Dye Another Day and Two Sewing Machines

Last Saturday I taught my "Dye Another Day" class for the Ottawa Valley Quilters' Guild. I taught my "Intro to Fabric Dyeing" class for them two weeks prior. Several students returned to the second class with vibrantly-coloured fabric from the first. Smiles all around as they hold up their bundles of fabric.

"Dye Another Day" shares several methods I use for achieving my multi-coloured fabrics. Each student was responsible for mixing up a group of colours, and then everyone rotated around the room using each colour group.

We had a bit of an "oops" when a cup of navy blue dye got bumped over and leaked through to the floor between the tables. Unfortunately, some of it hit Millie's purse. However, students with knees in better shape than mine were quick to clean up the spill. The floor cleaned up beautifully.

I look like a pretty mean teacher with my students on their hands and knees under the table!

Sharron sent me this photograph yesterday of the fabrics from "Dye Another Day" on the left, and "Intro to Fabric Dyeing" on the right. In the middle is the Textile Temptation Pack she also dyed in "Dye Another Day". This exercise gives students the chance to dye a bit of silk-rayon velvet, silk dupioni, silk organza, cotton, and cheesecloth, using the same dye colour. As you can see, each fabric takes the dye a little differently.

This week I started quilting my fern quilt. I find I can only quilt for a few hours and then have to do something else. It is hard on the neck and shoulders. So I set up a second sewing machine to do some strip-piecing. I'm working on updating samples for "Liberated Radial Piecing". Since that class is one of my five one-day classes on free-form cutting and sewing that together form a one week class at Haliburton School of the Arts called "Serendipity Strips and Curves" that is being offered in July, I'm updating a lot of my free-form samples.

It's been great being home for most of December and January and having relaxed time in the studio.