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Now that the sun is shining in New England and summer is nearly officially here, I'm feeling the tug of nature and the need to try a new outdoor fiber art project. Although I've experimented with sun printing and dyeing techniques , there are many variations that I haven't tried. I am especially...
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I've always found quilters to be a generous bunch, always ready to share a technique or some fabric from their stash. Quilting instruction, surface design techniques, or even spinning or mixed media: the choice is yours on Craft Daily. But, I'd hesitate to call any but my best quilting buddies...
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Last year about this time, I was inspired by a group dyeing adventure at the Interweave offices to host my own dyeing party at home . An invitation to dye. Ranging in age from 13 to 70-something, our band of seven women--most of whom had never tried textile dyeing before--dyed silk and rayon scarves...
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The sewing needle is the fiber artist's pencil: you're simply drawing with thread. When you hand stitch, you can guide the direction of the thread to make a design. And when you lower the feed dogs on your sewing machine, you can stitch in any direction, too. In The Art of Thread Sketching: Free...
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Whenever a new batch of commercial fabric samples arrives in our offices, everyone gathers around to ooh, aah, and dream about how they would use this or that pattern to make a quilt, bag, accessory, or baby item. I'm always first in line to see what's new, hungrily eyeing every stack of new...
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Last year when Pantone announced its Color of the Year — Tangerine Tango — I was a fan. I like cheerful, sunny colors, and this one hit the spot for me. I could see using it in different modes, from fabric to embroidery to surface design techniques . The blues and golds of the batik fabric...
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Usually when we hear the word shibori, we think of dyeing . Shibori dyeing come from the Japanese term for several methods of resist dyeing using binding or tying, stitching, folding, twisting, compressing it, or capping to create patterns. 'Fall Birch Scene' (detail) by Holly McLean. Shibori...
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Where I live in New England, it gets dark at about 4:30 p.m. in the depths of winter. So when Daylight Savings Time kicks in and the snowbanks start to melt, I'm itching to get outside and do some fabric painting and dyeing. Sun printing with stencils. (Photo by Pokey Bolton.) I have always admired...
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When I returned to New England from QuiltCon in Austin, Texas, this week, I couldn't help but notice: it snowed again while I was gone. Yes, while I was in the climate-controlled comfort of the exhibit halls surrounded by colorful quilts--and quilters--Mother Nature had thrown another heavy blanket...
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One of the joys and privileges of working on Quilting Arts Magazine is that I get to talk to a wide variety of quilt artists and find out what makes them tick. 'Masked Self-Portrait,' 24½ " x 19", quilt art by Kate Themel. In the April/May issue of Quilting Arts I have an interview...
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Lately I have been trying to keep my own artwork on the radar. It is a real challenge to balance the demands of life, work, and family and still have an intimate relationship with my art supplies. An example from one of my studio play dates: Thermofax screen printing over gelatin monoprinting. I've...
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If you want to give your art quilts or fiber art a unique design, one of the easiest ways is with fabric painting and surface design techniques. And one of the simplest ways to apply fabric paints or inks in a unique way is with monoprinting. Margarita Korioth made a monoprint on fabric with a collagraph...
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Last week I shared a pillow project by Candy Glendening, noting how the simplicity of the design allowed her hand-dyed fabrics to take center stage. Today I thought I'd give you some insight into Candy's fabric dyeing process. Candy Glendening Colorful baby clothes ready to be picked. By Candy...
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When decorating for the Christmas season, I am always drawn to patterns of red and white that remind me of my Scandinavian heritage. But that doesn't mean we ignore my husband's Italian ancestry -- or traditional motifs of other cultures. Judy Coates Perez used fabric paint to create this moonlit...
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Recently, I shared Marcia Derse's tips for making your own fabric stamps for resist dyeing . The way that Marcia came to surface design and incorporates fabric painting and dyeing techniques into her quilt art fascinates me so much, I thought I'd give you some insight into her thought process...