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.

I started with the yellow dye, then went to trying the blue dye. I kept changing the matt directions and colors as I went along.

After doing this for several times I ended up with the final piece you see here.

I like the distinct edges and the overlapping shapes. I did this piece without using water at all, only the dyes.

Next, I decided to take another piece of PFD cotton and first spray it with water then randoming spray on the dyes. I also added extra water then held up the fabric to allow it to drip down through the colors and create different effects. I call this piece the watercolor effect. Such a different image now……..no distinct edges, and a lot of color blending occurred.

I plan to use each of these pieces in an art quilt at some point, but I’m not sure just how yet. I may do more surface design, such as stamping or photo transfer on them before I decide. The dyes were set with a hot iron, they can also be set by putting the fabric in the dryer. I have dyes left over……….so I think there may be more experiments in store for me! Try it!

About Christine

Christine Predd has been quilting since 1986, and began art quilting in 2001. She lives in Indiana half the year, and on Anna Maria Island in Florida the other half. Her blog “Quilting on the Edge” can be viewed at http://www.christinepredd.com, where she writes regular commentary on her creative experiences, and sometimes makes small quilts to accompany her writings.

by guest blogger Katherine Sands (originally published 21st April 2009)

For me, the creative life is a journey…and I learn and see so many interesting things along the way!

Some artists are able to plan ahead; I love their work and their process, but that doesn’t seem to be the way I work. I am a fly-by-the-seat-0f-your-pants serendipity kind of gal. Too much planning and I would probably be bored. A case in point…since a larger, new art quilt I had done didn’t fit the size requirements for an upcoming arts council exhibit, I decided to start a new piece of art. I was on a deadline, so I decided to keep it simple. I pieced and quilted it, using simple hand dyed fabrics and one black and white screen printed fabric. I didn’t quilt it all over, but left areas that were not quilted which “poufed” a bit.

At some point after the work was done, I decided I wasn’t happy with it. It was too one-dimensional; it needed more depth. I painted a diluted layer of black paint over it…but was still dissatisfied.

At this point, the adventure was still good, but getting a bit scary. I decided to “whitewash” it a bit with gesso. I like to use white artists’ gesso to tone down colors. The whitewashing effect is great for a background. In this case I was just going to (gulp) add the gesso sparingly. I rolled it on with a roller in a hit and miss style. My intention was not to completely cover the quilt, but to add highlights.

Hmmm…the gesso was interesting…I liked how it hit and accentuated the unquilted spaces. After considering it for awhile, I decided it still looked unfinished. I didn’t like all that white. This was a good time for panic..what could I do to change it? It had way too much white and it was too late to start another piece. This one would have to do, but it needed something…

I have been using paintstiks for a couple of years. Shiva oil paintstiks are oil paints in solid form. The paint doesn’t spread like a liquid paint does; it stays where you put it. This solid characteristic of oil paintstiks is good for hitting the raised areas of quilting. I decided to go with these, adding color to both the red and blue-green areas of the quilt. Now I’m pleased with it. I do feel this was a lesson that nothing is unredeemable and maybe one needs to just keep going and searching until the answer comes.

Weathered Places 32″ x 30″

About Katherine

Katherine has been quilting since 1994 and doing surface design on cloth since 2001, continually adding more techniques to her experience. Working from home, she maintains a website at www.mywildflowerdesigns.com and www.katherinesands.com. She blogs on her Art Journal at www.katherinesands.wordpress.com. She teaches dyeing, discharge dyeing, dye painting, machine quilting and other surface design techniques. She is an Illinois Artisan and arts council member and regularly displays work in the Illinois State Museum shop as well as arts council venues and other galleries. She is a member of the Surface Design Association (SDA), Professional Art Quilters (PAQA) and Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA).

If you enjoyed Dawn’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

I’m a quilt and fabric arts lover, a writer about the topic, and dabble a bit. For several years I’ve enjoyed sharing this interest through my blog: Subversive Stitchers: Women Armed with Needles. And this past year several guest bloggers have joined me in sharing their experiences, tips, trials, and loves, too. I was pleased to support and give a little shout out for Virginia Spiegel and her efforts to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Her success inspired me.

