Continuing my special presentation of articles submitted by my guest bloggers.
Playing with Spray-On Fabric Dyes
by guest blogger Christine Predd (originally published 15 June 2009)
Several days ago I purchased some spray on fabric dyes at Hobby Lobby . . . I think they were sold for tie-dye projects, althogh I was planning to use them to dye some fabric for my art quilts. I live in a ranch style condo and only have a small patio, not a lot of room for serious fabric dyeing. This sounded perfect for my situation. I only bought the primary colors, hoping to create new colors as I used them.
The sun was shining today so I decided to get started. I cut two pieces of PDF fabric, 22 inches square or so. After laying one piece on a drop cloth on the patio, I proceeded to use some photo matting as my stencil and begin spraying on dyes in different places with the matting in different position. See the photos below.
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An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Christine Predd
If you enjoyed Christine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!
Adding Arty Fun to that Traditional Quilt
Escape by Christine Predd
Maybe some readers make quilts from patterns and have a little bit of an itch to reach into the art quilt world at the same time. This can be done by thinking a little creatively as you work……..maybe adding a different technique, or just something out of the ordinary to that pattern and making it more your own creation.
Here’s some ways that may work for you to do just that! These are not original ideas by any means, just ideas I’ve gathered along the way.
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An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Christine Predd
If you enjoyed Christine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!
When Inspiration Sources Unite
I recently made an art quilt that I realized came together due to three different sources of inspiration.
First, I had a piece of hand dyed/painted fabric that reminded me of barbed wire. I had made these brown crosses randomly on this piece, and that’s all I could think about: barbed wire.
Second, in my daily walks here in Florida I began to encounter what seemed to be a homeless man walking along the same streets I was walking. I saw him over a period of several days at least three times. He was obviously out of place as I could tell by his clothing and physical hygiene. It made me sad. I wanted to do something but didn’t know what.
Third, one day while walking I was listening to music from Simon and Garfunkel, a 60’s group that you may recall. The song entitled “Boxer” has a line that just stood out to me………”where the ragged people go”.
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An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Christine Predd
If you enjoyed Christine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!
Thinking of New Inspirations
Maybe you keep an idea file………maybe you keep a photo file…….here’s a way to jog your inspiration by just planning some regular “think” time.
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An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Christine Predd
If you enjoyed Chrstine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!
Repurpose and Recycle
One day I realized I was accumulating a lot of small art quilts……..and I needed something to do with some of them besides letting them just sit in a storage bin! So I decided to convert some into small bags for multiple uses. Here’s the art quilt, 10 by 14 inches.
Original Art Quilt
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An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Christine Predd
If you enjoyed Chrstine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!
Photo copyright Christine Predd
I’m one who likes to take photos…………it’s good that our cell phones have cameras, so I’m ready when I take a walk or go anywhere to snap a photo if something strikes me as inspirational or unusual. I’ve been known to snap a photo of tire treads on a sandy parking lot, and of course countless sunsets. I download my photos to a file I call “art quilt inspirations”.
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