what if ?

what if # 28: beautiful silk

nothing concrete has formed here yet  but i am just staring at this piece of silk...a gift  from Neki  at  A Moveable Feast.... and wondering what if....?  what-iffing is like that sometimes. it starts with a trance of some kind. a pull toward something with a stronger center than yourself.  a need to complete something. or to give in to something.

i wonder if Neki dyed this herself? i like visiting her blog because it is a working blog.

what if i get moving and try some dyeing this weekend?

and i am wondering... if i should try this coloring book quilting technique over shibori dyed silk.

what if #45: spool wrapped shibori

i am very inspired to finally try some shibori after visiting glennis today. i need some practice to understand how different methods work. first i thought what if i wrap a printed dot fabric around an old wooden spool? and bind it tightly here and there following the shape of the spool.... then i thought what if i try stitch resist but use an overcast stitch intead of a running stitch. i did it on a pleated fold. i like the fishbone effect.  and then my first try at makiage shibori...i thought what if a try a lion?  nice try on linen...but it needs some work....i'll try again.

what if #53: indigo embroidery

even though this indigo yarn i have is very thick and was meant for weaving, i was wondering what if i use it in some solid embroidered areas? it actually abrades while sewing and there is a nice uneven fade out quality about it. i am using it together with some wonderful hand dyed thread. the greenish color i picked up somewhere and it fits into the indigo range so it looks like part of the fade. the yellow is hand dyed by wonderful sara.

part of a piece that will measure 5" x 12"
freehand pattern drawn in permanent marker on 4" cotton squares. pieced by machine. hand embroidery. (back stitch)
i used a very large eye needle to minimize abrasion. the thread is soft and doesn't hold up for long when stitching through tight fabric. i keep the thread short and that seem to help.  worth every extra effort, lovely color ( better photo in next post) and texture effect. continued here

what if #72: dirty dye seam resist

.......i accumulate of old what-ifs. one of these was just sitting there and so was a sludgy blackened dye pot.....and i thought what if i just quick dip this and open the seams?.....so i did. i ironed it dry to set the dye quickly which also set the splotches from the murky water. i have started to un-sew it. possibilities. i have also noted to myself that sewing with contrasting thread would be better if i intend to later remove the stitches.

overdyed cotton chambray

machine tucked free style

5"x7"

what if #74: shibori over print

still using the dirty dye pot, and asking what if i do more trial dyeing over prints. i am really liking the backs of prints. the muted design looks great with the dirty dye and doesn't fight the shibori effect as much. refined slub printed cotton poplin with grey over dye. back and front.

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 #81: un-quilting

over dyed patchwork, un-sewn to see IF(?) the seams resisted the dye. unexpected resist in seam overlap. thicker fabric, in this case corduroy has more potential for the framing effect which shows up on the back.

#154: Fortuny dots

i always associated fortuny with pleated fabric, not knowing much else about them. after receiving some small gifted pieces from phyllis, i was amazed by the strange and unfamiliar technique used in this print. (shown front and back) ... at first glance the design appears to be a woven damask, but looking closer it is obvious that the fabric is a solid twill and the design has been produced by layering pigment and dye perhaps in combination of screen printing and hand painting. and after some research it is apparent that the technique is not exactly known. it is indeed unique. 

 

 my limited experience with prints has at least left me with enough knowledge to recognize the difference in nature between the colored areas of the design, the lighter greenish part is much stiffer and the pigment lies on the front surface, probably applied over the gold hand dyed/painted ground.  on a whim i asked myself  what if (?) i draw  dots and fill them in so the colored area spans both the soft and hard surfaces of the design. i was guessing that they would absorb the color differently.  they did as the gold sucked up the ink and the pigment print ...which has a metallic nature...resisted a bit. two tone dots. very cool and just another layer of pigment. i think it fits the fortuny mood of the fabric. 

 

  i also tried it with other colors. and lines. a sort of resist technique using the nature of a pigment print.

#164: Blurry dot sampler

I have decided to revisit a concept I call library quilts, something conceived to display collections of fabrics .  This time, small quilts, documenting specific experiments.  This one has evolved from the question... what if  I paint dots ....mostly on wet fabric ?.  A blurry dot sampler.
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