When it came time to find a way to raise funds for the ALS Association, my thoughts immediately turned to quilts. There is nothing more comforting than a quilt and it just seemed the most appropriate medium for a fund raiser. Particularly a fund raiser for a novice at such things as I am.

Trish Bowman of Jersey Girl Quilts took on the challenge and created a charming and vibrant double tulip quilt, using an Eleanor Burns pattern and Hoffman batik fabrics. She machine quilted it in a design that gave the quilt a sense of movement and carries the eye from one block to the next. And a special bonus of this pieced design – it includes my favorite – the humble four patch.

Trish blew me away with her ability to move this project forward. We were on a short time deadline and she worked long hours to reach the goal of a beautifully crafted quilt. She outdid anything I expected. And she added some advice on raffles from what she learned as president of the Cabin Fever Quilt Guild of Orlando (Florida).

For anyone attempting a fundraiser, there obviously are more things to consider than the product. Thankfully the ALS Association administration has jumped in to help me and have offered their website as the place to go to purchase tickets for this quilt raffle. Tickets are $5 each or three for $10.

You may ask why I chose this disease to support or this organization. Glad you asked. For you see, my husband, Derrol, is dying of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He’s one of those rare birds who has a rare inherited form of the disease so not only Derrol is fighting for his life, but he has a dozen or so family members who have already lost the battle. His brother died at the age of 18. His aunt died at 70. His cousins at 17, 39, 60, 43, 80…. There’s no explanation as to why the disease attacks voluntary muscles, usually beginning at the extremities weakening hands and feet and moving inward toward diaphragm, throat muscles, and face and voice muscles. So far scientists have found nothing to stop it.

The ALS Association offers patient support, information and supports for an extensive and impressive array of researchers and their research around the world. Yet the dollars spent on administration costs is 1 percent. I’ve met these people personally and every one of them works for the association because they have lost a loved one or known someone who had died of the disease. They are devoted to finding a cure and caring for each ALS patient and caregiver – but that takes funding.

Derrol and I were utterly lost when he was diagnosed and we both still wonder what we would have done without the ALS Association. The quilt community is full of comfort and love – just like the ALS Association. It just seemed a natural fit to offer a quilt in exchange for funding to cure this horrible disease that strikes anyone at anytime, anywhere in the whole world – for no reason.

To purchase raffle tickets for this beautiful quilt and to learn more about ALS, visit the ALS Association website.

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.

• Sew some of your blocks with the seams facing outward…….
• Using rubber stamps and fabric paint, stamp something on some of your blocks……perhaps a flower on a floral quilt, a bird on a blue/green quilt……..ideas are limitless!   If you’re making a quilt for your child who always loses thing, how about stencilling on a key?
• Phototransfers are always fun…….maybe a transfer of flowers from your own garden in one of the blocks.
• Take a photo of another one of your quilts, transfer it to fabric, and cut that fabric into squares or triangles or whatever shape you need and sew it into your work.  I’m still thinking about making a quilt for myself containing only images of  other quilts I’ve made………..
• Insert text as some of the blocks in your quilt……if you’re making a quilt for a friend, and you have a letter from her, scan that letter into the computer, and transfer it to fabric, and you have made your work even more personal.
• Use a quilting stencil to make a stenciled design with fabric paints on your quilt. 
• Want to make your quilt more blendable?  When the top is finished, apply a lite dye wash or lite layer of fabric paint to unify it.
• Fussy cut motifs from one of the fabrics you’ve used and applique them to the border…….or onto some of the plainer blocks in your quilt.
• Use an unusual fabric in your quilt in a few places………..a metallic, or organza…..or anything!
• Overlay some areas on your quilt with tulle to create windows that alter the look of the fabric beneath it.

In my quilt called Escape that is posted,  I stenciled on the palm tree.  I used a shiny blue metallic fabric in some places that I hit with an hot iron………..I admit, by mistake at first……..but then I liked the look that revealed the batting underneath and I applied the hot iron some more.  I also used a see through fabric that reveals the batting underneath.  Don’t know how successful it all is, I’ll leave that up to you, but it definitely changed the appearance of my quilt. 

These are just some ideas I’ve seen and heard about…………try something new!

About Christine

Christine Predd has been quilting since 1986, and began art quilting in 2001. She lives in Indiana half the year, and on Anna Maria Island in Florida the other half. Her blog “Quilting on the Edge” can be viewed at http://www.christinepredd.com, where she writes regular commentary on her creative experiences, and sometimes makes small quilts to accompany her writings.

If you enjoyed Katherine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

Using Unusual Materials

I was raised by grandparents who grew up during the great depression.  We made do with what we had and we didn’t throw anything away!  I still have trouble throwing things away.  Watch me save those hard plastic tags on potato and onion bags; I know someday I will come up with a use for them!

With the current economic conditions we face, quilters are looking to use what is in their stash.  A recent exhibit at the Illinois State Museum shop gave me an opportunity.  The exhibit was called Repurposed, Renewed, Reborn.  Each participant was to use items they already had and not purchase anything new. I went a step further and actually used re-cycled items in my entries.

A little bit of history: I save and paint old pieces of fusible web.  You know how the glue eventually comes apart from the release paper?  Well, I don’t throw it away; I paint it.  Used dryer sheets don’t leave my house for the landfill; I paint and stamp on those too and use them in my art.  Both of these items are perfect for creating layers and dabs of colors.

Used dryer sheets painted with acrylic paints.

If you paint  fusible web while on its paper, you get nice textural marks on the fusible that are also useful. It can be painted with or without its paper.

As soon as I heard about the upcoming exhibit, I knew what I was going to do.  I had an old tattered quilt that I picked up somewhere, thinking I might restore it (not).  It was  hand quilted and had blocks like wagon wheels.  I cut sections of 4 blocks to experiment with.

The first step was to paint a coat of white artist’s gesso on the quilt.  Gesso prepares the surface for painting and helps the paint stay on the surface of the cloth rather than sinking in to it.  The other thing I like about using gesso is that it gives a whitewashed effect, which is what I wanted; I wanted to tone down the darker colors since I was going to collage on top of it.  I wanted the blocks and the colors to just be faintly seen.  Also, you will notice that on a pre-quilted piece, the gesso doesn’t completely cover, but leaves the areas around the stitching in their original colors.  You could brush the gesso down into the stitching and cover it, but that is not the look I wanted.

The next step was to add a piece of a yellow sheer fabric and to start adding the painted fusible web.  I also cut a painted dryer sheet to echo the shapes in the blocks and fused it to the quilt. I really fell in love with the way the painted web melted onto the quilt, adding random dabs of color, and compressing the stitched areas.  Be sure to always use a pressing sheet or a piece of release paper when heating  fusible with an iron.

It felt like I was actually “painting” when I ironed the fusible to the quilt. I kept adding the fusible to areas where I wanted the color to be. (It’s the orange color in the photo.) There’s another aspect of  painted fusible that can be used in an artistic way: it provides a fusible surface to fuse other things to, such as threads, dryer sheets, etc. You are only limited by your imagination!

The edges of the dryer sheet looked too “hard” after I applied it, but, not to worry, I  added some more fusible to soften them and blend it better into the overall look.  Another thing I used on this piece was a section of a gold onion bag.  I always buy the sweet onions at my store because they come in a  gold colored mesh bag that makes cool texture when heated and fused to my art.  White dryer sheets with circles stamped on them seem to melt into the surface and the only thing visible after fusing is the painted circles.  Some hand stitching added with two colors of perle cotton helps move the eye around the piece.

“Surface Matters” – 19″x 19″

(See my etsy shop at www.mywildflowerdesigns.etsy.com to purchase a complete set of painted dryer sheets.)

About Katherine

Katherine has been quilting since 1994 and doing surface design on cloth since 2001, continually adding more techniques to her experience. Working from home, she maintains a website at www.mywildflowerdesigns.com and www.katherinesands.com. She blogs on her Art Journal at www.katherinesands.wordpress.com. She teaches dyeing, discharge dyeing, dye painting, machine quilting and other surface design techniques. She is an Illinois Artisan and arts council member and regularly displays work in the Illinois State Museum shop as well as arts council venues and other galleries. She is a member of the Surface Design Association (SDA), Professional Art Quilters (PAQA) and Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA).

If you enjoyed Christine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

Making my Own Stamps

There are two articles about creating original woodblocks and stamps in the April/May issue of Quilting Arts magazine. I was intrigued……..so I went off to the local hardware and bought a roll of rubber tape in the insulation department, 3/4 inch wide. It has an adhesive back, so it adheres quickly to my wood holders.

My husband is a wood worker so he has lots of old pieces of wood to cut into stamp holders for me, so I got busy cutting out shapes to create my own stamps. Here’s pictures of some of my “better” attempts at making original stamps.

They are:

Fence posts . . .

A background pattern . . .

Stones . . .

And weeds or foliage . . .

This was fun to do, fast, and I know now that if I’m in the middle of a project, I can quickly and easily make a stamp if I want something specific for my project.

I had to try them immediately of course! I used fabric paints and a small brush, and created this piece with the foliage stamp in various colors. The stamps were cleaned by spraying over them with the kitchen sink sprayer with warm water and left to dry. They did not become loose with the water application. So here’s another way to add to your art work that is completely original and allows you to make exactly what you have in mind. Try it!

About Christine

Christine Predd has been quilting since 1986, and began art quilting in 2001. She lives in Indiana half the year, and on Anna Maria Island in Florida the other half. Her blog “Quilting on the Edge” can be viewed at http://www.christinepredd.com, where she writes regular commentary on her creative experiences, and sometimes makes small quilts to accompany her writings.

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”.   

One day, it seemed all of these forces met, although I didn’t know it at the time.  Here’s the quilt I made entitled ”Where the Ragged People Go” (18″ x 13″).    

I had the background completed for about a week or so, and put it away as unfinished.  Then one day I realized I needed to add the ragged people, and the figures were added to complete this quilt. 

All of the fabrics in this piece are made by me.   I guess it was a good way for me to get these experiences out of my system and onto cloth.  Instead of thinking of this as a dark piece, I hope we can all think of this as a piece of awareness of the world around us.   It wasn’t until I finished the piece that I realized the three inspiration sources that collided to cause me to put my hands to work to express the thoughts in my mind.  May it happen for you!

About Christine

Christine Predd has been quilting since 1986, and began art quilting in 2001. She lives in Indiana half the year, and on Anna Maria Island in Florida the other half. Her blog “Quilting on the Edge” can be viewed at http://www.christinepredd.com, where she writes regular commentary on her creative experiences, and sometimes makes small quilts to accompany her writings.

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. 

I recently started a feature on my blog I call Tuesday’s Ten.  I select a topic, and my challenge is to list ten items that address that topic.  This is not meant to be a long exercise, instead, a short one.  I create a list in probably less than ten minutes .  Once I listed ten sounds that I find inspiring;  another Tuesday was ten playthings I remember from my younger days. My recent Tuesday’s Ten included ten textures I can see that interest me, or that I find visually stimulating.   That list includes a pile of seashells, anything braided, like rugs, hair, and  bread dough, or pottery with intricate detail.

How does this help with inspiration?  Well, you’ve got your mind working on something specific.  You remember things that attract you.  You visualize what you’ve written.  Basically, you’re getting in touch with your inner voice, since all the items on the list are unique to you.  

This exercise may lead to a new idea for a creative endeavor…….be it a  quilt, painting, or even a story.   It’s like an inspirational time-out for the purpose of getting back in touch with yourself.  Try it, and see where it takes you. 

You can see my Tuesday’s Ten lists on my blog at http://www.christinepredd.com/.  Let me know if you try it, I’d like to read your  lists of tens too!

