Thrift shopping and discharge bleaching

We were in Detroit for the week and shopped at the DAV thrift store in Westland. They have great selections there! I found these to add to my collection of cellulose men's black shirts:

Washed and dryed and ready to be deconstructed. I love that word, deconstructed: " to adapt or separate the elements of for use in an ironic or radically new way; uses his masterly tailoring skills to deconstruct the classic." 

I like cutting up the fabric in the most efficient way possible, saving long seam allowances for weaving. By the time we finally get moved and my loom is restored I will have the collection I want to weave a rag rug. And then I'm off with that too. I can't wait for that. As for now I will use the small pieces for experimentation, determining how well each fabric responds to the bleach. The biggest whole pieces of each shirt are awaiting final decisions, and that pile is growing. 

I don't know why the type is now itallic. I want it to stop. It doesn't.

Here is some of what I am doing with discharge, using a number of different fabrics. I'm coloring on the discharged areas with fabric markers:

Memories of Wild Roses is being assembled using my hand carved stamps, hand dyed fabrics and a couple of manufactured pieces of yardage that I spray painted or colored with fabric markers. Here is a sampling of what I recently discharged:  

Here are my hand carved wood stamps, holding up well to both bleach and paint:

I did add another layer of depth to both stamps, and the next round of discharge will feature hopefully an even cleaner image.

I am loving this work.

The flowers are a lovely Mother's Day bouquet from my son, Ian Russell. The best son ever. The cactus behind it started at 8" and was a gift from a friend. It is now is almost 3 feet. Once we get past the frost date it will go out for the summer and get a new pot with some yummy dirt. 

More discharge using rubber stamps I have:

Next I want to press leaves, print, paint and hammer them onto some great sugar sack fabrics that will stand up to it. Outdoors though. I'll post again when I get the next batch of deconstructed shirts discharged. I put a newer edge on my wild rose stamps I'm thinking of getting a black batting. This piece will be raw edge and the batting may show through and become an issue. There are so many shades of black going on that it would be smart, I think. So thats decided. 

I haven't touched my sewing machine for weeks but now I have a great reason: twins are on the way for my beloved girl, Gretchen, and her husband Robert. They are 2 darling people whose lives' work is about service. They are beautiful people. It took a while but they are ready and are being blessed with a small army! So, baby quilts. It's gonna be a motivated summer!

Wishing you joy,

Sue


  

 

 

Deconstructing clothes, bleach discharge and wood carving

Well, joining SAQA has certainly made an impact in my life already. The unexpected invitation from Paula Swett....dinner with the PA SAQA members and the gallery exhibition's opening night...the meeting with the PA SAQA rep, Meredith Armstrong at her home in Danville last Sunday. All day Monday I reflected on the rapid changes overtaking my life. I realized that it was time to move to the next level of original creativity.

I started out the week with bleach discharge on my mind. A large piece of commercial fabric my mom gave me winked at me, and that always means something is coming. It immediately made me think of bleach discharge. Here is a picture of it:

I decided to carve a stamp resembling one of the flowers of the fabric:

I dug up a couple of existing retail stamps I had and used them plus the carved one to do this:

Using deconstructed cotton shirts from Salvation Army, I tried my new stamp and a couple of others on the smaller yoke pieces. Some is from the collar pieces that were just wide enough to accomodate the smaller stamp. I'm saving the bigger shirt piecs for less experimental work.

I started with Clorox cleanup, but of course it was too runny:

I ditched that, and because my Clorox gel pen was dried up I got some brand new Soft Scrub for the rest. The one above I re-discharged with the Soft Scrub, slightly offset to the original watery prints. It will be useful so I feel as though I saved a bad first job. Yay!

In each case, to stop the bleaching action I used Anti-chlor, or Bleach Stop, 2 TBSP to the gallon of water. Rinse the piece first to get all the bleach residue off, then plunge into the gallon of bleach stop and stir it around on and off for a while. From start to finish it was probably 4 days. I didn't think I had gotten as good results as even these, so when they came out of the laundy and each piece came through I was heartily encouraged.

Not sure which technique interfered to make this interesting blend, probably batik remains that are resisting, giving a cool smoky violet gray pairing with the pale sanguine color left behind after the bleach had its way. This is why I do it, this cool unexpected thing that might happen just makes my day.

The next few are from my hand carved stamp:

Tina Rey gave me the next store-bought stamp:

I took this piece and colored it in with fabric markers:

I trimmed it and we'll see what happens next! Is it whole in itself, or part of a larger whole? That is the question.


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Here is a couple shots of my Pennsylvania Dutch lap quilt that I'm handquilting.

 I got all the center rings done! Now just the borders to do. I hope a certain someone in my life will love it when its done. I'm going to be finishing up a lot of my patchwork in the hopes of branching into a different fiber art direction. I am feeling more encouraged than I've been in years.

