Windfall

The terrific winds and storms yesterday left lots of windfall.  I have gathered all sorts of colorful leaves to try some eco printing with.  Today I am pressing them in the phone book. (not Stanford's- way to small - used the Lexington book.)   I will also mordate some fabric in soda ash or alum.   Hopefully Thursday or Friday i will find some time to wrap them in fabric bundles and steam them.  Then I will let them sit a few weeks, or as long as i can wait.

Cheap Black Fabric!

I certainly learned my lesson yesterday.  Prewash cheap black fabric before sewing.  My hands and fingernails were black after i got done sewing silver spiderwebs on my daughters witch costume. (Politically incorrect but it's been that or a fairy every year - at least it's not a sexy out outlandishly short costume - this one covers all)
Anyway after dinner last night, i went to wash up and found I had black smudges all over my face.  Thank goodness I didn't go anywhere.  My family - either didn't notice or are way to polite to comment. ( I'm betting on a bit of both)

Well off to sew more spiderwebs as the drier will be done soon.

Painted Ponies -Glue Batik

Here is a picture of the glue based batik I was working on.  I was done on a large piece of linen from an used shirt.  The ponies are my daughter's design.
If you haven't tried glue for a batik method  It is very easy.  Elmer's Blue school gel is what you use.
Now how to thread paint this .....

Working Hard

Just taking a quick break.  I've been working on 6 new journal covers and some quilted bookmakers.  Need to add hand embellishments this evening.
The rust dyed velor fabric made 2 very nice journal covers. Only one problem, the sewing machine needle would not sew through them and just kept shredding the thread.  This is the first time I've had trouble with my rust dyed fabric.  I thought I had a perfect solution, I'd try needle felting it.  Three broken needles later I gave up.  Now I am hand embellishing shell outlines and couching other fibers.  I am happy with the results, just not the pace.

My second attempt with glue batik has had good results.  I thought it would be a disaster because I started painting and then let it set three weeks before I got back to it.  Rinsed out the glue yesterday and it actually still came out. Yeah!   Now for some color touch up an a lot of thread painting.

Remake for my logo

My daughter (13) updated my logo.  The first was a bit too sexy in her skin tight overalls, so she made them a little looser.  I love her drawings.  Here is the old girl I drew with a mouse a few years ago and the new one my daughter made.

Rust dyeing Results

The rust dyes are washed, dried, and ironed.  Here they are just be for I brought them in to iron.  I was not as pleased with the first cotton one as I usually am.  It will be good cut up and used with other fabrics.

 The rust dye on the white velor turned out great.  I am planning on making a quilted journal cover from it.

 Close up of the rust dye velor

Huge Mushroom

I came home this evening to find this huge mushroom on my porch. (I'm guessing it is from my neighbor.)   You can't tell from the picture but I can't get my hand around the stem it is so thick.  I thought the texture was really cool.  Anyway it is very soft and is calling out that it wants to be fabric dye.  Below is a picture where you can see the stem.

Rust Dyeing

My rust dyeing has mixed results.  The rust chicken wire did not work well because the whole thing was stuck together after sitting so long. :0(  The velor fabric is rusting well.  Will open it after church this morning.  Yes, I've been up all night.  Going to catch an hour now.
The horseshoes and such had re-rusted, but didn't leave much of a mark on the fabric so I put more vinegar over it.

Priscilla Styles and craft giveaway

Prisilla Styles is participating in the scrapbox giveaway for The Paper Tower  

Nap Time Crafting is participating in the scrapbox giveaway for The Paper Tower  

Marvelously Messy and the PT GiveAway

marvelously messy is participating in the scrapbox giveaway
for The Paper Tower  

Be sure to check out her great tutorials!

 

Rose petals and magnolia dye

More dye experiments Thursday....

Don't the rose petals look gorgeous!
I did tear them up and mash the rose hips.  After simmering for 1 hr the dye was only a pale yellow so I went ahead and added the Magnolia pods. I was lucky enough to find them outside the orthodontics office Thursday morning. (Yeah!)

There was not as much dye as I had hoped so I poured most in a jar for a pole wrapped cloth (white velor).  Then I scrunched some cotton in a small jar and poured dye and petals and pods in it.  The fabrics were soaked in soda ash and line dried while the dye brewed.

The last piece I added all the pods and petals in folded and wrapped layers and placed it in a baggie.

Now the wait is on.  These will sit in the sun for as many days as I can stand to wait.

Dyeing Results from magnolia

The magnolia pods and dried Blackeyed Susan centers made a great color, but faded when rinsed. I will try some more with a stronger batch when I can find more pods.

wet

dry

dry

wet

Wrapped around copper

wet                                dry

More Dyeing Results

Well, I'm afraid not much is happening with the fungi.  I am just going to let them soak until something interesting happens.

The walnut dye did much better after setting a couple of days.  More black than green.

walnut dye

over dyed in walnut dye

wet

dry,ironed

wet

dry

wet

dry