Colorado

Shannon and I spent the better part of this weekend in Grand Junction, Colorado.  She is investigating Colorado Christian College's nursing program, and wanted to see what kind of place Grand Junction is.  We stayed with my AQuA friend Susan, who is a wonderful hostess.  It was a lovely relaxing weekend.

We got there early enough on Friday to meet with someone from the college, who answered a lot of our questions and gave both of us a better feel for their program.  That meant we had all of Saturday to go play and see the town!

We visited one of the wineries in Palisade, a picturesque little town just east of Grand Junction.  We both fell in love with the old homes in the town.  I haven't been around so many old hippies since I don't know when.

 

We also found a peach grower that had some left from the late harvest, and treated ourselves to a small box of Palisade peaches.  We walked around their charming little downtown, and had coffee and a sweet treat.  I found inspiration looking down--

Cool sidewalk, no??

Then we drove back to Grand Junction and walked through the old downtown.  I remembered it as being a nice place to walk, and we had lots of company.  There was a gourd festival going on, and some of the streets were blocked to traffic.  I liked how they have art all along the downtown corridor-

 

When the weather got a little threatening, we found a brew pub and split an order of fish and chips- yum! I found a lovely skirt in a toney thrift shop, some citric acid to use in my silk dyeing, and a couple of small rollers- one set for the kitchen, the other set for roller stamps.  I also found a bunch more cool cookie cutters to use in batik.

Late in the afternoon, we joined Susan and some of her friends that I'd met on a previous trip for a movie and dinner evening.  We all thoroughly enjoyed 'A Dolphin Tale', and talked and laughed over a Smash Burger and sweet potato fries.  Shannon and I couldn't resist washing ours down with some good beer.  All in all, a lovely trip!  We got home about 2 pm today, just in time to finish up some laundry and get ready for the work week.

I asked Susan for a crit of my Tangled Textiles piece, and was very happy with her feedback.  I should have that one done by the end of the week.  All that's left is to fuse the backing and add the binding.

Now I'm off to do some ironing before relaxing with a book.  Hope your week is a good one!!

Ahead of the Game. . .

I had a lovely week working in sunny southern Utah- as far as I'm concerned, summer can hang on as long as it likes. I actually have some things from the studio to share!!

I bought one of those light rayon circular scarces from Dharma, and just got around to dyeing it.  I have some colors in the frig, but not the gray I wanted to go with the red I already had.  So I mixed up a .5% solution (so, so easy!!), and here is what I have marinating-

It's wet, so I should have some white left on it- fine by me.  Love that gray color.

I also got a gift quilt done and ready to mail.  My SIL bought these blocks on a trip to Oregon years ago, and asked if I would put them together.  I got it quilted before I left for St. George, thanks to a friend with a longarm who showed me how to use a wave ruler to get the quilting I wanted.

I hope she is happy with it!  I wanted a simple design that referenced the nautical or ocean feel of the quilt, and think that this succeeds.

 

She's also getting a pillow ready for a pillow form with another lighthouse block on it.  

And as for the title of this post, my next Tangled Textiles challenge piece is almost done, three weeks ahead of schedule.  I have mixed feelings about it.  I tried some processes totally new to me, and had fun doing them.  But I am just not sure if the quilt is 'me.' I do like, however, the way I chose to interpret the theme of 'tools.'

I can't post the entire piece until after the reveal on Oct. 18- but here is a corner preview--

I have one last thing to do to it, using this.  Something else I have never done in a like manner!!

 

I agonized over what color to use, after deciding that my first idea wouldn't work or give the look I wanted.  That idea involved metal, not fabric, and I still think it's an idea I could use in the future.  As for the color- I wouldn't have believed it until I auditioned it. 

With the challenge piece out of the way, I'm moving on to another hand dye I did that I want to use as a wholecloth.  I love the effects possible just with thread  But that is for later.  Off to ready for another work weeks, hope your week is a creative one!

Next Challenge

I started working on the next challenge with the Tangled Textiles group.  I am loving using words to spark ideas rather than pictures- it just seems to flow better for me.  And the words we have used thus far have lent themselves to multiple interpretations.

This time the word is 'tool'.  Lots and lots of directions to take that one!  And I have wanted to use my rusted fabric, without creating issues for my sewing machine.  I hope I have found a way to do that.

So here is your sneak peek at the very beginning of  the process.  Lots more to be done, so it is a good thing I'm starting way before our mid-October deadsline!

