My Tips n Techniques

Monday, December 31, 2012

Year in Review.....2012



A look back at 2012...


January 2012

Snow Dyeing Fabric Slide Show





























February 2012

Calypso Quilt Completed





March 2012

New Baby Chicks





April 2012






May 2012

Inspiration from the Flower Beds





June 2012

Rounding up Cattle Slide Show




Fabric Dyeing Workshop in the Back Yard





July 2012







August 2012






September 2012

Big Bloomers....Quilting Complete




Paul Harvey in the Tetons





October 2012

Thread Shed.....Remodel





November 2012

Hexagon Quilt.....In Progress





December 2012

Green Quilt Completed



It is FUN to look back....

and even more FUN to look forward to 2013.


I THANK YOU ALL 

for following along this journey with me.

Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

2012 Slideshow


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CLICK HERE:  My Quilts


May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Hexagon Text Quilt......Border Treatment


Every Quilt has a story...



This quilt started out its life in 


October 2012

We were in the park visiting our son 

when I began piecing this.






This Quilt kept me company while I was 

nursing a head cold

November 2012

The 8 days I was in bed, I completed 

the center of the Quilt.





December 2012







We live an hours' drive from town,

so I was able to stitch lots of hexagons while we were

out driving and holiday shopping.

Yes, I am fortunate I can sew while traveling 

in a vehicle.





2 Rows of darker border hexagons added so far...

I think I will add 2 more rows and call it done.





This Quilt is not finished, yet it has provided me 

with comfort while I was ill,  

kept me occupied while traveling hundreds

of miles, and inspired me and fed my soul.



Wishing you many quilted stories in the New Year!


CLICK HERE to view: Grandmothers Flower Garden

CLICK HERE to view:  Fabric Dyeing

CLICK HERE to view:  Classes

CLICK HERE to view My Quilts


May YOUR Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Happy Holidays...





Happy Holidays from Oregon





Gunnr....the Reindeer




This fabric was originally white on white:


You could not see the numbers....until I dyed it






The numbers acted as a resist to the dye, but the

background fabric took the dye very nicely.


CLICK HERE to view:  From The Flower Beds

CLICK HERE to view:  From The Hen House

CLICK HERE to view:  From The Thread Shed

CLICK HERE to view My Quilts



May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi

Dyeing to Design Class.....Homework

I am still working through some assignments in an

online class I took at Quilt University




Lesson 2.......Dye the Color Wheel

Mixing your own colors.....very FUN






Lesson 3........Arashi Shibori Dyeing

This technique creates incredible fabrics






Lesson 1.........Gradient Dyeing

Dye from Black to White







I am only half way through the course materials.

Lots more to do and learn!

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view:  Screen Printing

CLICK HERE to view:  Feeling Groovy Quilt

CLICK HERE to view:  Sun Printing



May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Fabric Ice Dyeing......Parfait Style


The fabric dyeing supplies are on the table...



Let's try some Parfait or Lasagna style dyeing...






5 gallon bucket........wire napkin holder in bottom

to keep fabric off the bottom...




 Soda Soaked Cotton Fabric:


Scrunched up......then placed in 5 gallon buckets...




Ice piled on top of fabric:


Sprinkle Procion MX dye powder on top of ice...






Place another layer of ice on top of dye powder...




Add more soda soaked fabric on top...


Sprinkle more dye powder on top of ice...

  


Keep repeating fabric, ice, dye, ice:


Like making lasagna or a parfait.

Keep going until the buckets are full.



My neighbor, Kathi, is wearing a mask...


prevents her from breathing in the dye powder.




We filled all the big containers in the house:


It took 2 days for the ice to melt.

Then I placed them by the wood stove to warm up and batch.



On the 5th day I rinsed and washed the iced fabrics:


Parfait Iced Fabrics......Washed and Dried




What I learned...


I used waaay too much dye powder...






I used plenty of ice......but too much dye powder.






I lost a lot of the texture created by the ice...






because too much dye powder...






over saturated the fabric with color...






I was hoping for softer, paler colors.....and this is too dark.






This piece has lighter blues...






and so did this one...






you are able to see the icy textures in these pieces...






For the most part, each layer of the parfait maintained its'

original dye color......not too much blending.






The colors stayed true and didn't muddy up...




I learned a lot from this dye experiment...


This is a technique you can use year round....

No need to wait for winter to bring the snow.

It is fast to layer up, easy and FUN!

Next time...

I won't have such a heavy hand with the dye powders.



The darkest fabrics I plan to do some discharging


Yes, that is a puppy paw on the fabric.


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts


CLICK HERE to view:  Rust Dyeing Fabrics

CLICK HERE to view:  Microwave Dyeing Fabrics

CLICK HERE to view:  Snow Dyeing Fabrics


May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi