Surface Explorations

Although I have been dyeing fabric with Procion MX dyes for more years than I care to remember, I was always plagued by niggling little unanswered questions about the process. People kept asking me to teach dyeing workshops, but I knew that I had a lot of research and experimentation before I felt capable of proceeding.

Fabrics dyed in the same dye pot: cotton on top and silk on the bottom.

 I realized that sometimes you really do just have to do the work before you can move forward. Well, I did the work, and I figured out the answer to my biggest problem; why did I achieve such different results between the silk and the cotton that I dyed?

I was so pleased with my results that I wanted for others to benefit from my findings as well, so I was absolutely thrilled when Jane Davila contacted me about writing an article for the premier issue of the new E-Mag Surface Explorations. Jane and her staff have done a magnificent job with this publication, and I am especially impressed with the high quality photography and the zoom capability that allows you to see every single thread in clear detail. Hats off to Jane and her staff!

Bonus Project! In my article I included complete instructions on dying a 12 step color wheel in cotton and silk along with many extras. So please have fun with this, and I sincerely hope that the information is as helpful to you as it has been to me.

Store Link: http://www.interweavestore.com/Quilting/Magazines/eMags.html

  Several of the authors are doing a blog tour, so please check out the links below. The links don't show up very well, but click on the dark area to the right of the name and they will work.

Mon 4/16 Lindsey Murray http://quiltingdaily.com

Tues /17 Jamie Fingal http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com

Wed 4/18 Jackie Lams http://studiolams.com

Thu 4/19 Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com

Fri 4/20 April Sproule http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com

Mon 4/23 Leslie Jenison http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com

Tues 4/24 Jane Davila http://janedavila.blogspot.com

What Fun!

I haven't made any bags for a really long time. In another life, I was once a handbag designer for a large Canadian firm. Back then, I had to worry about the drafting of the dies for the die makers, cutting layouts, the percentage of waste  for each new style, and of course the cost accounting.
Now I only have to concern myself with which color or motif to use next. I had a wonderful time creating these little bags, and I sold several at the East Bay Heritage Quilt Show in Richmond, CA, last month.

This is what I started with. I cut my panels from my hand dyed Radiance and ultra sateen. Below are a couple of my favorites that I sold at the show. I had to take the photos on the fly before they disappeared with their new owners. The bags were all printed with my Textile Design Stencils.

Here is my Beetle Bag that I made with black ultra sateen.I love the colors on this piece. I hang these bags on the wall as art when I'm not using them.

The bag on the right is my Thistle Bag. This bag was also printed on black ultra sateen. I have a few more of my finished bags available on my Website.