I'm really looking forward to finishing this one, I'll be doing processes and using materials fairly new to me.  I won't be doing anymore this week, I am leaving tonight on a work-related trip and won't be home until very late Thursday.  But I'm learning that I do a lot of my 'work' in my head, so I'll have lots of time for that!

A Lost Art

Or maybe it would be a lost skill?  I am continually amazed at how the ability to express oneself in writing, with good grammar and spelling, is eroding.  They sure don't seem to be teaching it in school!

The state of Utah recently painted off a section for motorcycles in the parking lot at the regional center in Provo.  Obviously those who did the work don't have access to spellcheck, a dictionary, or any other means of ensuring spelling accuracy.

Geez.

I haven't had a lot to blog about lately, but I am off to Salt Lake to meet with my WAQ group, and also get a small gift quilt quilted.  If I can manage it this weekend, I might even have some quilty content! 

Winding Down

from a long weekend, and definitely not ready to go back to work.  Oh well.  

The cotton knit I had in the dyepot Saturday is now a tee.  Having cut the fabric on the fold limited the choice of patterns I had, so this is what I ended up with.  

 

It has a bit more white than I'd intended, but I decided against overdyeing the fabric.  I just didn't want to mess with the nice twisted pattern I got.  And, I really like the color.

I have another tee cut out from commercial fabric- I want to test the pattern before I use any hand dyed.  And, I have no more cotton knit to dye- I'll have to wait until I can get some more sent from Reno.

The weather here is cooling off, and the days are shorter.  I'm an early riser whether it's a workday or not, and it's dark now when I get up. I've been looking at the trees on the mountains to check for any color changes, but none yet.  It won't be long, though.

Overdyeing- Leaving the Crapshoot!!

I haven't posted for two weeks, and you would think I have been busy in the studio, putting all my newly learned wisdom and knowledge to good use with fabric and dyes.  You would be wrong, unfortunately.

We've cleaned carpets, moved furniture, switched bedroom occupants.  I did get my dye bible completely put together in the midst of all that, and read through Carol's instructions multiple times.  I even did some formulas.  But not one bit of fabric, at least not until this weekend.

I dyed this piece of rayon/linen a few weeks ago.  

 You probably can't tell in the picture, but the pale color is not white but peachy.  I knew I wanted to change it, without drastically changing the red spirals.  And, I could not remember exactly what dyes I used to do this.

I used my dye bible to determine what color was closest to the background color I wanted to change, then picked the color I wanted it to be- a medium pale shade of grayed blue-lavender.  I did the math, and did two dye baths last night.  Since I was using fuschia and turquoise, I decided to do this in two separate dye baths, to avoid the dreaded color split that is so common with those two dyes.  After the first bath in red, the fabric looked like this:

 

I can see the very pale yellow under the pink, so I obviously mixed fuschia or light red dye with yellow to tone down the blue cast in both those dyes.  Next I overdyed it again, in a slightly darker value of turquoise.  This is how it came out of the dryer this morning:

It is hard to tell, but the fabric is definitely a grayed blue lavender- and the red spirals still look red.  In some places the orange is still easily visible.

The color in the pictures is not quite right, and I couldn't get it right in PSE.  But it is very close to the color in my book, and I am happy with it.  I am also ecstatic that I now have a tool to give me more control and predictability when I overdye!

I finally got around to doing something with the last piece of cotton spandex knit that I got in Reno.  I cut it in half lenghwise, and twisted the fabric tightly after soda soaking it.  I'm hoping to keep some of the white in this piece, so I added the dye while it was wet.  I'll pull this one out tomorrow- I've already chosen the pattern I'll use- another simple design that highlights the fabric and can be sewn in a couple of hours.

I'm really developing a preference for colors that teeter between two.  This one- is it green?  Blue?  I like the way a paler value of the color is wicking out.  More tomorrow after the washout!

After the Workshop

I have been working on getting my Dye Bible completely put together.  I only have three envelopes to finish, and then I will need to go through the book carefully and identify those swatches that need to be redyed.  Here's where I finished last night.

I apparently left my double-stick tape up in Heber, so I had to go buy another couple of rolls.  The stuff is expensive!!

We had some fabric issues when we dyed the swatches- some of them were heavier than the rest, and came out paler than they should have as a result.  It also meant our stacks of swatches were short!  Fortunately the print cloth I brought was the same weight as the rest, so we used some of that to make up for the shortage.  The swatches that dyed paler, however, I will want to re-dye.  Good practice!

