My Eye on Dubai

Another from the A4 (in my case, A4 and a  half...

The theme was Architecture.
I love the architecture of Dubai and Shanghai. So modern. I wanted to come up with something modern as well. I started with the concept of the architecture of line. I wanted minimalist. I wanted unusual colors. I actually combined several of my random doodles, then filled in the blanks as needed. Made from the dye job mentioned in the last post.

Dyed and Gone to Heaven

There are a lot of fabric dyeing formulas out there and many books published on the subject, Lots of teachers offer instruction. My favorite method is a serendipitous method arrived at when I needed to used up leftover dye.

Starting with a piece of white fabric is my fav but I have been also know to do this over "bad dye jobs."

1. Soak the fabric in a soda ash mix for about 15 minutes. Use the same soda ash you have been using to dye fabric. (9T to a gallon of water). 
2. Whether you use this soaked fabric wet or dry alters the outcome but either is OK. On the wet fabric the dye blends more, on the dry fabric, the dye stays put. I usually use the wet version as it also saves time.
3. I load these pieces in freezer baggies. How you stuff them in makes a difference to the outcome. A tight wad lets less dye into the center...
4. I make dye in squeeze bottles and find it very useful to then just squirt some onto the fabric in the baggies.
5. I mush it around some, peak at it in about 15 minutes and rearrange it if there is too much white and then squirt some more. You could also squirt a different color at this time. 
6. Let it sit for an hour or a day or just when you can get back to it and be surprised at the mostly lovely outcomes.

I find this so much more appealing than dying flat colors. I could buy Kona if flat was the result I had in mind. This is an example: a combo of orange ( red and golden yellow) and brown. It makes my heart sing. Try it, you'll like it.

Linking to Nina-Marie

Wow, Millar!

This was gifted to my daughter. I named it Wow, Millar! I am so proud of her. She loves the color green and Hawaii. This says both to me.

 Scrap quilts look, well scrappy, but successful ones require a lot of thought. At first blush this looks like a simple sewing of vertical columns. (Is that redundant?) But in reality, it's a case of "design it horizontally but sew it vertically."

I did not want the quilt to look stripey. By that I mean, one color of the same value placed all the way across the same row. I preferred a blending of the colors and values throughout the quilt to achieve movement. In this case, the darks drew my eye and so they were placed across the body of the quilt. I cut a lot of parts and then built 6-8 rows, sewed and then repeated.

It was a good exercise and fun too!
She loves it.

A.Maiz.Ing

This is my newest work. It began with a photo I took in Stowe, Vermont a few years ago. I was walking along a path by the river and looked up to see corn silhouetted against a bright blue sky. The image percolated for a few years until I determined how to present it in fiber.

Each of the visible layers is actually many manipulated layers. The backgrounds were constructed. The colors and textures were built. The maize contrasted, masked and saturated. Finally each of the parts was printed and the entire piece was assembled and quilted. I really like this process.

Blue Suede Quilt

The A4 challenge theme for this bi-monthly was "an Elvis Presley song". I immediately thought of Blue Suede Shoes and knew I was on to something. I have some Cherrywood fabric which I think looks sueded and wanted to use it. I chose a gradation of blues.

Often my work seems linear to me: squares, lines graphic boldness that is angular. I challenged my self to create a more organic flowing structure with this design. I loosely designed a starting point in photoshop and then free cut the sections and parts.

Blue and orange, on the rusty side, are one of my favorite color combinations. Doesn't this just sing.

Blue Suede Quilt

Push Me, Pull Me!

I participate in a group called The A4 Art Challenge Group. Every other month we work to a group theme. The first was The Race is On. My work depict the push and pull of each of us. Aren’t we all pulled in many directions? Family, friends, our choices, obligations, opportunities? My image reflects that race. Arrows in all directions.

I used commercial fabrics but chose to add dots to the background tone on tone fabric via Photoshop and my home printer.

Intention

I love this video. It's short and sweet and very compelling. Perhaps short and sweet makes for compelling. Whatever! Watch it. You will return again and again.