what if

what if #166: discharge on indigo gauze

...i was really asking myself what if dots could be square?  and what if windows are dots, holes to see through?  and that was working and led to the question what if i make windows by bleaching indigo... i cut a stencil from freezer paper and ironed it to a piece of very loosely woven indigo, because it had holes in it and i was still thinking "see through". the discharge paste was soft scrub because i had some here. and the punch line is... the back!  windows but softer. i like the back where the bleach worked its way though, but not all the way. a cloudy day.

what if #129: discharge over patchwork

what if (?) i piece together different fabrics quickly (what if i use a sewing machine this time?) and use the backs of the prints to soften the look. and then what if (?) i discharge a stenciled design over the pieced fabrics to get a color removal that spans more than one fabric. since all fabrics don't react the same i think this has wonderful possibilities. since this was very soft on the lighter fabric i have also wandered to ask myself what if (? ) i create a gentle textured outline with thread beading.

what if #123: quilt weaving and shape reconstruction

what if i discharge a shape on two separte pieces and then tear them up and weave them back together?
the concept here is something ( but simplified) like double ikat. one piece is the warp, torn into verticle strips. the other is the weft, torn into horizontal strips.
indigo linen discharged with bleach
10" x 8"
pieced without stitching

what if #116: crazy illusion

....the original concept grew out of what if (?) there is just an illusion of seams and patchwork. i achieved the base piece by ironing scattered freezer paper shapes on a gorgeous yarn dyed ombre*** plaid. and then applying a thin layer of soft scrub with bleach, the discharged area of the plaid is a ghostly pale version of the original.
then... since the illusion was pleasing i thought what if (?) i quilt each shape with variagated thread to give the illusion of changing color. i didn't have the muted colors i wanted so i just thought what if i dip my existing colors in tan dye? so i did.

7" square, cotton discharged plaid stitched to linen twill.

***Ombre

n. A French term meaning "shaded." Usually a multicolored stripe, with colors graduating from light to dark. The color effect is woven into the fabric. Generally produced by arranging different tones in the warp.

what if #111: crazy meeting places

somehow when i was looking at my sketch, i thought if i crop it it sort of reminds me of crazy patchwork.
.....i thought, ok, what if (?) i use bleach to discharge the tree branch lines, cropping the design so it is abstract and crazy. like a mosaic. it looked good and i wanted to keep it simple, so i said what if i just use that simple kantha stitch?
then it seemed appropriate to decorate the intersections somehow. simple cross stitch. X marks the spot. what if i couch those  Xs to keep those crossroads secure? what if the kantha stitches changed direction in the blocks of blue?
......i like this one for its simplicity, the ragged patterned discharge(torn paper stencils) and the wild texture. and of course the functionality of the structure.
but most of all i like it because it symbolizes the different paths that have crossed in the process of this shared "what if" environment. thank you all for being here.

center discharged 5" square quilted to 7" chambray square. cotton. indigo thread used to stitch dark indigo sections.

what if #89: soft edge diced dots

actually i am not sure what the question was, but i was inspired by some paint leftovers and i tried some softer edge discharge on indigo with soft scrub, continued from here but i used wet fabric and no stencil. and then i sliced and re-pieced, because i was thinking what if (?) i did that, probably left over from some other thought. at the same time i was wondering what if (?) i pressed the seams outward instead of to one side. i did that and now i am wondering if (?) this side wouldn't be interesting to work with.

what if#86: discharge with soft scrub

kim made a comment over at spirit cloth and i thought what if i try that?
....and to quote her:
I am going to be playing with a stencil and puffy paint and then also I wanted to suggest for one of your what if's- using Soft Scrub with bleach on a stencil. ( like a stencil with a smaller design- more intricate
Iron some freezer paper to wrong side of fabric you want to stencil.
Spray stencil with adhesive.
fix to fabric.
then take soft scrub and squirt some blobs on to stencil edge.
Use something stiff like a credit card or a Spackle knife to drag a thin layer of soft scrub over stencil.
Put in sun for 15 minutes
scrap off soft scrub and then rinse in warm water.
a friend who does the same technique with puffy paints on stencils (that she makes) suggested using the soft scrub (cause its thick) when I told her about my bleach experiment.

the results were fantastic. the shape came out hard-edgeed and clear. i think the credit card squeegee worked great.  i didn't leave it in the sun i just let it dry. and the snowflake stencil was just cut from freezer paper and ironed on indigo yarn dyed cotton. (yes, there are some moons there too.)
maybe this what-if blog should be a challenge ? challenge me. PLEASE. thank you kim!

what if#75: reworked patchwork

when i first started using the sewing machine i pieced a lot of small pieces to test effects. and this one worked fine but it was just plain and too much like what's out there. so i though what if i dirty dye it? ok. it was different but i was still bored until i wondered what about cutting it up and weaving it with some discharged black corduroy? and now, even though it is only basted. i like it. a lot.

what if #52: discharged indigo patchwork

what if i chop up some discharge experiments and piece them together. and what if i just use a sewing machine to make it go faster. i want to see. now.  6" x 12" . cotton and linen. indigo. bleach discharge.

what if #51: discharge dots

i have this fabric which is a yarn dyed check.  indigo and sulfur dyed green. both discharge easily in different ways. there is also a mock leno dobby dot motif woven to this check. so i thought what if i play round with discharge dots on this fabric? as part of my dot series.
i was thinking that the texture of the open weave as well as where the colors cross could add interest to the discharge area.

1.a big dot that spanned the different areas of the pattern (leaving the fabric wrinkled and un-ironed),bleach, painted on with a q-tip.
2.smaller dots placed in different areas of the pattern, bleach, painted on with a q-tip.
3.a splatter ...bleach splatter done with a toothbrush .