Dye Painting Stuff from Karen

I took a class with Hollis Chatelaine a few years ago and did this picture of my daughter and our dog.  I like it, but I never finished it because I wanted to make it bigger and never could decide how best to do that.

Hollis had me mix the dye for my daughter's skin darker than I would have, assuring me that "it will come out much lighter than you think."  She was right about that.  But I hadn't really worked with portraits and/or pre-mixed dyes much.  I'm not crazy about DD's eyes, but Hollis assured me that a lot can be "fixed in the quilting."

Lately, I have been working on a series of quilts for a show this winter with Madison Contemporary Fiber Artists.    This was painted with thickened dyes on cotton.  I just finished the quilting.  I used a bit of foil over MistyFuse to make the beetle shiny.

And this is the fourth piece in the hibiscus series.  I mentioned it here earlier -- here is a link to the process: http://cre8tivekick.blogspot.com/2012/08/tell-all-scoop-on-resistdye-painting.html

I used a flour resist and painted the thickened dye over it.  Again, I used the foil thing for the beetle.  

Chalk as a Fugitive Media

Chalk is one of my favorite fugitive mediums.  First because it has more control than many of the other mediums.  Second, it is inexpensive.  I picked up this box of 48 chalk pastels for around $5 at A.C. Moore.  So, let me show you what it can do.

This is a ice dye fabric I made last weekend in a play date with the FIVE.  It is looking like flowers to me and I want to enhance that.

I am using this shirt of mine as a model.  I like the way the  petals are defined and want to try and attempt the same type of affect on the ice dyed fabric.

I used a micron pen to outline some petals.  I just kinda drew around shapes in the dye.  No formula or pattern here.  Then came the fun part. 

I started by drawing straight onto the dry fabric with pastels.  I didn't add color to every petal but only to those that fit into an entire flower unit.  The chalk is subtle so it does not block out the background colors but does add to it to make the flower more cohesive.  On the flower on the bottom right I added purple.  The one of the bottom left I added white--the purple was already there. The top left flower I added a light blue chalk.  Top right I added orange and yellow-orange.  I rubbed the chalk lines with my finger after I drew with the chalk to help them blend in.  I could have chosen to leave the chalk lines more distinct if I wanted.

Once I had the amount of color I wanted, I painted the chalk flowers with a 50/50 mix of water/base extender.  I used a small paint brush because I didn't need to paint the entire fabric--only the part that I added color with the chalk. Here is where the control comes into play that I had talked about before.  With colored pencils or crayons, the colors will blend and bleed. The chalk doesn't.  You do the blending with your finger while it is dry.  When you paint it with the 50/50 mixture, it does not run.  Yeah!

Once the flowers were wet, I decided the bottom right flower needed a bit more color so I added the pink.  The bottom left flower needed some more white so I added it too.  You can tell because the lines are a bit more distinct on the wet fabric than when I added chalk to the dry fabric.  I am quite pleased with the results.

Using Charcoal on Quilts

I plan to post several small articles on using different types of fugitive mediums so that you can see some of the benefits of using it on quilts. To show you the benefit of using charcoal on a quilt I want to show you two different quilts I made.




The first one is painted fusible on a light colored fabric.  I really, really liked the results so I tried it again.

The second quilt has the same painted fusible but now on a darker colored fabric. 

Can you tell it is the same painted fusible?  Hardly! The painted fusible blends in so well that it didn't have enough strength to announce itself on that fabric.    Then I used charcoal to darken the outer edges of the box of painted fusible.  WOW!  Now you can see the boxes. The painted fusible is still timid and demure in the darker background but with the addition of the contrast around the edges, you know where to look for it.

So, benefit number one for me is to increase contrast to direct the eye of the viewer.

As far as technique goes, I drew along the edges of the painted fusible with the charcoal and then used my finger to smudge the edge out away from the box. When I got it as dark as I wanted it, I then painted the charcoal with a 50/50 mix of water and base extender.  While I did not try it, I should be able to throw this little quilt into the washer and the charcoal still remain.

September's Technique--Fugitive Media

First let me start with an apology!  I have been dieting.  You would think that is a no brainer but it takes lots of thought and work on my part.  Consequently I have been missing the rest of my life for the last couple of months. I am being successful--lost 22 lbs so far--but I am needing some more balance (i.e. ART) in my life and am determined to work on it this month. Thank you for understanding or at least not throwing rotten vegetables in my direction.

Okay, this weekend I will post more information about the technique but let me here post a supply list of things you will want for our play this month.

·         Pre washed and Ironed Fabric:  Fat quarters or smaller lengths of cotton, cotton/poly blend, polyester or any other fabric that can be ironed with a hot iron.  Try one plain piece and then some fabrics that needs a second or third technique.  You could even try some commercially printed fabric that needs some help.

·         

      Fugitive Media:  Generally this is any water-soluble media that was intended for paper but we will be using them on fabric.  Items such as charcoal, conte, chalk, graphite, and water soluble pastels, crayons, and pencils.  (Laura, here is your chance to get your ink tense pencils back out!)

·         Transparent Base Extender:  Fugitive media is called that because it will wash out unless bonded to the fabric.  You can use a base extender (I like Pro Chem’s the best), clear acrylic medium, or 50/50 Elmer’s glue and water.   The cheaper ones--like the 50/50 Elmer's glue-- will stiffen the fabric but then we aren't making baby quilts.  I would certainly start there before buying the more expensive base extender if you don't already have it.

·         A stiff surface:  Either use a foam core board and pins or tape to secure your fabric OR  some freezer paper to iron to the back of your fabric.  Fabric that is secured one way or the other will be easier to work with.  I have done it both ways depending on what I was making.

·         Odds and Ends: We are playing so you will want: some brushes (a variety of sizes), plastic spreaders or squeegees, a container for water.  You may also want some rubbing plates and a silk screen and its equipment but they are not necessary.  

       

      So, start gathering and I will post more information and some pictures of things I have made using this technique. Till then I have enclose a link to the Quilting Arts show that Kerr Grabowski demonstrated the technique and here is her PDF handout.