I can add a darker blue to shade the leaves some. Then I'll wax all the flowers, and blend in some red to the background.

I've had some bleeding in my lines- when I waxed, I used a box that was smaller than my piece. So I had to finish the job by moving it, and bending the already waxed portion over the box. I wonder if that didn't contribute to the incomplete lines.

I went into this with the attitude it is a process piece, one to help me learn how the wax behaves- so if it is not a masterpiece, that is just fine. But doing a wholecloth piece is very different and more painstaking than doing abstract cloth that will be cut up and used in a larger piece. I like doing that, and think I would approach it in the future by doing several at once, with colors that blended- in other words, think of the whole, finished piece, and not just the cloth I am working on. You have lots of time to think through that issue while waxing, it is not a quick process!

I also got brushes, but haven't had much luck with them. I hope I can figure that out before I'm ready to wax the background, that would take forever with a tjanting!

More Dye Results

I ironed the last piece from my dyefest yesterday, and cut my little squares for my dye book from the sateen. I knew I got good results with the overdyes, but it wasn't until I had my squares all arranged on the paper that I could clearly see how nicely the colors blend into each other. I love these, they are so springy and happy!



The dye painted piece is ok- I'm thinking I may try some other surface design techniques on it, maybe some screenprinting. I do like the way the colors wicked into each other, without making mud.





The sashes turned out ok- the colors not as dulled as I'd originally thought. We'll see if they match anything in my wardrobe.



Karoda asked why I used the skillet like a double boiler,rather than just putting the wax in it. I wanted to make sure I could prevent it from getting too hot, and the thermostat on that skillet was primitive to say the least. No numbers, nothing in the directions to clue me in as to how hot it can get- so I figured I would play it safe with the can. I will need to get a bigger metal bowl or something, since some of the utensils I wanted to try stamping with didn't fit in the can. And, having the can makes it easy to store the wax when I'm done.

Well, off to church- then maybe I'll get some sewing done on a blouse I cut out yesterday.

Dyeing Day

With the hot weather we've been having, I'd have kicked myself if I didn't get any dyeing done. And, my soy wax arrived from Peak Candle Supply. I may not have my Dharma order with my tjantings and brushes, but I wasn't about to let that stop me!

First, Shannon and I went to DI to see if I could score a double boiler or electric skillet, and some interesting kitchen utensils that could be used to stamp with wax. No luck with the double boiler or skillet, and the pickings were pretty slim in the utensil department. I did find a few to try, and also a shorter pitcher and a beaker to add to my dye supplies. Then we went to Big Lots, where I did find a 'personal electric skillet,' cheap. Why anyone would need a tiny, individual electric skillet is beyond me, but it works for the wax.

So, here's what I ended up with:



I dumped in a bunch of the soy wax flakes to melt while I made up some dye concentrates. I pulled out some silk scarves I got a couple of years ago, and also decided to do another sequenced overdyes in sateen- this one, yellow to blue.

Once the sateen was batching on our south-facing driveway, I went to work with the wax. I had to play with the thermostat quite a bit, and also figured out that the water had to be about boiling to get the wax hot enough. First I did a silk scarf, using a round mixer we found. Then I appropriated a cookie cutter from our kitchen, and tried it on a rayon sash from Dharma. Aren't I lovely in my dyeing attire?



I was kind of freaking inside while I was waxing. The soy wax looks different from the parafin/sticky wax I used at Ann's workshop after it cools on the fabric. I've got no directions, just a few things I've learned off the Complex Cloth and Quiltart lists. While I was working away, music going from the iPod, I decided that sometimes my impatience gets the better of me, and I jump in without really knowing what I'm doing. I wasn't trying for any masterpieces today, I just wanted to see if the process would work! More stuff for the crap quota!!

I dye painted this on a piece of sateen, just playing.



And here's the silk scarf I did with the wax, after I've applied the dye. Yeah, I slopped some raspberry where I didn't intend to.



I usually let my hand dyes batch twenty four hours, but I was too impatient today. I washed out the sateen sequenced overdyes first, and was very happy with the results. Love those greens, and nice patterning!



Then the four silk scarves and the rayon sashes.



The one on the left was waxed, the one on the right was just bound with rubber bands. The color on the waxed one is kind of blah, but my wax worked!

The scarves--



The dark green one was done with vinegar, and 'steamed' in my studio microwave I got a while ago. It sure is nice not having to run upstairs to warm up salt solutions!

But I was especially happy with how the waxed scarf came out-- love it!



So now I can be patient, until my tjantings arrive and I can lay my hand on a copy of Rayna's book locally. I have also taken over the turkey deep fryer that has been used once in seven years- it's now a fabric steamer! What do I have to discharge??