Projects using scrunch dyed fabrics

Now that we have scrunch dyed some fabrics, what do we do with it?  Well, I thought I would share a few projects I have made using my scrunch dyed fabrics.  Most of the time, the project comes to mind after the fabrics are dyed, but I do have one Landscape Quilt I created several years ago, where I specifically dyed the fabrics to use in making the quilt:

  

I used a photograph I took of some rocks as my inspiration, but needed to enhance the design with color.  I had a lot of fun experimenting with various colors to come up with the right combinations!

For the fabrics I dyed for my earlier posts, I did not have any specific ideas about what I would do with them ahead of time.  I was more interested in comparing the different variations to see what results I would get.  Once I finished the dyeing, I had to go through a period of mulling over what I thought might be a good project that would showcase the fabrics in an interesting way.  I actually came up with a couple of ideas, and I'm in the process of pursuing one based on Rayna Gillman's book, "create your own free-form quilts.  If you are unfamiliar with Rayna or her techniques, you can see posts here in the January 2012 archives, or visit Rayna's blog here for more info.  

Here are some pictures of stripsets and blocks I have created so far using my scrunch dyed fabrics, other hand dyed fabrics and  commercial fabrics all from my stash:

Needless to say, I have just begun, but already I'm caught up in ways I can use these fabrics in what will probably end up an abstract wall hanging.  I hope to use a couple of larger pieces to showcase the designs that I got with the scrunching technique.  I will post more as I go along, and I hope to see posts or links from others this month showing your dyeing experiments as well as projects where you use the fabrics you dyed!

I Finished One Too!

"Sit Down -- I Think I Love You"

30" by 36"

Yeah -- I stole the title from an old song.  I "accidentally" made a block that kind of looked like a chair and so I went with it and made some more.  And then I found some chair fabric in my stash, so I added some of that too.  The block in the middle came from the tiny stash of "finished" blocks that have been inhabiting my wall since I last posted.  It's probably my favorite.

These are the ones left over.  I think they need some friends.

I did some pretty basic quilting -- usually when I'm making something, I'm thinking about the quilting as I make it.  Not so with this.  Maybe because it's new?  But fancy schmancy feathers or loop-dee-loops didn't really lend themselves to this kind of piecing. I want to experiment some more with that.

 I used strips cut from a strata of dark hand-dyes for the binding.  I notice that most of these quilts don't have traditional binding on them -- I'll have to experiment more with that too.

Free-form Quilt--Quilter Beth

I've been playing with making an actual quilt from the larger free-form piece I have made. The last couple of days I have made some black "blocks" for the borders. Each block is made of lots and lots of pieces of black fabric. At this point, it is up on my design wall in the "thinking" stage.

Today, I think I'll experiment with adding strips of the striped fabric around all the sides of the center piece. I want to lighten up the border a bit too, so I'll also add a bit of the striped fabric in the border (to make it look like the stripe is trying to escape from the center). I'm planning on adding a striped binding to it when it is finished. Of course, everything is just speculation right now. We'll see...

A Peek at the Third Piece

Rayna will be posting her tutorial this week but till then I thought I would give you a  peek at my third piece from Rayna's book.  Here is the 3 x 4 foot top that I started with.  It is an intermediate piece from my first Nancy Crow workshop.

I cut it into 12 blocks which are roughly 12 inch squares and then started slicing and dicing the blocks.  Here is where I am at now.

I think it is 5 or 6 blocks on the design wall so far.  I make no guarantee that the arrangement will stay the same for the finished piece. We'll see what the rest of the blocks have to add to the composition.  But so far, so good!  --Judith

Beginning a Free-Form Quilt--Quilter Beth

Last night, I had a chance to work a bit on my free-form quilt. It is SO much fun to work without rules. I started with the blocks I separated from the quilt itself. (I'll work on the remaining portion of the quilt later.)

It is so dreary and gray outside right now that working with lots of color feels REALLY good. This is currently on my design wall.

Saving a UFO

Unlike Beth, I rarely finish anything before I am lured away to new interests.  I used to beat myself up about that but now have accepted that free-spirit part of my personality.  Because of my habits, I have tons of UFO's to choose from but I have decided to combine three pieces I created in my first Nancy Crow workshop.  None of them are worth finishing on their own but could come together nicely in a free-form quilt.

 The first assignment was to create a black and white motif sized at about 2 x 3 ft. 

 The second assignment was to use that motif to create a 2 x 3 ft piece incorporating whites, off-whites, black, and greys.  

