Snow Dyeing!!

Well in Ottawa Winterlude is in full swing.....and I can't think of a better way to celebrate then trying my hand at snow dyeing.  There is plenty of the white fluffy stuff here so I might as well put it to good use.  After the results I got I will be doing a lot more snow dyeing this week!!

Fabric which has been soaked in soda ash is piled onto a mesh screen

Snow is piled onto the fabric.  I used 3 inches of packed snow

Dye is drizzeled onto fabric

Now we have to wait (no peeking) until the snow melts

I dyed three metres of fabric using 1 cup each of six different dye colours.  Once the snow is all melted then the fabric is rinsed in cold water. Bathed in hot hot water, washed and hung to dry.  Here are the results. Yummmm!!

Welcome to my new Grand Nephew!

My niece Kara and her husband Ian welcomed their new baby boy, Keegan Kelly MacMillan who arrived on January 28th, 2011.

He is just too cute.  Greatest Auntie Barb can hardly wait to hold him.....and spoil him.  I have a quilt or two in mind.

Fabric Dyeing - Flour Paste Resist

In our January fabric dyeing class we did flour paste resist. I loved the crackle effect you get and can see these fabrics being used in landscape quilts.  I tried it on both white dyers cloth and a piece I had previously dyed a mottled orange.

A mixture of flour and water is made into a paste and brushed onto the fabric and allowed to dry overnight

After the flour dries then you scrunch up the fabric to create cracks in the flour.

My friend Jan is now applying the thickened dyes to the crackled fabric

Burgandy thickened dyes used on this mottled orange piece

Chino thickened dye used on white fabric then over dyed using stormy grey

Stay tuned.....today I have been having too much fun doing some snow dyeing.  I will post the results tomorrow.

Time Flys!!

It's hard to believe we are heading into the second week of February.  I had great intentions of sharing all of my projects that I made for Christmas and those ongoing into January. I think I will just bite the bullet and share them all at once to get myself and you up to date on what's been happening.  January usually is a slow month - but not this one.  Between putting our house up for sale in Ottawa (and having to keep it pristine clean YUK - would rather be quilting), taking classes, giving classes and keeping up with customer quilts time just fly’s very quickly!

My niece Jocelyn and her Christmas quilt

My niece Gillian and her Christmas Quilt



My son Robert and his T-Shirt Quilt

In my fabric dyeing course we did some Shibori.  I made scarves for all my sister-in-laws, sister and mom.  Here they are showing them off....



My sister-in-laws, Frances, Susan and Pleasance