Whole Wheat Flour and Steel Cut Oatmeal Results

A few posts back I mentioned I was using whole wheat flour and steel cut oatmeal as a resist for dying fabric. I also said,"stay tuned for the results".

Well, here you go.

Close up #022611 Sun/Flour

Full sized view of #022611 Sun/Flour

I didn't find any difference from regular flour, except that it was harder to rinse out, so I won't be trying this combo again.

The base (colored) portion of this fabric was sun dyed using Setacolor fabric paints.

This fabric is available for purchase at the Textile Alchemist.

Snow Dyeing Tutorial

OK, here you go. The results and step by step of my snow dyeing.

#1 - You need to prepare your fabrics for dyeing.

#2 - We clipped screen material to plastic boxes.

 #3 You can see the prepared fabrics on the box in the back. (below)

 #4 Snow is brought in from outside and packed around the edge and on top of the fabrics.

#5 Procion Dyes are mixed and poured into the snow.

 #6 As the snow melts the fabric will start to peek out.

#7 You don't want that fabric to dry out, so cover everything with plastic wrap. Don't worry the bottom won't dry out because the melting snow is keeping it wet.

#8 - When I tried this the second time I used a bigger tub and a window screen for a bigger batch of fabrics - worked great! (Monkey is a former toy design that I did for Manhattan Toys, he's an early prototype that hangs around in my basement) below.

Are you wondering what on earth these things are going to looks like.


Well I think they look like NOTHING ON EARTH.


They have a much more ethereal and HEAVENLY look in my opinion.

To see the complete collection of Snow Dyed Fabrics please visit the TEXTILE ALCHEMIST.

Special thanks to Louise Schotz's Outback Studio. Where the first batch was manifest!

Moose and Fish, Yin-Yang, Fat-Quarter aka Tri-Fold

Yin-Yang Scrap-bag Pattern with fussy cut Moose.

What a cryptic title, unless you are intimately familiar with my line of sewing patterns.  Fyi, Moose and Fish are the theme, the rest are pattern titles.

Most of my quilt shop customers order from my distributors. Because of this I don't even know who they are, so it's not easy to be familiar with them. And I doubt that they are intimately familiar with my entire product line, since most distributors carry only part of my line up. I am extremely grateful my distributors exist as well as the customers that buy from them. It's just that it's really nice to know your customers personally.

When I was traveling shop to shop I got to know many of my shop owner customers - it was a great time. While I have currently curtailed the road trips for the time being, I still love to hear from and connect with my customers. When a shop calls to place their order I get to know a little about them, their shop and sometimes their customers.

Here's an example. A few days ago I received a phone call from a shop in Alaska. We chatted about the fish artwork (walleyes) that I've been doing. She was wondering how we could get that fish artwork onto fabric and into a sample? That lead to conversations about printing on fabric with inkjet printers plus . . . elk, deer and moose. She put in a request that I do some moose next.  You've maybe heard the saying "put a bird on it" regarding the bird trend that is still going on in product design. Well, she says, "Anything with a moose on it"! Before the conversation was over I was sending her a trunk show with a pattern order to match! This prompted me to do something I don't usually do. I went shopping for moose and fish fabrics then promptly sewed these samples for her to use along with the trunk show.

Yin-Yang Scrap-bag Pattern with fussy cut canoe and cabin.

So, if you are a customer of mine, either wholesale or retail. I'd love to hear from you. You can contact me via email, facebook , comment on my blog(s), or give me a call. 763-360-7175.

The samples above are the Yin-Yang Scrap-bag Pattern - with the moose and canoe. And the Fat-Quarter Scrap-bag pattern (printed version) aka Tri-Fold Clutch (Downloadable version).

These patterns can be found at your local independent quilt and fabric shop.
If you can not find the patterns locally you can find them downloadable versions.

And because I know some of you will be asking, the fabrics are as follows:
Moose & Canoe - by Howard Robinson for Elizabeth's Studio Patt:F1267
Brown Stripe - Remember Me by Jill Kemp for Red Rooster Fabrics - #15288
Fish - Timeless Treasures Fabrics Inc Pattern # Cabin-C 5375

Enjoy!

I will look forward to connecting with you!  Jamie

Hexagon Block Bag in Red sighted at Sew Pieceful Quilting in Tomahawk Wisconsin

I made a trip in Mondays snow storm to find fabric for a special project I am working on. I went north to Sew Pieceful Quilting in Tomahawk WI. I found exactly what I was looking for and MORE . . .

