Spirit Cloth

shibori 101

thanks to glennis,
shibori girl ,  who has been my source for inspiration, i have finally started to explore shibori style dyeing.  and before i forget...check out one of her latest posts and follow her CODA speech link to redefinition of craft if you want to get your wheels spinning.

of course this is just dabbling on the edge of such a process. i really need to do some reading and get some supplies so i can paint with dyes.  just trying to inspire myself. i had a sludgy pot of dye left over from some over-dyeing projects so i just gave it a whirl.  the first one is the wrong side of a cotton polka dot print that i pleated and clamped.  i just dipped it in the dye for a bit and then washed it.   when i get focused on this i will try creating the dots myself.
the other 2 are linen. linen dyes so nicely.  these were stitched and gathered and dipped.  i like the effect but dyed the tips of my fingers while trying to pull the stitches out.                                                                                                                               

quilting breakthrough

...to catch a thought, that is what i really want to do. before it vaporizes. it sounds simple but it is the hardest thing  to do.
...and i just did it. i thought about the ring. i thought why a symbol if i can have the real thing. i cut a hole, right through. a window to the other side. a secret passage. a way back and forth. a nest, an empty space to rest.

and now the ring is just another edge, a beautiful edge that contains both sides.  a sliver of lava edged in moss.

and a new personal sewing term : "invisible applique"

and a new TIP: don't ever try this on a train unless you are very focused.

applique cutouts

sometimes a method develops in progress, specialized for the particular project you are working on. i have changed my applique method here by 'rough' cutting, basteing and then drawing and redrawing the sewing line after it has been placed. ..especially for this lava field, it helps to work the shape  into the surface in relationship to the backround and the other pieces.

i will refer to this as carved applique from now on.

i'd  better organize all these terms soon to keep track of my new  pattern language.

block by block layered applique

the lava flow is coming together, created piece by piece, block by block over the existing patchwork base by applying layers as needed in appliqué both ragged , reverse and classic style. quilting is being done as i go to stabilize and is sometimes covered by more appliqué which is then quilted again but only through the top layers. relaxing, like painting with fabric and thread.

embroidered details will come last. i started using this multi-layer effect on the tree house quilt.

it is great to get the base quilt together like this because it gives you a nice contained canvas to work on and it is easier to make a balanced composition. you can also stop anytime... and just finish the quilting. it is already functional as a blanket. fully equipped with hot hands for cold nights.

...and i am getting strange looks on the train.

enchanted journey

... all through my life i have been creating beasts that some how animate and symbolize my thoughts, acting as traveling companions...i am  revisiting old characters from my old tales that were jotted down in an illustration journal from an unfinished college adventure.  the plan was to put this beast , the path maker, on the quilt.  but it is saying pillow somehow to me now, but we will see. right now its a he but i will make it a she and think some more. i like the melting boundaries and  the moon candy.

layers of giving

more samples for fabric printing. and in walter's own words:

"Each one is thick, almost like cardboard, because there are many different layers of paper stuck together - implying many years of wall papering BEFORE the plaster went on over the whole thing.  Recall, the fabric I gave you is the first layer beneath the original wall paper, so that should date back to ~1925 or so... Since I have quite a few wallpaper samples, I am going to experiment with soaking a small one and see if the layers can be coaxed apart without loosing the relevant information.  Anyway, there is more to come on this front, I suspect.  Slide 2 is an actual paper edge taken from the wall where it met the ceiling.  Hope you enjoy them."

i am enjoying them and this quilt is obviously now a collaboration turning the gift -getter into a gift-giver in the process and well everybody here is lucky indeed. all we need is giving.... if i were john lennon i would write a new song.

wallpaper applique-tion

one of the vintage wallpaper prints on fabric has been placed, some cutouts, fraying and stitching will integrate the edges of the print print into the linen ground. i will do more when i get my new printer up and running. maybe even try the integrated appliqué methods i used for the forest faces, weaving them into the ground. i may use some paint too. walter has found more samples from inside the walls of the little house. i am patiently waiting for these gifts.

...have noted to myself that i have ignored my unplugged pledge. it might be good therapy to try painting these on fabric by hand and lose the computer printing. if i plan to live on an island in turkey soon and i should master needing less and exploring more.

merging process and product

creating a flowing feeling for the lava blocks has turned into an interesting experiment. i am trying different ways of getting this effect with both pattern and texture, but this time i am applying  all experimental block designs to the quilt instead of creating separate studies.  this "in process"  design approach is becoming part of my work process and is generating nice variation on a theme.

..and somehow the quilt itself has turned into a symbol for growth. a diary of trial and error.

so far i have tried free form opposing shapes, negative space through border applique, print cut outs, and applique that crosses the block borders. i am playing with shapelessness against the hard edges of the blocks alot.  i plan to add an applique gallery to detail all processes later because the technique has grabbed my attention big time.

fabric printing

amazing. i have done a lot of computer printing on fabric in the past. always using my own silly method. this time i decided to use a very light weight fabric and the freezer paper method. well, the prints smudged and the last one got caught in the printer and killed the printer completely. and that is how my day is going.  i will use these anyway because they are permanent to washing and i can work around the smudges. and i wanted an aged look anyway. and i have no printer.

my own silly method, just for the record,  is to cover the fabric to be printed with double stick tape on the back and stick it down to a heavy piece of printer paper and then tape around the edges with invisible scoth tape. this always holds the fabric down without any slipping and also keeps the edges from catching.  i think for looser weave fabrics this was a better choice. oh well, i know better now.

live and learn.

( and by the way i soak the fabric in bubble jet set and dry it before printing. i have some other silly methods of setting the ink, but this works fine)

lava block

just decided to apply wild fiery appliques to the remaining exposed lava blocks. the quilting started out in warm colors but i am loving the indigo thread and how it integrates the blue from the crane panel and the house blocks together into these molten colors. indigo thread is not easy to come by. this was a favor from a friend at a mill and it is 2 shades of indigo twisted together, it will fade like old jeans over time.  i tried some discontinuous color quilting here, mostly indigo but switched to a lava orange in a certain area to follow the flow.

the applique, a piece from that same tie-dye shirt.

planning more.