The results will be in soon...

My dyed fabrics are in the washing machine as we speak and already they are looking pretty good. I've washed one load (purplesa) and will rewash them all again when this load (reds and yellows) is done. The first load has a few that I'll be overdyeing - but I expected that would happen - I dumped all the excess dye into a bucket just to see what would happen and whilst some are OK there are others that need help!

Pictures to come soon.

Dyeing resources

Now that I've started thinking and blogging about dyeing I'm itching to get and do it. Hopefully the weekend will bring good weather - otherwise I'll be setting up in the laundry.

On a side-note the rest of Geelong is also hoping for good weather too as the Geelong Cats have made the AFL Grand Final. If they win (which I wouldn't mind considering Brisbane is nowhere to be seen!) it'll be the first time in in 44 years.

So back to the dyeing. I thought that I'd point you to some of the resources I've found about dyeing; including books, online tutorials, etc...

This is all based on Procion dyeing because that's what I use most.

Books, DVD's etc

The book that started me off with my dyeing is Dyeing in Plastic Bags: no mess no fuss just Great colours by Helen Deighan. This book gives clear, simple, easy to follow instructions for preparing the dyes and recipes and for colour mixing that are measured and repeatable. I liked that the author was clear about how much dye, water, chemicals etc are required as opposed to some books that are a bit unclear as to quantities (which makes sense as you know more but when you’re starting out you want quantities).

I also found the Patchwork Interactive DVD Hand Dyeing and Batik for Beginners and the CD Dye and Another Day both by Michelle Steele very useful too. In both of these products Michelle walks you through the process of making up the dyes, measuring it out, various ways to add the chemicals (before, during, after) and techniques for creating some great colour variations.

Other books that I find great to read and that are full of fabulous ideas and wonderful pictures are:
o Colour by Accident (Low water immersion dyeing) by Ann Johnston
o Colour on Cloth by Ruth Issett
o Dyeing for Fibers and Fabrics by Janet De Boer (of TAFTA who is one of the organisers of the Geelong Fibre Forum) – not as colourful and exciting but great for technical information on a wide range of dyeing methods.
o Dyeing to Colour by Bailey Curtis
o Complex Cloth by Jane Dunnewold

Another book that I’d love to get my hands on is:
Colour by design (Paint and print with dye) by Ann Johnston
Tray Dyeing by Leslie Morgan and Claire Benn
Breakdown Printing (New dimensions for texture and colour) by Leslie Morgan and Claire Benn

There are others – out there in bookshops and on my bookshelves but these are my favourites for Procion dyeing

Tutorials and Blogs about dyeing:

Fabric Dyeing 101 is a blog that has a wealth of information about dyeing, owning a dyeing business, colour recipes and heaps more

Shirley Goodwin of the blog Dyeing2Design in New Zealand posts about her dyeing days and also has a dyeing business called Tillia Dyes and she has a great e-book tutorial on dyeing here

Melody Johnson of the blog Fibermania has some great how-to's on dyeing called the Lazy Dyer - I don't think it's lazy, I thinks it's great!!

There's another tutorial at Zart Art who sell dyes (among other stuff) here

Freida of the blog A Walk in the Woods does lots of dyeing and just posted about a dyeing day in Indiana - it looks fabulous

Trish from the blog Trishalan Designs sells dyed fabrics and often shows us her dyed fabrics on her blog - there's a post this week about her recent dyeing efforts.

There is also a Dyers Webring where you'll find a whole stack more....

Where do I buy my Dyes?...

Pretty much anywhere I can. I used to buy from Kraft Kolour when they had a shop. That's closed now and they run an online business only. I'm still waiting for that to be up and running properly but in the meantime I'm well stocked from their sell-out sales.

Zart Art now stock Kraft Kolour dyes.

Tillia Dyes in New Zealand have a good range.

Ros Dye - also a blogger stocks procion

The Thread Studio in Perth - great mail order and at the Forum on Saturday

Batik Oetoro in Sydney - Great mail order

That should leave you some food for though. Please ask if you have questions. Remember this is not an exhaustive list - there is heaps of info and resources out there.