There was a group of ladies in the back room and as I was introduced my eye went straight to this bag! It's made from my Scrap-bags Hexagon Block Bag Pattern.  This is Ruth Ann R the recipient of this little gem. It was a gift from her cousin, Jane R. of Estes Park, Colorado. Ruth Ann said she really likes the bag and that it's functional and holds a lot for it's size. I like how her cousin customized it with a toggle button rather than the snap. It's a nice touch!

Ruth Ann it was so nice to meet you and thank you for letting me take advantage of the photo op!

The Scrap-bags Hexagon Block Pattern is available in your local quilt or fabric shop, or as a downloadable pattern.

Trendspotting

For those of you who are interested in trends . . . here's a slide show from recent trade shows.

Tradeshow Trendspotting Early 2011

View more presentations from Sphere Trending

I am pleased to introduce a new young quilter, meet Brittany Anderson.

Brittany is 21 and will be graduating from collage in May, 2011. She is the daughter of Lorie Anderson. (Lorie is in my quilt club and craft club groups - I featured her T-shirt quilt on an earlier post) Brittany brought this quilt along to quilt club a few weeks ago and I thought it was terrific for a newbie quilter. I hope you agree. You can read the interview below. Enjoy!

How long have you been quilting?
I have been making my own quilts for 3 months now, I first made a quilt for my boyfriend for Christmas, it was a simple 10" x 10" block quilt, but I have been helping my mom for about 4 years now.

What made you want to start quilting?
I wanted to start quilting because my mom does it and I thought it would be easy to start since she has a wide selection of fabrics and patterns. I also love being able to make something for someone else that can be used over and over.

Earliest quilt memory?
When I was about 8 my grandma made me a purple quilt for my twin bed. It is big blocks with petals of all different colors and in the center of each is brown circle that is hand stitched and filled with stuffing to make it raise from the quilt.  (Its hard to explain but I hope you get the picture)   

What part of quilting do you enjoy the most?  Like least?
I enjoy picking out the colors for a quilt while I dont really like cutting the fabric.

Do you have a favorite style or technique?
Appliqué is pretty fun but I like to explore and try new things with patterns my mom already has to make it one of a kind.

My dad owns a 6 head embroidery machine that we used for the quilting. Him and I set up a circle design with lines going through it to allow all the appliquéd pieces to be stitched down, instead of going around each piece. We had to hoop up and sew each of the nine circles separately because the hoops are only 20 inches square. The top thread is a turquoise and we made our own pink bobbin for the back.

"Birdie Big Blocks" is the pattern by Barbara Brandeburg
Her website is www.barbarabrandeburg.typepad.com

Brittany thanks so much for sharing your quilt with me and allowing me to share it with my readers. Wishing you a long, happy, sewing life!

Textile Alchemist

For those of you who asked about purchasing the hand dyed fabrics from the previous post,  here you go . . . I've listed a few pieces on Etsy. Visit Textile Alchemist to purchase. Enjoy!

Flour Paste Resist - Fabric Dyeing

On Valentine's Day I did something I LOVE. I played in my friend Louise Schotz's Outback Studio. We did two different dying techniques. Snow dyeing and Flour Paste Resist Dyeing. Here is a quick tutorial on the flour paste resist technique.

1st we prepared our fabrics for dyeing by soaking them in a water and soda ash mixture. Then drying and pressing the fabric.

We then mixed flour and water to a pancake batter consistency.

The batter was poured onto the fabric.

And then rolled with a brayer until it was thin and smooth.

Louise had covered her tables in plastic and we laid out the wet fabric to dry.

You can draw on the wet flour mixture to create a design. And as shown here you can do it on plain or previously dyed fabric.

Here are two more examples the one on the right was made using a rubber stamp method.

As the fabric dries it starts to distort and the edges curl up.

Here Chris starts drying pieces with a hair dryer.

Louise is extra excited about getting to the next step and is using the double fisted drying method.

I forgot to get a photo of the most important NEXT step. And that is . . .  when the fabric is nice and dry. Crispy actually, you crunch it up in a ball. This forces the flour paste to crack creating the design. Don't worry if you can't see the cracks, they are very fine.