I've also decided what I will be overdyeing first.  I did this piece of rayon/linen a couple of months ago, intending to make a jacket.  I wasn't very happy with how it turned out.

 

The pale background has a sort of peachy cast, and that was the color I compared to my dye swatches to determine how I want to overdye it.  Yes, it will affect the swirls- change the color somewhat and darken the valued- but mostly, I want to get rid of the peachy background.  I think I know my color, but probably won't decide for sure until this weekend when I dye it.

In the meantime, it's time to tape down some more fabric swatches!

Oh- and in the midst of all that, the second reveal for Tangled Textiles was last week while I was in Heber.  Take a look at all the wonderfully varied interpretations of 'Celebrate!'

Keys to the Kingdom

After spending five days learning from Carol Soderlund, I think I can now say I've been granted a set of keys to the Kingdom Where the Colors are Made.  My brain is spinning, there was so much to take it and so many ideas!!  I will be purging the dye studio of all my measuring cups and spoons; my dye colors will only be measured with my nifty little digital scale.  And as my dye colors are used up, I won't have to replace all of them; I'm betting I'll have ten to twelve colors at most.  Think of the space I'll be gaining!!

One of my classmates was another member of the MX Dyers Yahoo Group.  It was so much fun getting to know Cherie!  I got to see some fabric she did as a part of the Ugly Cloth challenge, and it was gorgeous.  Here we are on the last day of class with Carol, who's holding the Color Bible that we all now have.  Mine is on-third put together, and I hope to finish it by the end of next week.

Carol is a fantastic teacher- generous with her time and knowledge, and just plain nice.  We've already asked her to come back next year to teach Color Mixing 2.

I only dyed a couple of half-yard pieces as part of an exercise, but learned a lot from that and from watching what others were doing.  On the last afternoon, we looked at everyone's fabric and talked about the variables that contributed to the differences.  Here I am with Carol, holding my two pieces.  (Ignore the fact that my eyes are shut in the picture, please!)

Would you believe that both pieces were dyed with the exact same color?  True!  The one on the left was done with a pale value, flag folded.  I poured the dye on dry fabric, and added the soda ash after the dye color.  It is a lovely shade of lavender, with marks where the fabric was folded.

The second was done with a medium dark value of that color, but it was soda soaked first, and the color added to wet fabric.  What a difference!  The red struck quickly, but the blue poked along, and finally bonded in the white areas of the fabric.  You can also see green where the blue and yellow mixed.

What does this mean?  I can now control the effects I get on my hand dyes, by understanding what process produces what result.  This was only one of the many pieces of dye wisdom I acquired this week.  Some of the others, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the possibilities.

So now I'm off to finish the grocery shopping for the week, so I can get down to the studio and do some organizing and cleaning.  Hopefully by this afternoon I'll be back to putting my Dye Bible together!!

Dyeing Up a Storm

Two days with Carol Soderlund, and that is what we have done- dyed more than 1000 colors.  I cannot believe the color book I will leave this class owning.

Carol is a wonderful teacher, generous and giving.  We worked until 7 pm on Monday, and 6:30 yesterday.  And she calls Wednesday the 'late' day!!  I'm staying up in Park City the next two nights so I don't have to drive home til class is over.

Needless to say, I am having a blast and learning a ton.  Pictures when I get back!!

Happy Birthday,Bentlee

Today we celebrated Bentlee's eleventh birthday with family and friends.  We enjoyed burgers, corn, and potato salad- quinessential American summer food.  And I delivered on the cupcakes!

 

I think I've made progress from the first sorry batch I made a couple of weeks ago!  A little more practice with the pastry bag and tips--

The chocolate ones were my first experience with ganache- the best frosting I've ever had.  But then, what could be wrong with cream and bittersweet chocolate?  I also piped some raspberry cream into the middle of the chocolate cakes.  All I can say is they were YUMMY!!  Bentlee got the kinds of presents an almost teen would appreciate- earrings, bath essentials, and gift cards, so she seemed happy with her celebration.

No sewing this weekend, I have spent my time collecting everything I need for five days with Carol Soderlund.  I can't wait- I'm expecting to be exhausted and exilarated at the same time.  I have three composition books ready for my notes, and a 'new' set of dyeing clothes from Saver's.  If I'm not too tired, I'll try to post during the week.

