Sunrise Quilt Studio

I really need to get motivated to start a new quilt. It doesn't need to be a show quilt, but just something fun. Right now life has been busy with other priorities and nothing has grabbed my attention as a subject for a new art quilt. I'd like to use some of my new hand-dyed fabric, but haven't a clue as to what to do. So, I'll keep busy with customer quilts to quilt and fabric to dye. All fun stuff, too. The above photo shows some of my fabrics stuffed in canning jars. I don't know the technical term for this method - "canned fabrics"? This is the result of this method of dyeing fabric. If you've ever wondered what the difference is between dyeing PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabric and non-PFD fabric, here is the comparison The fabric above is using PFD fabric. This one is using non-PFD fabric. Most of the dye washed out even after 72 hours of curing time. :( It's good if you want a pastel fabric though.

One of the things that I love about dyeing fabric is that you always get a surprise when the process is complete. There is very little that you can control. The dye does what it wants and you get these wonderful textures. Sometimes you even get hidden pictures. Do you see the little men all standing in a row? This is a close-up shot of part of the fabric piece above. It looks like a totally different piece of fabric. I have no idea what I'll do with this piece, but I love the way the dyes mixed together and created different colors and textures. Here is a close-up shot of the fabric piece above. Quilt guild is tonight and I'll be showing my hand-dyes during show and tell tonight.

Here are a few more pieces of fabric I hand-dyed a week ago. This piece is turquoise and fuchsia. This piece was dyed with turquoise and bright yellow. The green is where the dyes mixed together on the fabric. Lastly, this piece is bright yellow and deep orange. I have several more pieces waiting to be pressed.

I'm behind on posting blocks from the Saturday Sampler, not to mention that I'm behind on stitching up the blocks! I believe there is only 3 more blocks left to go. The block below is the same sampler top, only in "brights". My oldest DD has claimed this quilt :)

I spent quite a bit of time this weekend dyeing fabric. After ordering a new supply of Procion Fiber Reactive Dyes from Dharma, I had to try them out. I've been using these dyes for 10 years, but ordered some different colors than what I had been using. This piece is a combination of Turquoise, Fire Red, and Bright Yellow. I fan folded the fabric, doubled it up and laid it in a plastic container. Then I poured on the dyes and let the fabric cure for 48 hours before washing it out. This piece was dyed the same way using Turquoise, Fire Red and Deep Purple. Another fan folded dyed fabric. This one has Bright Yellow, Turquoise, and Forest Green. This is a scrunched piece. I stuffed the piece of fabric into a small jar and poured Forest Green over the top and let it soak through the fabric. This photo shows my fabrics in their various containers while they cure. I have the dyes mixed and poured into water bottles. The water bottles don't drip like other bottles made for sq...

I've been wanting to tile my kitchen backsplash ever since we moved into this house. This weekend I finally bit the bullet and got the job not only started, but completed! Once I got started, the tiles went up fairly quickly. The grouting went even faster. DD#1 helped me pick out the tiles. I originally went for a bisque colored field tile with brown glass tiles in the 1" size, but DD#1 convinced me to switch to the white and black. I think this was the right choice for this kitchen. My biggest complaint has always been that this kitchen is too brown - brown wood floor, brown cabinets, and brown wall paint. It made me depressed everytime I walked into the kitchen. The bisque and brown tiles would have only added to the brown color that I don't like in the first place. There is still a lot of work to be done in the kitchen. I painted it yellow 2 years ago, but it could use a fresh coat of paint. I also need to refinish the cabinets and add some hardware. The cabinets ar...