Next, mix acrylic paint and water together for a somewhat watery consistency. The thinner it is the more it fills the cracks. You can experiment with this. We did!

Here the acrylic paint is being painted on top of the flour mixture.

I couldn't wait . . .  I had to peek!

Chris holds up one of our first results!

After the paint dries you soak the fabrics and remove the excess paint and the four paste. Then toss the fabrics in the washer and dryer (or hang to dry) and press. Below are more of the results of the day!

Are you ready?

Ta Da . . .

Today, I tried another variation. I used whole wheat flour with a handful of steel cut oatmeal into the mix. Stay tuned for the results.

I'll also be posting the snow dyeing photos shortly.

Be creative, play and have fun!

Meet Quilter Annette Nierode.

Today I'd like to share a quilt top made by one of the gals in my quilt club. Please meet Annette Nierode and one of her many beautiful creations.

 Here's what Annette has to say about her quilt and quilting.

"It was a Texas Star quilt from the Fon's and Porter magazine.  I don't remember what specific edition it was, but I love the scrappy quilts so that is what caught my eye.  I ended up making it much larger than what the pattern called for since I have a pillow-top mattress.  It's a great way of getting rid of your scraps."

How long have you been quilting?   "I've been quilting/sewing since around 10 yrs old.  I started out making shirts for myself and family for birthday and/or Christmas presents."

What made you want to start quilting?  "I started because of my mom - She's an avid sewer/quilter.  She did a lot of alterations for people when I was growing up, and that inspired me.  I love material and going into a quilt store."

What is your earliest quilt memory? "I'd have to say quilting before the rotary cutter/mat/cutter came out.  We used to use cardboard and trace on the back of material using a pen or pencil, and then cut out using a pair of scissors.  We used a lot of material from clothes that no longer fit us, and would cut them up into 5-6" squares and make patchwork quilts for our beds.  At that time, we would tie them instead of machine quilting.  Obviously, we no longer use the tie method anymore.. Thank goodness......"

What part of quilting do you enjoy the most?  Like least?  "Enjoy the most = when I finish a project and that's my goal for this year... to finish putting together all my UFO's such as my quilt tops..........   least =  I hate hand sewing (IE:  bindings)....."

Do you have a favorite style or technique?  "The scrappy look, log cabin and anything with stars in it is my favorite."

Anything else?    "I also do machine embroidery and like to make wall hangings with embroidered designs....  :-)"

Annette, Thank you so much for sharing your creation with me and allowing me to share it with my readers. The quilt is really spectacular!

HOW TREND COLORS ARE SELECTED - Are you risking irrelevance?

It doesn't look like you'll be wearing salad green soon . . . Listen on NPR  - Here's the link.

I think I'm hooked!

My friend Chris Kimmins got me started. (She's a weaver) It's completely 100% her fault. She took me to the Black Purl.  Oh Lordie. Yarn stores are right up there next to fabric stores. Luscious and decadent yarns surrounding you, and if you are not a knitter or crocheter or weaver you really really really want to be one. (I wasn't one when I crossed the threshold) So of course I picked some yarn. Chris said she'd help me get started. Now I can't stop . . .   h   e   l   p  !

Just doing squares - trying out different stitches and needles and hooks. Just playing really.

I was so excited when I saw this yarn. Loved the colors. Then I started this scarf and much to my dismay, it looked like camouflage  - ugh. I wear it any way. It's warm. :-)

Black Purl - The Art of Modern Knitting
1102 3rd Street
Wausau WI
715/843-7875
Friday, Sept. 26 10-8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 10-4 p.m.

Apparently I made the local papers.

Ugghhh. I just got a text from a girlfriend. Apparently I made the local papers. Photo of me talking (what's new?) and showing my work to someone at the Art Show I exhibited in last weekend. I really enjoy meeting people and talking about the process of creating art. Not as big on having my picture taken. The show was very busy start to finish and I do recall a few cameras in the crowd. Oh, well. If it's not too hidieo-so I will add a copy to this post later, maybe. (slight rolling of the eyes here)

Below is one of the prints that didn't sell. I am rather pleased because it looks pretty nice in the dining room in front of my 'Forget Me Not' quilt.  :~)

PS. The Forget Me Not Pattern is now available in a downloadable format - here's the link.

And

Here's the link for the prints if you are interested in purchasing one for your self.


Create something unexpected! Enjoy your day . . .