And, Thursday is the reveal for the second Tangled Textiles challenge, 'Celebrate.'  Be sure to visit the blog and see all the wonderful creations!

Injured on the Job

Sewing, that is.  Yes, today I joined that select group of sewists who have sewn completely through their finger with the sewing machine!

Doesn't look that bad, does it?  And amazingly enough, I've had more painful injuries.  I wasn't even sure what I'd done until I saw that I was attached to my machine.  DJ had to pull out the part of the needle that was still embedded in my finger.  I suspect it will be very sore for awhile, and my funky nail will look even funkier after this- but hey, at least I didn't hit the bone.

And I still managed to get this tee done, using the blue dyed and printed knit I did a couple of weeks ago.

I now have no projects on the horizon, which is just as well since all next week will be an intense dye workshop  I hope I have enough brain cells and energy left with warm weather to get some fabric dyed using my exponentially expanded dye knowledge!

Perfection

Sometimes I do achieve perfection when obsessed.  I made my third batch of strawberry cupcakes in a week, and this is the one- perfection!!  The strawberry taste is strong without being overwhelming or fake-tasting, and the frosting is fantastic.  So, I know what I will be making next weekend for Bentlee's birthday party.  The batch I made today will go to work for a staff member farewell.  And if you want to try them yourself, the recipe is here.  The only thing I did differently was to omit the jam- didn't think we needed it.  And I got the shape cupcake I wanted!!

And, I have discovered a new grain, healthy, high in protein, and quick cooking- quinoa.  I used it in a salad last weekend, and to my amazement EVERYONE- even the picky eaters- liked it.  This weekend I decided to try something a little different.  I mixed white and black quinoa, then after cooking it, mixed in blanched cauliflower and asparagus, grape tomatoes, and some sweet onion.  I dressed it with olive oil and white wine vinegar and minced parsely.  Yummy, and heakthy!!

Lest you think I haven't been in the studio- my piece for Tangled Textiles is done.  I'm considering mounting it on a canvas or stretcher frames, but that is still in the thinking stage.  I've got another tee cut out and ready to sew.  And I'm starting to gather all my equipment for the one workshop I'm doing this year, a week with Carol Soderlund in Heber.  I can't wait- one more week of work, then a week in the dyepots.  I am planning to have my dye knowledge expanded exponentially!

Obsession

That's what my daughter says I have, a new obsession.  All because of this.

Is that not a pathetic excuse for a cupcake?  No nice rounded top, and those extensions on the side- ugh.  They stick like glue to my ancient muffin tins- which makes getting them out in one piece a bit of a challenge.  And I have a lot to learn in the cupcake decorating department.

I must admit to a new guilty, time-wasting pleasure- the show Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.  They come up with creations that make my mouth water!  So when the granddaughter said she wanted strawberry cupcakes for her birthday in August, I said I would be happy to make them.  And, not wanting to have a disaster the day of the birthday, I decided we needed to do some test runs well ahead of time.

I surfed the net, and found all kinds of cupcake recipes.  The first go was an unmitigaged disaster- thin batter that did not rise properly, and made cupcakes that looked more like flat pancakes.  I didn't even frost them.

The second run tasted much better, but was misshapen, like the one in the picture.  But I am now determined to figure out why my cupcakes refuse to look like the ones on the show!  I have been baking from scratch for years- this shouldn't be rocket science!  I think my lousy, ancient pans are a large part of the problem.  I also think I may have put a tad too much batter in them.  DH says that my batter was too thick- I don't think that makes sense, since the first batter was very thin and the shapes weren't that different.

Today Shannon brought me a present- a silicone mini muffin tin.  Hah!  So I can test my theory, and try the third recipe I've found for strawberry cupcakes.

No, I have not fallen off the wagon when it comes to food.  I am learning that I can enjoy guilty pleasures in moderation, and cupcakes are the perfect, portion controlled sweet.  I indulge on the weekends, and eat healthy the rest of the week.  It seems to be working great, because I am maintaining my weight loss without counting every single calorie that I eat.  

And if you think I'm not doing anything in the studio, you'd be wrong.  My next TT challenge is almost done, I just have some hand sewing.  But I can't show that until the reveal on August 15.  So until then, you'll just have to bear with me on my quest to bake a perfectly shaped cupcake!!