Geelong Fibre Forum Open Day

Saturday is the Open Day for the Geelong Fibre Forum and I'm going to be there. For those of you who don't know/haven't been, the Geelong Fibre Forum is a week-long workshop organised by TAFTA (The Australian Forum for Textile Arts) and is held at the Geelong Grammar every year. I drool over the class list every year but have not yet managed to get the week of work to attend. I do however make a habit of going to the open day.

The open day is the Saturday after the workshops are finished. It's the one chance that the public (ME!) get to go and see the work produced by all of the artists over the previous week, spend money at the traders hall (books, wools, silks, papers, beads, kimonos, paints, dyes, handbags, and lots of more scrummy stuff!!) and the Heathen's bazaar (goods made by the tutors and attendees of the forum).

The only problem is time. The open day lasts for 3 hours only. 3 hours, to look, spend, look, spend, drool, spend, admire and catch-up with other's you know who've come to do the same!

It's time to do some dyeing...

I started to dig out some fabrics to start work on my exhibition peices, but have found that whilst I have some great colours, there is just not enough of any of them.

Our theme is Autumn and I'm thinking of working with some gorgeous rich autumn colours - oranges, yellows, reds, burgandy, deep purples, maroons, browns and cool olive-y greens. I have these types of colours in the cupboard, but I need more and some bigger peices too.

I'm thinking of working with a range of fabrics including:

• flanelettes - because these take colour so richly and portray a warm which fits the theme well (warm days, cooler nights)
• Silks - again because they take colour so well and look bright and colourful. They also have a lovely sheen
• Cottons (Calico (Muslin in the US) or Quilters cotton - for their crispness.
• crinkle/crepe cotton - I have dyed some of this before and they came up really well
• Muslin (as it's known in Australian and the UK too I think) - this is a loosely woven gauze-like fabric and is good for overlaying/shaddowy effects.

I'm going to do some controlled colour ranges (so that I might be able to replicate the colour should I need to) as well as some colour gradations. I'm also thinking of doing some fabric painting as well as they usual dip/vat dyeing (probably with plastic bags). Painting in the sense that I choose where to put colour and control it to an extent - not as in painting pictures.

Here are some pictures of some dyeing that I did some time ago but that is similar to what I'm thinking of doing.

Colour triangle - with puree colour in each corner and combinations of the three colours in every other piece.



This is what I mean by painting...


Now I just have to make it happen.

I've been so busy Journalling that I've forgotten to blog!

Everyday on the train trip to and from work I dig out my sketchbook and start scribbling away, making thumbnail sketches and notes. The other day I had to buy myself a pair of scissors and some sticky tap so that I could stick all the pictures I'd printed out and I just couldn't wait till I got home!. I find that by doing this in the morning, I keep thinking about it all day and store up ideas till the trip home where I just can't wait to add them.

There is no organisation in my journal and that is the way I wanted it - if it was too planned and rigid, I'd be afraid to scribble and draw and make notes. At the moment I'm playing out lots of different ideas to see where they lead. I'll work on an idea for a day or a couple of days or sometimes just a few minutes, change to another, and come back to the first again if something else comes up.

I have a brainstorming page at the front where I put words that relate to the theme and questions to follow up. I also have a page at the back where I'm listing my 'ideas' or 'formats' (eg. series, large hand embroidered work, postcards, fabric book etc) as they come to me so I don't forget them. Then when I need a start I turn to those pages and pick something to start designing.

Unfortunately for my readers, this means that there are no pictures at this stage, but I'm working up to it. My latest sketches are leading into something that I will be able to work at on the train, so I'm gearing up towards that for next week.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anna from Serendipity gave me the answer to yesterday's question. The pictures are called photograph mosaics or photomosaics.

I'm sending Anna a fabric postcard to say thanks!!!

This is what I was talking about...

(you can download these as wallpaper for your desktop at: http://andreamosaic.org/wallpaper/)

Now that I know what they're called I've found heaps of links.

