Dye Happy 3 Soy Wax Batik

Saturday was Session 3 of my Dye Happy class, and the topic was Soy Wax Batik. Here I am showing some of the batik fabric I created, just before demo'ing how to stamp/draw on the fabric with soy wax, and then paint thickened dyes on the surface.

Here's Kirstin Fearon having a great time painting the thickened dyes on her soy wax stamped fabrics.

One student has painted two colours of thickened dye on this piece. The fabric has been soaked in soda ash solution and hung to dry ahead of time. Soy wax is stamped on and allowed to dry. Painting with dyes that have been thickened allows for control over where the colour is placed.
Thanks to Sylvia Young for the photos.

Liberated Strip Piecing

Saturday I taught my new Liberated Strip Piecing class for the first time. By Tuesday Barb Gillespie had completely finished her piece, including the quilting and photography and had posted it to her blog. She used fabrics that she dyed in my Dye Happy class. I love it! The objective of this class is to get students cutting and piecing free-hand.

Dye Happy 2 Shibori

Frances O'Neill of Kingston sent these photos, taken in Session 2 of my Dye Happy class on October 23. Here I am demonstrating how to wrap a pole. The second picture shows the results of Frances' first attempt at Arashi (pole wrap) shibori. Stay tuned for more photos after the next class on November 20.

Sylvia Young sent photos of the Bomaki Shibori velvet scarves dyed in this session.

Vermont Part 2

Priscilla Roehm, the webmaster of the Champlain Valley Quilters' Guild in Vermont sent this photo of Janet Brunet and I after my lecture. It was Janet's lovely home I stayed in, and she is also one of the Program Chairs of the guild. More pictures, including student work, are on the News section of their website.

Back From Vermont

I'm back from my trip lecturing and teaching at the Champlain Valley Quilters' Guild in Vermont. I was welcomed into the home of Janet Brunet and Mike White and shown to the "Quilting Queen" suite, where I enjoyed my own private living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom (used to be a granny suite). Their home has a view of Lake Champlain, from both the front porch and the dining room. You can see the view below.

Vermont enjoyed a few gorgeous days of late autumn weather during my visit. It was quite beautiful as a few trees had not yet lost their leaves. I came across an apple tree heavily laden with fruit, and with the white picket fence behind, it struck me as a 'quintessentially Vermont' photo.

I even found a beautiful dahlia still blooming in Janet's garden.

Of course I also noticed the foliage. These gold and green iris stalks are stunning with sunlight illuminating them.