How to Successfully Combine Hand Dyed and Commercial Fabrics

Welcome to the Pink Doxies' guest post for 

Sew Cute Tuesday 

at Blossom Heart Quilts!

Note: As a guest blogger, this same post is appearing on Blossom Heart Quilts today. Use the link to view there, and link up to the Sew Cute Tuesday Link Party!

I'm Julie here at Pink Doxies, and I do more than make quilts. I'm a fan of improv design and a longarmer, but I also like to print, paint, and dye fabrics. Surface design is fast becoming my favorite thing to do. For dyeing, Procion MX dyes are my pick because they are both versatile, and will not fade the way some dyes will. I can create a soft, pastel palette, or one that is saturated, bright, and beautiful! When I've dyed the fabric a perfect color, I'm sure it will stay that color because these dyes are chemically bonded. I'm such a color fanatic, and I love the process!

"You spend all this time dyeing them, 

but do you use them in quilts?"

Mini Round Robin Round #2

Tish's Beautiful Block!

This is round #2 of our 2016 Round Robin with Sandra of mmm! Quilts, Cindy of Stitchin At Home, myself, and the original creator of this block center, Tish of Tish's Adventures in Wonderland. 

Embroidering a Deconstructed Screen Print & Special Sneak Peek

Do You See What I See?

I have really labored figuring out how to work with this deconstructed silk screen print I made. I have torn out as much thread as I put in it, but am not disappointed I had to do it. I found out what did not work before I settled for what I believed did. 

Adding Layers to Hand Dyed Fabric with Paint

Personalized Notebook Covers

It's been a few days since I've given you any news from the studio, but a lot has taken place. Let me start by saying there are several projects going on simultaneously, and I'll try to catch you up.

Keeping records is very important when you experiment as much as I do. I note measurements, temperatures, dye colors, processes, etc., knowing there's no way I'll ever remember everything. But one problem I keep having, is not being able to locate one special notebook to keep everything together. Dyes in one, paints in another, etc. I have at least a dozen composition books and journals going, but recipes all need to be kept in just one.

Tie Dye for Fourth of July!

First Batch of Tie Dyed Clothing

Like these little outfits, this post is short and sweet. It was on my June plan since I bought the clothing, and needed to be done before the kids grew out of them. Oh, yes, that has happened to me before!

I have done tie dyed fabrics before, and shown you the process, but never clothing. There are lots of babies in the family right now--remember all the quilts, and the Fourth of July is a very big deal in our little town. We host one of two fireworks here, and there is a good, old-fashioned parade. Gnadenhutten, Ohio is Smalltown, USA in every respect.

Dip Dyeing Details

Dip Dyed Fat Quarters

Yes, I know I was supposed to stick with stamping, but I wanted to try out a different dyeing technique I'd read about. That, and I still owed fabric to Jennifer @inquiringquilter for winning the April link up for #BraveQuilter. Let me give you a quick run down on how this process is different, and the recipe is at the end.

Foam Stamps and No Reply Bloggers

Foam Stamps

One of the quickest way to produce a unique stamp with little effort is to use pre-cut foam shapes. Here's a quick tutorial for a project on a rainy day with kids.

Deconstructed Screen Printing: Fabric Art

Deconstructed Screen Printing:
Fabric Art

Making a homemade screen out of my sheer fabric worked so well, I decided to buy some larger frames with stretched and primed canvas. You can often find them reasonably priced in art and hobby stores in two packs. Even Walmart has some smaller sizes. I took a razor knife, and cut the canvas off at the stapled area on the back. I carefully set it aside to use for something else. 

Low Tech Printing and Stamping: Potatoes, Foam, and Embossing Plates

Another Layer

What fun I've been having, and all 

the better when I'm sharing it with you! 

The majority of folks don't have a bottomless purse to fund their hobbies so I've been keeping that foremost in my mind while doing these projects. I think being economically and ecologically minded with both money and materials should be a consideration in all our lives. So I try to stay within a reasonable budget, and RRR: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. If you're trying some of these projects yourselves, start being aware of where you can scavenge free materials. Your junk mail, jars, bubble wrap, onion bags, packaging on many items, etc., and so on are all freebies. Make sure they're clean, and start accumulating interesting shapes and textures to use for printing. 

Silk Screening SUPER Simplified

"Design On-the-Fly" Silk Screen Tools

Okay, so we don't normally have silk screen emergencies, but play along with me here. This is one of the most fun posts I've done in a while.

All through June I'm playing with methods of printing, and friends keep asking me, "When are you silk screening?" I had intended to do this toward the end of the project, but because I thought it was one of the more expensive, and technically involved methods. But when I got such fun results from using a lowly spud in the first posts, here and here, I thought, "How can I super simplify this so it's accessible to nearly everyone? How do I take away the dark mystery of silk screening?" 

#BraveQuilter Winner for May & June Linky OPEN

Congratulations, Kate!
 @ Smiles From Kate 
You're the #BraveQuilter Winner for May!

Low Tech Printing: On Fabric

 Cabbage and Valspar Interior Paint

My cabbage had seen better days, but instead of composting it, I stripped down the outer leaves, and sliced it in half. One half was saved for supper, but one was destined for a print. It was hard to hold on to, so I stuck a fork in it for a handle. A tiny bit of paint on a sheet of foil, and it was easy to pull a print off of it. Was it stunning? Nope, but I could see where it might have potential for a background. Can you see using parts of it as frothy wave action? Most definitely!

Low Tech Printing: Potatoes

It was late in the day before I could start printing. The whole, long day I spent mowing, I planned out what I wanted to do. I tried to eliminate all specialty materials so if you were inspired to play along, you could. How about some potatoes and leftover latex paint? 

#BraveQuilter Wrap Up for May and June Plans

It's Time to Link Up!

It's exciting for me to hear some of you writing about your new adventures as Brave Quilters. You're going out of your comfort zones to do things that are a little bit difficult--even scary, and it's making you better quilters and sewists.  You're setting your own goals, and deciding when you've completed them. Goal setting, and the follow through are excellent habits that spill over into the rest of our lives. Practicing with fabric is an easy way to make it a habit. I heartily congratulate each one of you even if you didn't participate here.