About Christine

Christine Predd has been quilting since 1986, and began art quilting in 2001. She lives in Indiana half the year, and on Anna Maria Island in Florida the other half. Her blog “Quilting on the Edge” can be viewed at http://www.christinepredd.com, where she writes regular commentary on her creative experiences, and sometimes makes small quilts to accompany her writings.

If you enjoyed Ellen’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

Collage Mania

“Growth” Rhonda Baldwin		“She did it for me” Lynn Colwell

Collage Mania, a Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, opens May 5 with 383 fiber collages donated by 161 artists from around the world.

The artwork can be previewed previewed here.

Collage Mania opens May 5 with an $80 minimum donation for each artwork. On May 6 and 7, the minimum donation drops to $40. Of course, since this is a fundraiser, patrons are encouraged to donate a bit more if they are able. The goal of this three-day art extravaganza is to raise at least $20,000 for the American Cancer Society.

When I began Fiberart For A Cause five years ago, my goal was to raise $90 for the American Cancer Society using fiberart. My sister, Nancy J. Spiegel Rosman, is chair of the Forest Lake, MN Relay For Life and I wanted to support her fundrasing efforts. We both fundraise in honor of our Dad, a colon cancer survivor. As he says, “Fifteen years and I’m still here.” We do Relay as a three-generation family effort.

   “Learning to Dance” Kara Klein

Fiberart For A Cause grew from the online Quiltart group joining me in making postcards to huge booths at three International Quilt Festivals donated by our Honorary Chairperson, Karey Bresenhan. Karey is the Director of the International Quilt Festival – Houston, Chicago and Long Beach and a cancer survivor. She has shown a personal interest in FFAC that has made it successful beyond my wildest dreams.

We have already donated over $170,000 to the ACS through the Postcard Project, the Invitational Reverse Auction, Collage Mania and many other smaller fundraisers. The generosity of artists and patrons has been steady, uplifting and amazing!

Collage Mania is the final big FFAC fundraiser as I return to my studio fulltime. Fiberart For A Cause will still raise funds in a much more low-key manner through the FFAC Store, my eBook Art, Nature, Creativity, Life, and fundraisers by Friends of FFAC.

I thank everyone who has taken this wild and crazy journey with me and thank them for their support and good wishes.

About Virginia

I create textile art for the wall exclusively from my own hand-painted fabrics as well as mixed-media collages, artist books, and sculpture.

Although I place meaning above materiality in my artwork, I am still in love fiber in all its forms. My artwork is known for its evocative use of color and focus on the beauty of everyday nature as well as the complexity of human nature. In part, I hope to inspire others to notice and take action against the current devaluation of the natural world.

The twelve trips I have taken with my sister in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has greatly influenced the subject and direction of my artwork in recent years.

My artwork and exhibition record are on my website http://www.virginiaspiegel.com and I blog about my artistic life and creativity at http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/

If you enjoyed Ellen’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

Ah, Now I Feel Better

Not that I felt bad before. But, I had been sitting at the computer for a while, and I wanted a diversion. So, I grabbed my camera and headed for my yard. My goal was to look at things in a new way.

I stepped into a cloudy day, as I started photographing my surroundings, taking my time, and slowly strolling around. Zooming in revealed many wonderful details in my viewfinder. Soon, I had discovered many little treasures in the vegetation I normally just walk past. I was beginning to get that creative buzz in the back of my head, my adrenalin was starting to flow, and I felt like my artistic eyes were slowly reopening.

What a kick!

Here are a couple of photos from my little adventure.

Since I often make quilts inspired by nature, there’s a chance that some of these may, one day, be represented in fabric. But that WASN’T the point of taking these photos. Instead, it was purely meant to be a brief creative activity. And it was. I highly recommend it!

About Ellen

Ellen works in a freeform collage style, while borrowing heavily from traditional quilt making techniques. For her, the process of making art is even more rewarding than the finished product. She recognizes the value of experimentation and play, and considers time spent in these activities, to be time well spent. Entirely self-taught, Ellen has worked most of her adult life as a flight instructor. Now utilizing her teaching expertise at a lower altitude, she offers lectures and workshops in a variety of quilting areas – both in person and via her website Adventure Quilter.