I'm hooking up with Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Fridays...if you haven't visited her weekend blog, please do! Lots of people sharing there:

Nina Marie's Off The Wall Friday

Wishing you warm days and cool nights. And love.

Sue

Contemporary Fiber: Breaking Traditions

I had the privilege of seeing some cutting edge art quilts at the Lore Degenstein Gallery down in Selinsgrove, PA last evening. The opening reception, Contemporary Fiber: Breaking Traditions, was delightful! The gallery was filled almost to overflowing. Kate Themel spoke about 'Breaking Traditions', which is both the title of the exhibit, and the raison d'etre behind art quilts. They are made to hang on the wall and be experienced, lived with and loved. I didn't take my camera in because it seemed bad form, but I saw a few shots being taken with phones, so I guess maybe there is no fighting that former breach of etiquette. I'm going to search out photos that might be online of what I saw: breathtaking color, line, texture and composition from all the artists. They are: Paula Swett - Textile Paintings, Kate Themel, Mary Pals, Katie Pasquini-Masopust, Meredith Re' Grimsley, Linda Colsh, Valerie Goodwin, Beth Carney, and Susan Shie:

Beth Carney: http://bethcarneystudio.com/chasms9.htm?hc_location=ufi

Susan Shie: http://www.turtlemoon.com/gallery14/2014gallery.htm

Valerie Goodwin: http://www.quiltsbyvalerie.com/

 Paula Swett: http://magpienet.biz/commissioned-art/

 Linda Colsh: http://www.lindacolsh.com/

 Meredith Re' Grimsley: http://contemporarycraft.tumblr.com/post/73447580393/featured-artist-meredith-grimsley

Katie Pasquini-Masopust: http://www.katiepm.com/gallery.html

Mary Pals: http://marypaldesigns.com/

Kate Themel: http://www.katethemel.com/ 

I was asked to comment on the dinner I attended before the opening. The food was wonderful, I had lentil-walnut burger with a cranberry cashew balsamic salad. Meredith, the PA SAQA coordinator, sat me next to her and made me feel quite comfortable. She and I split spanokopita, which I can spell better than I can pronounce! Anyway, delicious! There were other SAQA members at dinner as well, though none of the artists that showed in the exhibit were with us. 

Later at the gallery it was Kate Themel that gave the talk about where quilts have come from and where they are going. The place was mobbed, and the opening of the exhibit a huge success! I am very glad I went and may get a second chance to go back this week while there are fewer people in attendance for further study.  

 
  
 

I am very excited to be attending Studio Art Quilter's Association's new exhibit, Contemporary Fiber: Breaking Tradition. It is opening tomorrow (Sat) evening. Somehow I was fortunate to be invited by one of the artists to join them all for dinner before the opening. Today is the first day I could wrap my head around it. Most of the artists are quite familiar to me, although I haven't met any of them personally. But I will be. And they will discuss their work. It is a heavenly anticipation for an extra special experience. Less than 24 hours to dinner. Butterflies.

We had a wonderful Easter, we had dinner at the rib joint with the family and most of our beloved. Good food and love and laughter! I came home refreshed and ready to continue quilting Cloister Garden:

Only the stained glass is quilted so far. Next up is to even out the black edges of the stained glass, then switch to jade green for the center quilting. I have decided on lines radiating from the center for the green.

 I found this watercolor hiding on the side porch and rescued it from certain death. I painted this about 1999, while I was still in MI.

 After my husband died, I first took an acrylic painting class, then moved to PA and taught myself a little watercolor and color theory. It was in 2000 that I realized painting wasn't satisfying me and I stumbled on the idea of miniature quilts. Bought a magazine, made a quilt for my Grammy all in purples ( I immediately colored out of the lines when I began, it was a traditional 2 color 9 patch and I bought 10 different purples to vary it). Then I started to learn about traditional quilts...and contemporary quilts...and art quilts....now 'modern' quilts. After 15 years I still can't get enough.

Here are some things I'm studying on the living room walls, etc, right now.

Fractured Iris, 2012. Hand pieced and machine quilted:

The small striped hexi centers (pupils) are from a thrift store shirt that was $3. The background is from a yard piece hand dyed by Katy Widger. Her hand dye method was one of the first I learned from, along with Ann Johnston and Paula Burch. The border and all triangle shapes are from Katy's fabric. I hoped to add a sense of the hexagons hovering by using it as bckgd/border fabric, purposefully using low contrast. All the other colors I used were chosen from that length of Katy's fabric. The fractured iris are all from my stash.


This is a doll bed quilt that I made in 2001:

I made a couple of pink and brown quilts. After that time I made quite a few quilts utilizing 'patience' blocks, or a simple log cabin block with set in seams. It is also my first free motion quilting, in the large border. The rest is stitch in the ditch.

