WooHoo: it's done!

Well, I'm feeling a bit of celebratory relief today, as I've put the finishing stitches on "Summer in the City"! YAYYYY!!! It measures 42" x 22". The background was painted with textile paints, and I created a thermofax screen for the skyline. I used layers of tulle in different hues to create the shadows, and then I machine quilted the entire piece with holoshimmer threads. I decided to do a rolled hem with my serger on the edges, as I'd purchased some lovely heavy red rayon thread a couple of months ago. It worked beautifully!! I will probably add some beads to the main part of the piece at some point, but for now it's ready for hanging at our condo..


here's a bit more of a detail shot:

I've also finished another scarf. This is "Petals 2". I began by waxing areas and applying khaki dye, and then going back in and rewaxing and applying Basic Black, which of course looks more like a nice dark chocolate. I've also printed more petals on the surface.


We are enjoying incredibly delicious weather today........it is dry and very cool, for Georgia in July. It was 59 here when we walked Barker on the golf course this morning, and now it's about 75. I'm thinking that the west coast must be having a heat wave, but I haven't checked.

Hope you're having a great weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

PEACE

Results are in!

Well, the great 'washout' occurred early this afternoon. Most of you will know that by washout, I don't mean that the results were a bust, but simply that I washed out the excess dyes!

So, with the added layer of Midnight Blue, this piece

became this:
I was not thrilled as I had hoped that there would be more remains of the tan and the lighter blue. BUT, the idea is to learn, and I certainly did! If everything went as I planned, I'd be bored and have a swelled head! LOL Oh yes, and those pesky little fuchsia freckles got into the midnight blue as well! Darn, I should have strained it!!

The great results were with this scarf, which I'm calling "Petals". I just love it!

here's a detail shot, which really shows the three layers of dyes:
My comfort zone seems to be in this palette lately, so I am trying a different approach with the next scarf. I'll also get back to work on the first 'project' I showed you, but not tonight!

PEACE!!!

The Carrots

I try to make Tuesday my day to stay at home and clean the house.........pathetic, isn't it? But if I don't stick to a schedule, I would procrastinate soooo much, that I'd never have a clean house. And you might not know it by looking at my house, but I derive a certain amount of satisfaction from it being clean! So, this morning I decided I'd clean a little bit and then play, (er,work) in the studio a little bit, and continue to alternate throughout the day. I hoped that the studio time would be a sufficient carrot to get me cleaning. Actually, it worked!! It was pleasant in the studio (mid 80s by this afternoon, but not too humid) and great conditions for batching! I had low water immersion dyed this piece with both khaki and cobalt blue, and decided that I'd discharge a vine design on it with some Thiox. Then I thought I'd wax a petal design on it.



I LWI dyed it with teal and here is the result.

Since these photos, I've rewaxed petals in areas of this piece and it is now covered with a midnight blue print paste mixture. I'll show you the results tomorrow.


Here's another play piece. This is a silk crepe scarf that I first waxed with the petal design and then covered with print paste with a chartreuse dye mixture. After batching, I washed it all out, randomly applied more wax petals and overdyed it with turquoise print paste. Here it is ready to batch:
and here it is after the washout:
I've again waxed more petals onto this scarf and overdyed it in a darker blue. I plan to show you that tomorrow as well!

So, I'm thinking the carrots were successful: I have a clean house and lots of studio work/play accomplished!

Work Hard/Play Hard!!

Deliveries

Before I get started, I want to tell you that this is my 700th post!! YIKES! Can you believe it? Just call me Chatty Cathy!!!

I delivered six newly created scarves to the gift shop at the Quinlan Art Center today. While there, I was thrilled to check out the new exhibit Local Colour, in which my "Grace on Tenth" is hanging. It is a terrific show, and if you are nearby, you need to go see it. I was blown away by all of the works exhibited, but especially those of Clayton Santiago.

So, I thought I'd share a few pics of the scarves that were included in the delivery. This delivery was particularly difficult for me, as I felt very attached to these babies.


This is "O O"


and this is the crepe de chine scarf I showed you the other day that has the foiled gold swirls on it. It is yummy, if I do say so myself!



I am particularly fond of this one, as it started out as a deconstructed screen printed piece, and has lovely little echoes of light blue and gray and white in the background. Again, I used the swirled Thermofax screeen and some royal blue for the added effect.


here's a detail shot:

Now this one is definitely my favorite of the lot (I think!)! It also began its life with lots of deconstructed screens and then I went back in a folded it up, applied some soy wax and then some dye, and voila!



a bit of a detail shot:

and here's a pure shibori scarf, using some wood blocks that our friend Joe cut for me as the resist.
I love the colors in this one.......very vibrant and rich. The bit of turquoise is sort of a surprise, isn't it?

Thanks for sticking with me for 700 chatty posts!!

PEACE!!!

Desert Blooms and More

Remember this cute little succulent that I bought a few months ago? It was just a little something to keep my aloe and orchid company on the condo patio.


Well, look at it now!

I love things that thrive on neglect, don't you?

Here are some first results from my deconstructed screen printing escapades here at home.


For those of you who were in Kansas City for the SD Conference, if you thought it was humid there, think again! I have had to personalize our print paste recipe, omitting all urea and increasing the alginate. It's still not perfect, but I'm getting there! So, I suspect I will have much more vivid screen prints once the recipe is suitable for this very humid climate!

Below is a portion of a tank top that I have been tinkering with for about a year now!

I had been playing around with reds and pinks (definitely not me!) and then discharging with added turquoise dye. It just didn't send me, so I hung it on the rack in the studio, where it frustrated me every time I glanced over at it! LOL So the other day I decided to fix it once and for all............I dumped it into the soda soak and then into a combo of greens that I had mixed up for an order a few months back. It now goes beautifully both with my hair AND my turquoise linen slacks! WooHoo!!! I'd like to say that I planned it that way, but aren't those happy accidents fun!

Enjoy your weekend!!!

PEACE!!!

2dye4u

Such a silly blog title, huh? LOL Well, you know, when I'm at the gym working out very strange things run through my mind......and '2dye4u' just came rambling through my semi comatose state this morning!

Carol asked that I show you the Shibori scarf (from my last post) after I unwrapped it. I must admit that the anticipation was so much greater than the actual unveiling. I didn't like it! All of that tying, wrapping, etc and I didn't like it! So disappointing! Here it is, lusciously puddled on my sewing table:

I love how silk puddles, don't you? Well, I was not about to be undone by this experience so I mixed up some discharge paste and went to work. Here's how it now looks:

a detail shot:


Here is another scarf that I delivered to the art center this morning:

I really, really love this one!



And here is the third:

I'm working on a few other things right now...mainly trying to finish 'Reflecting on Grace'....and I'll share pics soon (I hope!).

My Mom turns 92 (gasp!) on May 11th, the day after Mother's Day. We are putting together a little dinner party for her, so that is pretty much my main focus right now. At my request, my friend Bobbie is going to whip up a Boston Cream Pie for the occassion. YUMMMM, YUMMMM, YUMMMMMM! Bobbie's Mom and my Mom have become fast friends and we celebrate both Christmas and Mother's Day with them.

We are having lots and lots of glorious rain. Many of my gardening friends aren't too happy about it, as their newly planted veggies are getting too much water and not enough sun. I am loving it, and will never complain........perhaps I belong in the Pacific Northwest or lived there in a past life?

Here are a few garden pics

I cut back all of my Rhodies last year after they bloomed, so
their few flowers are really cherished this Spring!

PEACE!!!