Summer began with a very successful Studio Tour in June, followed by some enthusiastic groups of visitors through July and August.

Still, I found time to spend outside with some fabric dyes.  Here is a selection of pieces that I dyed in the last few weeks.  Techniques that I used included:

shibori
scrunch dyeing
wheat paste resist
thickened procion dyes
graduated dyeing
stamping
deconstructive silkscreening
line dyeing
silk dyeing
fold dyeing
rusty objects

Some of these pieces are going to make great backgrounds!

Here is one such example; the background was dyed using a multiple fold method, and several dips into various shades of green.  Now I am in the process of painting a pear branch onto the fabric using a variety of pigment pencils and crayons, blended with textile medium.  Still to come is the stitching!

Here is a piece that started out with white fabric onto which I have painted silk dyes.  Next I am adding details with Tsukineko inks.  This will be heat set, and then stitched....

And here is a more abstract piece, also in progress.  I am considering this layout, then I will stitch it down with embroidery threads, and probably add paint too!

Plein air painting with dyes onto fabric.

 Painting on fabric with watercolour crayons and textile medium.





























This piece is still in layout format. The next step is to stitch, then go in with some thread painting, and some oils.  The background fabric has the deconstructive silkscreening process used on it.


























Another at the same stage.
























Now when the cool weather comes I am ready to spend some time at the sewing machine with all these pieces to complete.

This one is a watercolour on PAPER!  It's a plein air painting I did one afternoon in a friend's backyard.

"Forest Filter"

This piece has sold

Approximately 18" x 22"

The inspiration came from photos taken at Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island.  I started with hand-dyed background fabric using a technique I'll call 'line-dyeing'.  The tree trunks have had all kinds of torture treatment; encrusting, layering, stitching, heating, burning, padding, and then painting.  In that order.  The distant trees are made with sheer fabrics, cut out with a stencil cutter.  The middle distance tree trunks are fabric.  The moss on the tree trunks is made with thread built up onto water soluble stabilizer.  As are the foreground branches.  

Her is a close up.  I love how the light comes through the trees, created by the choice of fabrics.

And here is another close up of one of my favourite bits; the moss on the tree trunks.  When you see it the moss looks so real.  You can also see that the background is stitched to add more texture.  Oil paint is used on the tree trunks to show reflected light.

Hope you like it!

Black Matters

Size 12" x 12"

I love it when, after being ‘stumped’ for months, suddenly an idea pops into being. While hiking in the forest taking photos for future ‘tree’ art I came across fire blackened Douglas Fir stumps. On closer inspection tiny lichens and infantile mosses appeared. Rather than being pure black the stump had a rainbow of colours, from the blue sheen of wet charcoal, the vibrant greens, golds, and brown specks of lichens, to the rich reds of undamaged bark. New life clung to cracks in the old.

My idea for this piece evolved 180 from my original plan. My first thought was to burn the hand-dyed cottons for the real effect. I did try holding a few pieces over a candle and under the heat gun. I found the results amusing and messy! A few burst into flame, others just got sooty and I ended up with black fingers. I abandoned that attempt, and fortunately had enough pieces left to proceed without the flames and soot.

I worked from a sketch, cutting out each piece and fusing them to a solid black base. They are stitched on using free-motion zigzag in black thread. The piece is rubbed with different colours of oil stick and left to dry for 48 hours. The first piece of batting is placed under and textured machine stitching is added. Mosses and lichens are machine and hand embroidered. A little huckleberry is fused and embroidered. The large mosses were thread embroidered onto soluble stabilizer then stitched on with extra stuffing behind. Lastly, a second batting and backing were added before the final quilting to make the bark stand out.

I’m pleased with the result, but I do have a few changes to add. I’m finding that the negative space of black is a bit too strong on the lower left and I’m going to soften it some more with added oil sticks.

Here’s a close up:

Reflections

This piece has sold

Size 12" x 12"

As soon as I saw the theme “Reflections” I knew it would be easy to fit into my series of Trees. I worked from my imagination for the sketch of trees and their reflections. I had this piece of shibori fabric that I dyed last summer and I thought it really looked like sky or water. However, in order to get the water texture to appear horizontal I had to cut a diamond piece out of the larger fabric. What a waste of fabric! So the white stripes are horizontal, but the straight of grain is diagonally. If that makes sense. I will still use the rest eventually, (but maybe in smaller triangular pieces) since I really like the fabric.   

Next I used a blending colour of polyester sheer and cut out the trees all in one piece using my reversed paper pattern on a piece of plywood and my hot stencil cutter to melt the sheer. Works amazingly well and very quick! The sheer was then very fragile and to fit it to the background I first lightly sprayed it with 505 while it was still on the pattern board. I lowered the background onto the sheers, smoothed it flat with my hand, flipped it over and then peeled off the paper pattern gently. I’ve used a close free-motion stitch in polyester embroidery thread to applique the trees. One layer of cotton batting and then quilting is done in a slightly paler colour just outside the outlines. One more darker line across the horizon and that was it. I was tempted to do swirly’s in the sky, but refrained. Binding is done in a batik.  I should have double-batted.

Sorry I don’t have a close up, but the resolution on this one isn’t  great and there’s not really any detail to see. I do like the misty feeling of this piece.  

Rose Hips II

This piece is not for sale.

 A Rosa glauca in my garden is a constant delight. In autumn its bright red and burgundy hips glow against the garden’s leaves. This piece started in a strip piecing workshop with Coreen Zerr. Raw edge applique, thread painted leaves and hips, machine quilting, and hand embroidery are the techniques used.

Here is a close up of the rosehips:

Here is a close up of the thread painted leaves:

Marquetry

 

This piece is not for sale.  Sorry for the poor quality photo.

Width: 64 cm

Height: 64 cm

The piece resulted from a Guild Summer Challenge. The challenge was to use the stripey fabric, and I chose to use it’s similarity to wood grain. The flowers might be found in a piece of furniture wood inlay. Embellished with beads.  Hand and machine quilted.

Here is a close up:

Cloisonne

 

This piece is not for sale.


 The inspiration for this piece was a small antique cloisonne vase. The challenge was to fill the background space with enamel like colours. The brass work is imitated by the gold coloured rayon thread, and the beads reflect the light like the jewel tones of the real vase. Raw edge fused applique, satin stitching, hand quilting, and beading are techniques used in this piece.


 Here is a close up of the thread work and the beading.