Painted Shibori

I recently saw some lovely hand dyed shibori fabrics and was immediately in "lust" with them.  It reminded me that I my "someday" list had "try making shibori fabric with fabric paint rather than dye." Needless to say,  it had been on the list for some time, and I said "Okay, today is the day." Of course that extended to two or three days of experimentation.   

You should know that shibori takes a bit of preparation before you dye (or paint) it.  In one class I took the teacher suggested using rubber bands for the method I was using to help with the fabric compression. Other teachers suggest using twine.  So, I did some of both.  I started with the rubber bands because I couldn't remember where I had put my twine. Ha ha. Later I found the twine and used it for one of these.  I honestly can't tell which was which. 

 

Here are my resulting fabrics.  First is this green pieces, that was compressed a bit too tightly at one end. That resulted in some white spaces remaining. 

 

Next up is a piece that was pre-dyed with some purple and blue. However, most of the fabric was still white and I was planning to over-dye it, so it was perfect for this experiment. For this one the cloth was dampened prior to painting. 

I really love the colors peeking through. 

Next up is a piece on which I decided to use two color of paint.  Seeing all of the white, I can assure you that this was on dry cloth that was tightly compressed.  The paint doesn't bleed into the compressed fabric when it is dry and nicely compressed. 

I love the effect of the two colors both applied while the cloth was compressed.

The next piece looks a bit disappointing compared to the previous one.  The lighting wasn't good for this photo.  The fabric is actually while with just the blue paint on it.  This will work well for water or maybe a distant forest if it is turned ninety degrees. 

Overall, I would say that my experiment was a success for the most part.  I will certainly try doing more of this type of painted shibori.  I think any of them would work well as a "filler block" or part of a pieced block.  The should also work well in art quilting if I find the right place for them.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Stepping Up - December Island Batik Challenge: 3D

Welcome to my 3D quilt for Island Batik.   I had a beautifully sunny day to take a few photos out in the cold.  But seriously, look how blue that sky is today.  Of course I want you to feast your eyes on my quilt, also. There is a closer shot later. So don't strain.

The challenge says: "Explore the world of 3D using your creative talents for this month's challenge. Bring your inner artist out by using optical illusions, textures, trapunto or whatever else will make your quilt pop into life." 

I think I nailed it!  I have always loved the Baby Blocks/Tumbling Blocks quilt pattern but the number of y-seams was just too daunting. So, for this challenge I played around in Electric Quilt 8 software to design a version that is simple to make. 

My plan included using the Accuquilt Go! Cutter and the Triangle in a Square die to make the blocks.   Each colored triangle was paired with one black and one gray side. When they are joined together they make a short Tumbling block design.  (Short in that the blocks are not "cubes" but a shortened cube.)

It was surprisingly simple to sew.  The challenge was in ironing all the seams neatly so that it would lay flat.

The quilting was fun.  I chose to use a lovely Silk Blend batting by Hobbs Batting.  It quilted beautifully.  I did curved lines in the top of the 'cubes.'  In the black and gray portions of the 'cubes' I did long  u-shapes to press that section down a bit more. 


 
In the colored sections of the borders, I quilted circles with a wavy line running through them. 

In the solid sections of black and gray that are not in the design I pebble quilted  because I love the texture.  The exceptions are the narrow inner border, which got a simple wavy line. And the outer border which got a variation on "ribbon candy."

I am very happy with both the piecing and the quilting on this little quilt. 

The quilt measures 34" wide by 36" long. The design is my version of a Tumbling Block quilt that has been simplified.  I love the 3D effect of the blocks shifting as I look at it. 

It is just right when I need just a little something over my lap. But it would also be a great baby quilt.

Now here is the closer look at the entire quilt that I promised earlier.

The Island Batik fabric, Hobbs batting, Aurifil thread, and the Accuquilt Go! cutter were given to me as an Island Batik Ambassador in consideration for promoting these brands while creating the challenge quilts. Thank you all so much. I hope I can work with you again in the future.

This will be my last post as an Island Batik Ambassador as I did not apply for the program for next year.  The simple reason is that I am choosing to spend more time with my Mom and family.  I had a wonderful time creating all of my Island Batik projects and I have purchased more Island Batik fabrics - so you will see more projects featuring these fabrics.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Binding Ready to Apply

"How do you eat an elephant?" the little girl asked.  Her wise old grandfather replied, "A little bit at a time!"

This quilt is coming together "a little bit at a time."  True, there is no elephant involved.  Still, when you are so busy with other things in life, you can still fit in a creative project in the time that you do have.  For this quilt, I chose a lovely yellow fabric for the binding.  This one is called Tossed Mermaids from the Islander line by Island Batik

Isn't it fun and whimsical?