More Quilty Road Trip

I thought I would be quilting on the holiday Monday- but no such luck.  My Juki decided it wanted to eat whatever thread I fed it.  So I was thankful that the Bernina shop with the sewing machine doc was open.  I dropped her off, and I'm really hoping to have her back by the weekend.

So for now, we have more of the quilts from our road trip to Brigham City.  These are the other artists that were part of the exhibit.

Melody Randol is a Colorado artist who belongs to the same art quilt group I do, AQuA.  She's from the Denver area, but had so much fun teaching in Grand Junction that she joined the group.  And one of her pieces was my favorite in the exhibit- Tall Grass.

 

This one just draws you in to have a closer look- is that really a tiger?  Subtle, interesting, wonderful color- it had it all.

Melody had some others in the exhibit, also.

Underground Story

Glacier, 2011

Jinny Lee Snow is a Utah artist- I've seen her work at the Springville Art Museum a couple of times.  This piece just jumps off the wall, the color is so vibrant.

 

Dianna Grundhauser from Maui had some pieces that caught my eye.  I loved the simplicity of this one- the batik background was perfect, and the understated quilting set off the flowers perfectly.  She calls this one 'Naupaka.'

 

I didn't catch the name of this one, but I do remember that she pieced almost the entire quilt using Ruth McDowell's method.  Only the little purple flowers are appliqued.  I loved the checkerboard border and how well it sets off the flowers and leaves!

So those are the quilts that caught my eye at the exhibit.  Wish me luck getting my machine back before the weekend!

A Quilty Road Trip

This is a long weekend in Utah, so I decided to take a road trip.  There is a small art museum in Brigham City, which is about twenty five miles north of Ogden and about an hour and a half drive from my home.  There is an exhibit there featuring Lenore Crawford, with quilts exhibited by others also.  Since Shannon had the day off from work also, I had her and Bentlee for company.

It was fun to watch Shannon's reaction to one quilt, since it was depicting a scene in Annecy, France- a place she visited a couple of years ago.

 

(If the pictures aren't the best, it is because they were taken with Shannon's Droid.  Stupid me assumed they wouldn't allow pictures, so I didn't take my camera.  Note to self- don't assume, take the thing!!)

There were also some that I immediately recognized, since they've been published.

 

I was surprised to see that she creates the backgrounds of her floral quilts out of two-inch squares of fabric.  This one, however, was different.  The flower was created and then appliqued to a Ricky Tims' hand-dye.

 

The exhibit is small, but I'm glad I went up.  They are even giving away neat posters of the exhibit with the Annecy quilt- I grabbed a couple, intending to frame one for the studio.

There were other beautiful quilts, but those are for another post.

I have also been doing quilty stuff today.  That blue cotton knit that spent time in a turquoise dye bath last weekend got another layer today, this time with paint.  I loved the effect this created!!

I like that it tones down the green even more than the turquoise dyebath did.  The printing tool was incredibly simple---

It is rubber bands on a piece of foam core.  I finally got around to using an idea in Print and Stamp Lab by Traci Bunkers.  She has some cool ideas for making simple printing tools.

So now I wait for the paint (Speedball Screenprinting Ink for Fabric, opaque white) to dry, then heat set it.  Then a couple of hours of sewing, and I will have another unique tee to wear!!

Ah, one more day of weekend tomorrow.  I plan to start quilting on my next challenge piece for Tangled Textiles.  I'm hoping my idea looks as good in the execution as it does in my head!!

Washed and Dried

Got all the dyed fabric through the washer today- and for the most part, I'm happy.  The cotton knit is much better, not so flat with different shades of blue running through it.  It still has greeny blotches, but they are much less obvious.  And I'm not done yet, I think I will be adding white paint with a homemade stamp.

The warm colored cotton also came out pretty well.  On the left is the one I did by sponging the dye on the fabric, then leaving it flat to dry.  The other two were loosely scrumpled in a tub, then five different colors squirted on with syringes.  I thought I got dye everywhere, but there is some white.  Good thing I don't mind.

Strangely enough, even though the colors aren't as intense as I like, I see the most possibility in the one on the left.  And I think I can pump up the color with my thread choices.  I think I will be leaving these hanging on my design wall for a couple of weeks while I work on the jacket and tee I have cut out.  Who knows, something else may present itself, given enough time.

On to another work week.  Hope your week is a creative one!