This one is particularly impressive - Infinitely zoomable photographic mosaic - its a photomasaic that just keeps going on and on and on. When I saw the first picture I couldn't imagine that it was a mosiac, but I was wrong!! note: it needs a flash player to view.

There are also heaps of programs that let you create photographic mosaics using your own photographs. My head is reeling with the possibilities!!

What's it called???....

I have an idea and I'm trying to find an image as a reference but can't for the life of me work out what it's called to find a sample.

Perhaps somebody who's reading can help...

I'm thinking of a pixellated/pointillism idea, where the image is made up of dots or squares of colour. I've seen pictures (sometimes protraits, but other images as well) that are made up of thousands of smaller photos of the same theme/person/image arranged in such a way that when you stand back you see the larger image almost perfectly. It's kinda like an optical illusion.

I'm looking for a link that might show this - does anyone have any ideas?...

Getting creative...

This week, instead of taking a book on the train (yes I did finish last weeks book - it was a great read!) I've taken a sketch-book. T

he Phoenix group that I studied with and have exhibited with twice are putting on another exhibition. It's not until next year (April I think) but we've been planning for some time and it's about time I got motivated and started creating for it.

I decided that instead of making notes on scraps of paper and then losing them, I'd make a good attempt at a visual journal for this exhibition. I'm going to try to just add to it as ideas come and not be concerned about how it looks. I'm looking at it as my notebook and a resource for when I get stuck. - My usual way is to start a sketchbook but then because I want it to look good I end up not using it and it gets added to the pile of sketchbooks with just the first few pages used.

I've also decided that for the most part I'm going to use a black ink pen and not be afraid to make a mark.

So far I'm doing OK. Some of my sketches are really bad, and some are OK. Nothing is brilliant, but all I want is some ideas and to plant the seed. I'm finding that as I jot down an idea and start to sketch it out (either with words or drawings) that I'm lead to other thoughts and ideas. I'm finding that I'm getting excited about the theme again too!

I'm planning on doing quite a bit of hand embroidery, so as my ideas form into something more solid I'll be able to put the sketchbook aside (but keep it in the bag) and get stitching on the train as well....

That is the intention - I've made it public - now lets see how I go!

And finally, because I haven't posted any pics for a while here is a hint at our theme - can you guess?

Charlotte Ziebarth - An inspiring quilt artist!!

I read about Charlotte Ziebarth in the August/September 2007 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Charlotte is a quilt artist (or art quilter - however you want to look at it) who uses digital photos printed directly onto fabric in her quilts. Her main focus is nature - which certainly strikes a cord with me - and the imagery in her quilts is incredible. I particularly like the way that she's not afraid to repeat an image several times in one quilt, or to only use one image repeated in various sizes and colours.

I'd love to put an image of one of her quilts here but I won't for fear of copywrite contravention. Instead go to her website and browse through the galleries!!! I want to point you to a favourite but there are too many to mention - just go and look for yourself!!

Charlotte Ziebarth - www.charlotteziebarth.com

What I'm reading this week...

I'm still doing nothing creative. This lack of creativity is made even more difficult by the fact that I'm ready a good book - can't do both on the train at once (need audio books, which need a player...)

Whiteout, by Ken Follett is one of those books where you are so absorbed that the conversations happening around you on the train dissappear. Where you are so absorbed that suddenly you look up and notice that the train is pulling into your station and you're not at the end of the chapter and consider sitting there till you are. I started this one on Monday and thought I was only a little way into it, but now realise that I'm almost half-way through. Now I'm wondering if I should slow down so that I can enjoy it for longer.

I've been quite boring lately...

I've nothing to show and nothing to report. I've done nothing creative and haven't even started to tidy the work room as promised. I'm itching to do something though so I am going to try to find something to work on tonight.


In the mean time, I have been doing a course at Quilt University about using colour (well, I haven't participated much 'cause I've not really done anything so I read everyone elses posts and read the lessons). Yes I know about colour, but I wanted to explore it and to get somebody elses input on ways to use colour - and hopefully to step outside of my 'comfort zone'. Here is a colour bridge exercise that I did. Most people used fabrics, others used digital paint or quilt programs, but I used portions of photos.