This last one on the living room coffee table is factory made and has a larger companion that I hang on the porch. It was in the sweet little cottage that came when we bought the adjoining property along with a similar factory made 2 pc quilted schoolhouse block set. Lots of good stuff in that cottage! There is real linoleum from the bauhaus movement! Don't get me started because we are on the way out of here and I won't see how the cottage fares. It is loaded with vintage goodies, and stuff. I know someone will come here and love these things, and this place.

I'm thankful Spring has sprung:

I planted snowdrops in a few places but this was the first flower spotted by John last week.



These crocus were washed into the yard 3 years ago with the the flash flood accompanying the Leo-Irene hurricane combo of 2011. Now they have given us a lovely display for the 2nd spring in a row! There are more but one or two straggled about and I can't find them. Here they are before the deer ate them for Easter dinner:

Looks like a memorial with the brick I used to keep from squashing them as we walked about. I got right down on the ground with my back to the late afternoon sun to get this shadow effect. R.I.P.

I was struck by the notion that if there had been a nuclear blast, those shadows would be permanently emblazoned on the face of the rock.


Sue

I'm hooking up with Nina-Marie and  Off The Wall Friday
Thanks, Nina-Marie!

Here is the next step I took with "Pile o' Leaves":

Some years ago when I was doing a lot more hand dying, I developed an idea involving 3-5 overdyes and then bleaching out a design. It was started in 2005. The strips I chose to go with it are more of my multi-overdyed pieces. My style is to do 1/16 yd in ziploc or bread bags, using soda ash water and a pour over of one or more dyes. Low water immersion its called. I had a lot of fun doing that for a while. The past few years I've done a lot of simple tie dye, mostly for a friend. Clothes, sheets, blankets and a pair of curtains. There is a new order of blankets coming, so I have determined to also do some more complex hand dyeing with quilting fabric in mind.

Since I have retired I find my mind freed up and the ideas coming faster than I can finish them. I've realized the importance of making art quilts with entirely original fabrics, hand dyed by myself. The only thing I don't do is weave the fabric. But starting from white cloth, these quilts are entirely my own, and that is satisfaction. Please, don't think I'm against prints! I love them equally, in a different way.

Speaking of prints, this as yet unnamed patchwork is moving along too:

We're busy trying to get our cooking system going for the maple syrup making, so thats all for now, folks!

I'll hook up with Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday

Sue

Did I mention I love to sew?

I have been busy with new fabrics and whole cloth ideas, free motion quilting and patchwork.  Here are some pictures and descriptions:

Lots of quilting being accomplished here!! It's lying on a bumpy mess so it looks less smooth than it is. I've named it 'Golden Memories" The quilting design is relatively simple and was easy to come up with. Inspired by cut glass, of which I am fond.

And then there is this patchwork which is pretty much making itself:

I'm about 2/3 done getting all the blocks begun. It will be a log cabin variation of some kind or another.



I found this tonight and decided to take it to the next level:

This started as bleached print cloth in 2005. I have a technique that involved dyeing and over dyeing complex colors, then bleaching out designs and painting dye back in using MX thickened with alginate. I didn't know what to think then except that I was pleased with it. Its been waiting til now. Tonight I took a fabric pen to it and concentrated on outline and negative areas and I think its ready for sandwiching and free motion quilting.

My mom has been downsizing her fabric and as I slowly go through it I keep finding treasures. 2 whole lengths perfect for a matching front and back wholecloth, one hot deep pink in polished cotton and the other a rosier medium pink watered voile. Washed and set aside. You might find it silly that after 15 years as a dedicated quilter I am just now drawing my own quilting designs but its given me a freedom and direction that makes a lap sized Welsh style quilt do-able with free motion and straight line quilting. I do both on my Bernina, and am gaining confidence.

I remind myself that my word for the year is 'Closure' and part of that includes finishing as many as I start. I made 7-9 quilts last year and suddenly there are few left. Not for long. Just gotta get em to completion.

The one above is a familiar face. I had a waking moment where I saw each smaller rectangle with a much much smaller white rectangle, upper right corner, half filled in and half empty, just white outline. I guess it wasn't finished after all. This is also all entirely hand dyed and thread painted.



If you can get past the tie dye underneath,  the fabric and patchwork are a cross over gradation of 36 pieces, from blue green to fuschia. I am slowly making half square triangle units using black with the colors. There will also be solid black squares and solid color squares. Its going to be a good sized patchwork. I am on the hunt for the complicated old fashioned pattern to set these blocks off to perfection. Well, all my perfection is wabi-sabi (imperfect, impermanent, incomplete...well mostly complete) so we'll see what we get.

