When Life Gives You Lemons....

Back in March, I posted photos of some abstract designs on cloth, made from a process that I promised to share with you. Well, at last, here it is! I had found an article in the Summer 2014 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine called "Stained & Scorched: Transform Fabric with Lemon Juice and Heat" by Victoria Gertenbach. It looked easy and quick...and it was!

You simply paint on fabric with reconstituted lemon juice, let it dry a bit, press it with a hot iron repeatedly, and voila! A design magically appears! Add more paint strokes and do it again for layered designs.

I shared the technique with my #FiberArts Group at our monthly meeting this past Monday, and they had a blast!

For those of us who have little time to be creative, this is a great technique for instant gratification and surprising results!

Hooked on #Tie-Dye

This week I've been experimenting with Ice Dyed Mandalas again, fearing I'd forget what I learned at Cindy Lohbeck's class at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo. I had some scrap fabrics of unknown fiber content, so I tied them up and went to work! Forgot to take pictures of the process, but basically it's tie, soak, then place in a tray, cover with ice, and pour dye on top.

This is what the ice looks like with the dye on it....so pretty in itself!

Here are the results:

The two fabrics above are a gauzy-weave. I assume they were not 100% cotton, as the colors are lighter than the others. But they're still nice!

I just love how each one is totally different, and beautiful!

Fascinating process and results...

I'm hooked on tie-dye mandalas!

#Sew Much Fun at the Expo

I just got back from three days of inspiration at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, in Lakeland, Florida. This was my third time visiting this annual event, and I was a little apprehensive about it being a repeat, but I learned lots of new techniques, visited some new vendors, and had a great time. Exhausted, sensory-overloaded, and overwhelmed, but SEW inspired!

The first class I took was by Barb Callahan: "Folded Fabric Fun" which involved making an adorable bag using folding adaptations of the Japanese art of Origami. Using some of Barb's collection of fabrics and vintage buttons, we created this pretty pouch and actually finished it in class! I think that's only the second time in my life that I actually finished a new project the same day I started it!

 

On Day Two I attended "Color Your Fabric with Paintstiks" by Laura Murray. I had tinkered with Paintstiks several years ago, and didn't really care for them. But this class converted me to a user! What a wonderful way to get texture and interest on fabric, with little effort and a lot of fun...it was like being a kid again, coloring with crayons! Just look at this fun fabric piece I made, first try!

 

Later that day I took a class from the delightful Joyce Teng from TSC Designs. Her effervescent personality got me so excited about using Tsukineko inks for all kinds of surface design, including stenciling, dyeing, and painting...I was so enchanted, I visited her booth the next day and she was kind enough to share even more techniques and information. Love using inks on fabrics!

The last class I took on the last day was intense...Ice Dyeing in a Mandala pattern. It was NOT easy, VERY messy, but the results were fabulous! Since I've done lots of fabric dyeing with fiber reactive dyes, the technique was familiar, but I had no idea you could somewhat control tie-dyed results with Cindy Lohbeck's binding techniques...very precise and somewhat difficult, but again the results were worth it:

Whew...I learned SEW much...now all I have to do is find time to practice, practice, practice!