It was difficult to use this fun design and cut it up  because I know as a binding you would not see the mermaids.  But the color goes very well with my blue and yellow quilt.  So, I cut it.

The binding is rolled up on an empty Aurifil spool waiting until I have time to sew it onto the quilt.  I used the same yellow variegated Aurifil thread to join the binding as I used for quilting.

I will also be using it to sew on the binding and sew it down. I love this thread! 

Remember that you can find time to fit some creativity into your day. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Like Eating Potato Chips

A couple of days ago a friend and I were discussing how she might use a "difficult" fabric in a quilt.  I mentioned doing a "four patch posie"  like I did with some spiderman fabric some time back.  I was looking for instructions and found a different way.  I knew I would have to try it.

 Now it is like eating potato chips - I can't stop with one block. I just want to keep eating making these little blocks.

Basically, you line up fabric the same way as you would for a one block wonder (OBW) quilt but only use four layers. 

Then you cut squares with the four layers lined up. They need to be at least 4 inches - bigger would be better.
You cut the squares diagonally both ways.  Then each triangle stack makes a block.

You can see the how-to video that I found on YouTube below.


Now, I have a few more cut that I need to sew.  See you later, folks!

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Beat The Heat - Blog Hop

Today is my day for the Island Batik Beat the Heat Blog Hop featuring  the Spring 2019 fabrics from Island Batik.   My fabric line to share with you is Graphic Gems.  This collection won my heart.

So how do we "Beat the heat" in Alabama?

We have lots of methods.  One classic way is to enjoy the early morning cool and the late evening cool.  And I am going for the late evening way of beating the heat.   It is a true delight to take a blanket - or better still a quilt - outside to place on the ground (or perhaps a truck bed.)  Then we lay out in the cool(er) breeze of the evening and look at the wonder of the stars.  To me, stars have always shown the magnitude of creation.  So, my creative soul chose to make a star quilt with these lovely fabrics.  

I used the AccuQuilt Go! Qube 8" set and the two companion sets (Angles and Corners) to make my stars.  Lots of pieces were carefully but quickly cut and laid out into blocks.

These were sewn together to make 12" finished blocks. Since the 8" Qube makes 4"sections, it was simple to use those sections to make a 12" block.

I love the richness of the colors and how the patterns in the batiks play together so well.  The low volume "whites"  really add interest to the background in this block.

As I had planned the quilt in Electric Quilt 8,  I printed out one of each block to make the sewing easier.  I didn't sew the wrong pieces together using this method.

I hope you have been noticing the lovely visual textures and designs of these batik fabrics.  There are rich darks and  amazingly rich colors.  And I have to share my favorite fabric(s) in this line.

Yes, I love these Gears fabrics.  The gears, propellers and concentric circles make my heart just sing.  I particularly love the lower one because of the multiple colors in the fabric.

Have I talked and teased too much already? I have a lot of glamour shots of this lovely quilt.  So let's look.

 The quilting is a simple stipple design done on my domestic machine with an off-white/bisque Aurilfil thread.  The batting is Hobbs Cotton Batting with scrim - one of my favorites for quilting on my domestic machine. This quilt has been washed to get the lovely "crinkly" texture that makes me so happy.

Stars in the Southern Skies

You know you wanted to see the backing  

 For the backing I used two of the fabrics from the quit and added a different Island Batik fabric called Raindrops in Grape from the "All A Flutter" collection that I purchased specially for this quilt.  you should know that various lines of fabric from Island Batik play very nicely together.

A puppy was playing with her owner in the park and she came to give her approval to the quilt. She was so sweet!

How about a few close-ups?

For the binding I also used the Grape Raindrops fabric, but I added a flange with a teal from the Graphic Gems collection.

Here are a some closeups of some of the blocks. You get the opportunity to 

enjoy some of the fabrics up close also.

I even added a few raw edge appliqué stars in the "blank" areas in the top and bottom rows. 

The fabrics for this project were provided by Island Batik.  The batting was provided by Hobbs Batting an industry partner for the Island Batik Ambassador program.  Some of the thread was provided Aurifil - an industry partner.  The Go! Cutter and some of the dies used were provided by Accuquilt - another industry partner.  Thanks so much to all of you.

You should really visit all the stops along this blog hop.  You will be blessed with inspiration.

The official Island Batik Blog is having a giveaway each week of the hop. Below is the current widget for the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also check out the other Ambassador's posts as some of them are having giveaways also.