 The third assignment was to create a 3 x 4 ft piece using the same motif and incorporating browns along with the previous whites, blacks, and greys.

 To join with them I found these orphans from another quilt that will begin to give some color to the mix.  These were cut back before I quit using a ruler to cut my fabric.

WISH ME LUCK!

Second piece from Rayna's book finished

Well, not finished finished but the quilt top is done!

Contain the Light

Commercial and Hand-dyed Cottons

38 x 47 inches

Progress on my white blocks

I first showed you the white 4 1/2 inch blocks that I am slicing and dicing in this post. The plain white blocks were slightly changed and marginally more exciting when I started.  I have continued working with them and have gotten far more free with my rotary cutter.  Here are some of my newer revamped blocks.

 I have started joining the revamped blocks with strip sets to create a new art work--my second from my experiments from Rayna's book.   I am very excited about this new work!   I'll show pictures of it as it gets closer to being finished.

I've Picked My Project for January--Quilter Beth

I'm SO thrilled that Rayna Gillman is our guest blogger for this month. I have been a fan of hers for quite some time; and I have several UFOs, orphan blocks, and other miscellaneous quilt pieces from which to choose a project.

I'm hoping to do more than one piece, but I'm not sure whether time will allow it. I have, however, chosen a piece to start with. It is a piece I made when I worked through Lyric Kinard's "Art + Quilt" book. As I worked through each exercise, I documented my progress on my blog. (If you'd like to check that out, you can see it here. Enter "Lyric Kinard" in the Search box.) It is a project I did when I was working on a Value and Hue Exercise from her book. It met the requirements of the exercise, but it was nothing I actually would use.

I'm thinking I will like it much better after some manipulations using suggestions from Rayna's new book "Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts." I'm excited to see how different it will look.

January is all about Free-Form Quilts!

Happy New Year!  I don't know about you but I am starting off the year with super excitement knowing that Rayna Gillman, author of Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts, is going to be a guest on the blog! In Mid-January, she will be posting  a tutorial on the chapter in her book titled "Reinventing UFOs with strips and bits."

Until then we are preparing by playing around with other chapters and techniques from her book.  Here is the finished top I created with strip sets from an earlier chapter in the book and my double F motif.  It is currently about 36 " square but will shrink when quilted.

Now I am moving on to Rayna's chapter on "A square is a square is a square." So,  I found these white blocks that I prepared for who-knows-what.  How convenient! 

Notice the little bit of pink dye on the corner?  I am hoping it won't show.  If it does then I will make it a design element. LOL  Anyway, I have been trying some of  Rayna's variations for spicing them up.  Here are my first squares using the white blocks and some left over strip sets.

I'll keep making some more spicy squares and trying more variations.  I'll post pictures as I progress.

Working my way Through Rayna's book

I don't know about you but I am so excited to have Rayna leading our experiments in January!  She will be leading us in reinventing UFOs.  

I have already gotten started on a different chapter in her book.  An early chapter is on making and using strip sets.   Here is a picture of an art quilt I am working on using strips sets and the Double F motif I have used before.  It is not finished yet but I am really excited about it.

 

 Not all blocks are created equal.  I made some ugly ones that did not make the quilt.   Lucky Me!

 You will get to see them again in January when I use them as my UFOs.

And the BIG WINNER is...Lynn from Alamosa Quilter

Lynn!  You won Rayna Gillman's new book, Create your own free-form quilts.  Congratulations!!  Please email me at quiltordye@ftml.net and let me know where to mail it.  If you do it quick, you can have the book in time to start on January 1 as we reinvent UFOs with strips and bits (pg 66).

Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts Give Away

  Only hours left before Rayna Gillman's book, Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts, may belong to you!!  The drawing will be at noon Christmas Day.  For more information about how to enter to win, read this post and leave your comments there.  Good Luck!

It Arrived Today!

When I got home from work there was a package on the doorstep waiting for me from C&T Publishing.  It was Rayna's new book that we are giving away on Christmas Day!

"What?" you say, "You are giving away Rayna's new book, Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts?"  Yes, we are and all you need to do is  post a comment here to be entered to win.  If you grab our Fire Blog logo for your blog, and leave us a comment to let us know, then you can be entered a second time. 

I bought Rayna's book a few weeks ago and have been  thrilled with it.  It really is book that I can and do use.   In fact, I am combining the double F motif I used in Nancy Crow's workshop with some strip sets I learned how to make from Rayna's book.  No peeking yet but I think it will be a winning combination.