Satisfaction

That is how I would describe a day like today- satisfying. Shannon and I were up early (for her, anyway!) so we could hit some local yard sales while the pickings were good.  We hit  three huge sales in parking lots that had absolutely nothing, then scored big time at an estate sale.  We walked away with a brand new coffee grinder, a hand mixer, three Anchor-Hocking baking pans, a couple of large metal baking pans, a nice oval crockpot, and a waffle baker- for ten bucks.  Unbelievable!  I also found a nice small vacuum for the downstairs for $7 and a lint roller that I will make into a roller stamp for surface design for a quarter; Shannon got a couple more pans and a Brita filter pitcher for a couple of bucks.  At the last stop, I found some great metal cookie cutters for batik; Shannon scored some wooden clothes hangers that we can cover with crochet to make padded hangers- all for two bucks.  Oh, and she also got a tabletop Weber charcoal grill for $5.  All that before 10 am!

After getting the grocery shopping done, I was down in the studio.  I finished printing on one of the lengths of cotton knit I'd dyed last weekend.  I'm happy with how this turned out, even if the champagne Tsukineko ink doesn't show at all.  It will be another tee using that great pattern I found!

I also threw the blue cotton knit I was not happy with in the pot with turquoise dye.  Hopefully that will tame those ugly green blobs I don't like, and be more interesting with multiple shades of blue.

 

I wanted some cotton dyed in warm colors in the hopes it will work for the next Tangled Textiles challenge, Celebration.  The first piece is on my table with rock salt , under the heat lamp.  Two more half-yard pieces are in a tub stewing in shades of yellow, orange, and red.

 

And finally, since I already had turquoise and orange dye mixed up- I did a half yard in orange, toned down with just a couple of drops of turquoise.  Amazing what a difference just that little bit of blue can make!!

 

All this will stew overnight, then I'll wash them out tomorrow afternoon when I get home from church.

I also cut out fabric for a simple summer jacket yesterday, so I'll need to get that done and out of the way.  I'm so glad that next weekend is another four-dayer!!

Hope your weekend is a creative one!!

Two Minute Chocolate Cake

 

Need a quick chocolate fix?  Shannon has purchased some cookbooks in preparation for moving out on her own next month.  She found one published by the Food Network, and we've already sampled some good recipes from it.

The dessert section is really interesting.  No complicated recipes, but a lot of simple ideas and single portions.  She decided to try the Instant Chocolate Cake- mixed in a coffee cup, and baked in the microwave!!  Five minutes from start to finish, and we were eating warm chocolate cake with whipped cream  Yum!!

The portion size is pretty large, we shared it and probably could have split it three ways.  Next time I think I'd cook it in small ramekins (at least 3), and cut down on the cooking time.

The book is Great Easy Meals if you're interested.  We made the Moo Shu pork over the weekend, and everyone enjoyed it.  I may have to pick up my own copy when Shannon leaves with hers!!

Undyeing and Other Adventures

I parfait  dyed three pieces of cotton/lycra knit this week intending them for tees.  It was a parfait recipe I've used before, and loved the results.  I didn't have such good luck this time.

The bottom layer was golden yellow, and it is already sewn into a top- the same pattern as the lime green I did last weekend.  The middle layer was supposed to be a red violet, and it turned out a yucky dull purple.  The top was blue, with splotches of greeny yellow and pink.  Yuck!!!  Can you tell I was unhappy, I didn't even take pictures.

Then I decided to dump the purple and blue into a pot with Rit color remover.  One of them turned into an okay yellow/green.  I decided it could be improved with some printing, so I pulled out some stencils I got from QA a few months ago.  I'm using metallic Tsukineko inks I got at HMQS, and mixing them with aloe vera gel for screenprinting.  One layer done so far!

I'll do another layer with squares and champagne ink, then evaluate.

The blue piece was still ugly in my eyes.  Yesterday I decided to get out the Thiox, and see what it would do.  It swam in a Thiox bath for over an hour, with me adding additional Thiox every ffifteen minutes.  In the pot, it looked successful, almost no color.  Once the air hit it, the blue returned.  I cannot believe this fabric has been in two discharge baths!!

About the best I can say at this point is that at least the ugly pink splotches are gone.  I still am not happy with it, though.  I think the next step is another dye bath, I think in turquoise.  Unless someone else has a better idea??

I'm still working away on my beading.  This multi-strand necklace is coming along nicely, if I could quilt dropping beads off!!

 

Another work week beckons.  I've got my salad for the week done, breakfast burritos made, and my turkey sausage out of the oven.  Hope your week is a good one!!