Monday August 5

Leanne Parsons - The Devoted Quilter

Sherry Shish - Powered by Quilting

Tuesday August 6

Bill Locke - Studio BIll Locke

Lisa Nielsen - Lisa Lisa and the Quilt Jam

Wednesday August 7

Sandra Walker - Mmm! Quilts

Terri Vanden Bosch - Lizard Creek Quilts

Thursday August 8

Pamela Boatright - Pamela Quilts

Kathleen McCormick - Kathleen McMusing

Monday August 12

Karen Neary - Sew Karen-ly Created

Carol Moellers - Carol Moellers Designs

Tuesday August 13

Michelle Roberts - Creative Blonde

Laticia "Tish" Stemple - Tish's Adventures in Wonderland

Wednesday August 14

(Debora) Anne Wiens - Sweetgrass Creative Designs

Gene Black - Gene Black (you are here) 

Thursday August 15

Tina D Dillard - Quilting Affection Designs

Bea Lee - Bea Quilter

Monday August 19

Joanne Hart - Unicornharts

Carla Henton - Creatin’ in the Sticks

Tuesday August 20

Connie Kauffman - Kauffman Designs

Vasudha Govindan - Storied Quilts

Wednesday August 21

Vicki Schlimmer - Vicki's Crafts and Quilting

Mania (Magdalini) Hatziioannidi - Mania for Quilts

Thursday August 22

Gail Sheppard - Quilting Gail

Monday August 26

Maryellen McAuliffe - Mary Mack's Blog 

Jennifer Strauser - Dizzy Quilter

Tuesday August 27

Connie K Campbell - Freemotion by the River

Joan Kawano - Moosestash Quilting

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Daisy Chain QAL - Unit B

After getting the directions for unit B of the Daisy Chain Quilt Along,  I decided to switch gears and use some of my Island Batik fabrics as the "Assorted Scrappy or Coordinating Fabrics."  You all know how much I love using batiks, don't you?

So I chose two batiks and cut the required strips needed.  Then I sewed strip sets as directed.

Next,  I sub-cut the strip sets and sewed the four patch units. 

These thirteen squares would make a great table topper all by themselves.  

I am sure that I will get a very pretty quilt using these fabrics.  

Color me happy!

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Daisy Chain Quilt Along - The Piecing Begins

You may remember that I chose the fabrics  for the Daisy Chain Quilt Along

Then  I  did the cutting and actually organized it quite nicely (for a change.)









Now the first sewing instructions have been posted and I have completed the first step.
In this stack there are 40 four patches for the Mystery Quilt.  The directions call for 39 but I had enough pieces to make 40 - and I didn't count until all 40 were made.  I call it good.  It is nice to have a spare in case one isn't quite the right size - or if I mess it up in a later step.

That is really purple... the colors did not photograph well. 

I must say that I have gotten spoiled with the Island Batik fabrics.  They don't generally fray - but as you can tell, this orange fabric has frayed quite a bit.  This will still make a good quilt  but it will leave more of a mess in the process.

Are you quilting along with us?  It isn't too late to start.  There are four size options from Baby to Queen.  I am making the throw size.  It is bigger than a baby quilt, but smaller than a twin.   It is nice to have throw quilts to snuggle in on a cool night - or to take on a sunny day for a picnic.   But you may want to dip your toes in making a baby quilt. Those are great to have on hand for baby gifts.


Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Shhh....A "Secret" Project

After diligently working on my Island Batik March project, I am nearing a completion.  Of course I can't show it until March - and I hope I finish it by then.
I am doing something I have never done.  Yes, this is a true confession.  I am hand sewing the binding to the back of the quilt. I honestly have never done this before. But, as it is the traditional method, I decided I needed to do it at least once.  I sewed more than one side without using a thimble -mostly because I couldn't find one here.  Yes, I do own thimbles but as a rule I dislike using them.

Since I can't show you the front of the quilt, let me tease you a bit with the back of it.  The backing fabric is a delightful Island Batik Neutral called "Whip Cream."  It is off white/cream with a spattering of pale blue and a darker cream swirl pattern.

I have adjusted the photos to show off the quilting better so the colors are not true in the photos.

I had lots of fun quilting this quilt and deciding which quilting designs and motifs to use.  There are a number of "Square Flower" motifs which I learned from Lori Kennedy.  I also pulled out a book or two to look at other ideas. One of those was 180 Quilting Doodle Designs compiled by Karen Burns.
Another was Step-by-Step Free-Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli.   Christina has been one of my favorite FMQ teachers. Her teaching and "you can do it" attitude have really helped me to be better at Free Motion Quilting.  Even though we have never met, I consider her a true friend.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you will return in March for the reveal of this quilt. But don't wait until then.  I am sure I will be posting more here before the end of February.

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.