Opposites Attract?

Today is reveal day at Art Quilts Around the World.  The theme for this challenge was "opposites attract."

I admit, I had trouble with this one.  After discarding about a thousand ideas, I realized that I kept coming back to colors; I love that colors opposite each other on the color wheel are so pleasing together.  

So I finally just picked a couple and offset them with the black and white.  I used three or four different fabrics for each color -- the hand-dyes are all my own.  

I thought it looked a bit like an abstract feather, so I quilted it with somewhat traditional feathers, using bright, non-traditional thread.  

And here is the back -- I started out with orange thread in the bobbin and when that ran out, I switched to grey.

No Strings Attached Shibori - Part Deux

As I mentioned in my previous post, I planned to over-dye.  So I wasn't terribly concerned that three were kind of boring.

The patterning is so much more complex after a second trip through the wrapped-pole technique.

Much better, I'd say.

And this is the one from the previous post -- after a second trip through.  

No Strings Attached Shibori - Part 1

Usually when I do shibori, I wrap the soda-soaked fabric around the PVC pole, wrap string around it, sometimes a rubber band at each end, scrunch it down, dip in or drizzle over with dye, batch, remove rubber bands, untie string, unwind string, unwrap fabric, rinse, wash, iron, and enjoy.  Phew.  I'm tired just writing about it.

But there has to be an easier way.  Right?  Since most of the work is in the prep, what if a couple of the steps were eliminated?  Like the string.  It's a hassle.  And, I've discovered, not really necessary.

I took my soda-soaked fabric, wrapped it around the pole, secured one end with a rubber band (I recycle the ones I get on broccoli and asparagus), scrunched, then secured the other end with another rubber band.

Then I rolled it in dye.  I mixed my dyes a little less strong than usual because I wanted to over-dye with a second round.


 I used two different black dyes to get this one -- love it just the way it is.

But this one which was wrapped around the pole with the widest diameter was not that interesting.

A perfect candidate for over-dyeing.  Along with the other two pieces I did.

Next:  the over-dye results.

I'm linking up with Nina Marie at Off the Wall Fridays.

Fueling the Magpie

I have this sparkly necklace that I really like.  But I haven't any earrings that I really like with it.

"You'll want something simple," the lady at the store said.  "So as not to compete with the necklace," she continued.

And the polite person my mother raised smiled and nodded and said nothing.

While the magpie inside shrieked, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!"

So I dug my jewelry-making tools out of the mothballs, along with some sparkly stuff from my stash, and created these beauties to vie with the necklace.

Since I had all that stuff out, it was determined that I may as well make more than one pair.

These are for DD -- they include: the sun and the moon, which shine upon her; a star, which she is; and a heart because she has mine.  And a couple of crystals to satisfy the magpie.

And a pair for me -- in my favorite colors (some of them, anyway.)

OK -- back to fiber.  I have some things that are nearly finished -- I'll get photos up here soon!

I'm linking up with Nina Marie at Off the Wall Fridays.

First Day Out With My New Foot

I have mostly finished the thread work on the tulips and Rosie.  I decided that some more traditional quilting in the background would be a nice change from all the intense threadwork on the rest of this quilt.

For quilting and thread-painting, I have been using the same foot I purchased with my sewing machine some ten years ago -- I can't believe it's been that long.  It's a clear circle and has worked pretty well up 'til now.  But I wanted to do some really tight quilting around these lovely feathers and I just couldn't see through the plastic well enough to do it.  

So I finally broke down and got an open darning foot.  Fortunately, I didn't just start right in on my Tulips and Rose quilt because it works very differently from my old foot.  I made up a sample with the same fabric and wool batting.  I used the blue washaway marker and drew some feathers.  

It took a bit of practice, but I have gotten the hang of it.  It's interesting (to me, anyway) that my freemotion feathers are better than the ones I did stitching along the lines I drew.

I'm linking up with FMQ Friday today.