And finally, a peek at what is under the tie dye:

'Cloister Garden'. The quilting is started and ready to be continued. Soon enough! I change my bobbin almost every day; sometimes twice. Every time I go to finish one, a new one pops up!


We are tapping our sugar maples for sap to boil into syrup. We have just begun with great potential for success and it's a new and exciting adventure. We had fresh maple sap boiled for our coffee the other morning. There was just a hint of something more and it was so delicious, and promising!

I am hooking up with Nina Marie on her Off the Wall Friday blog too. Thanks again Nina! I love browsing with coffee on weekend mornings.

Happy Spring! Soon the flowers will come out to play!

Love,

Sue

Patterns in Nature: an Art Quilt Challenge

Patterns in Nature-Unconventional was proposed as an art quilt challenge on  Dec 1 2014, over on the Quiltart listgroup. Over three months the objective was given to take a natural pattern and interpret it using whatever chosen methods and materials explained the artist's purpose, at whatever size decided upon, as long as there were some quilting involved. These 7 artists responded. We hope you will enjoy their interpretations.



Phyllis Cullen, "Lava 1: Pahoehoe"

 Here on the Big Island of Hawaii, the work of Madame Pele and the ongoing eruption of Kilauea volcano is much on our mind. Evidence of previous lava flows are everywhere, and an area of forest or a home, public building, cemetary, beach, school etc that is there one day may be covered the next with 2000 degree molten rock. Disorganized lumps of sharp rock is called a'a. When the lava flows in ropy smooth folds it is called pahoehoe. The crust blackens as it cools but while it still flows the fiery inside can be seen.

I used fabric painting, bleaching, metallic threads and bits of fabric to capture the fiery rock.

20 x 16



                                                       http://phylliscullenartstudio.com



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 Kathy Zieben, "Getting Schooled"

13" x 11". Paper collage printed on fabric. Machine quilted using Rainbows Trilobal Polyester Thread and Sulky Metallic Threads.

"Patterns in the world are visible everywhere.  It is important to have that connection with nature to appreciate all the different kinds you can see.  My inspiration for “Getting Schooled” happened during an experience out on a boat.  When the sun is shining, the shimmer and ripples on top of the water formed beautiful patterns, but beneath the surface, even more patterns revealed themselves through schools of fish swimming below the surface. "

                                                          http://kathyzieben.weebly.com/

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Meena Schaldenbrand " Coral Anniversary" 

Coral Anniversary

 

I chose the Coral design as it marks a milestone anniversary for me.

 

Materials:  Aluminum popcan, Angelina, beads, buttons, Evolon, metal, metal and paper tubes, net, sheers, sequins, Tyvek, yarns, wire

Free motion quilted.

 

Meena Schaldenbrand

Plymouth, MI

http://meenaschaldenbrand.blogspot.com/ 

                                      

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Sylvia Lewis, "Bark"

"When I heard the challenge, my first thought was about this wonderful Eucalyptus tree at the Walker Creek Ranch. It has beautiful bark. I attended a retreat in January at the Ranch and was able to get a photograph of the bark. I printed out the photograph, traced the elements from it. I free-form cut the layers to match the photograph. I added a layer of tulle to hold it all together while I quilted the piece using my trusty walking foot. "Bark" measures 11"x 13" "

                                              http://bunchberrystudio.blogspot.com/ 

                              

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Cindi Goodwin  "One Branch"

Machine pieced randomnly....colored pencils...fmq....9 by 9 and one half inches....and beaded

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Suzanne Riggio " Ancient Willow"

 ANCIENT WILLOW

Size:  10 1/4” wide x 12 3/8” long
Materials:  Curtain linen and silk overlay on rayon geometric print, 
cotton, linen, Ultrasuede, yarn, beads, embroidery thead, batting
Techniques:  Scrunching, trapunto,  hand embroidery, free-motion 
embroidery, beading, machine applique, machine quilting

Ancient Willow is inspired by actual, enormous, ancient, bulbous, and 
bulging willows lining the pond in Greenfield Park in Greenfield, WI, 
a suburb of Milwaukee.  I love the patterning of the bark which 
reveals decades of cold and heat, insect incursions, and the defense 
mechanism of the tree in its huge bulbous bumps.

Suzanne Mouton Riggio



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Sue Kaufman "Lady Bug Invasion"

I chose symmetry as my inspiration and used my own Spoonflower designs of symmetrically altered pictures of outer space, sunsets and the aurora borealis. There is raw edge piecing and free motion quilting. The idea of ladybugs came as that fabric was also one of my manipulated designs, and seemed the perfect jumping off point. There is mostly mirror (reflectional) and rotational symmetry exhibited here. In nature there are many other types of symmetry. I wished I'd had more fabric to make it bigger! It finished at 16" X 17"



Sue DiMeglio Russell Kaufman



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I'll be hooking up with Nina Maries' Off the Wall Friday.