Friday, July 15, 2016

Printing with a Gelli Plate



Prints from a Gel Printing Plate
from Gelli Arts

These paper prints were some of the very first pulls I took from a new gel plate. For someone without any background in acrylics or painting, it was a very exciting moment in the studio. My whole world stopped until I could watch and read nearly everything out there about gel printing, and get more background on acrylics. I could see the potential to change the way I was approaching surface decoration.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Secret Surprise Happy Mail



Delightful, Happy Mail
from Sandra at 

Nearly a month ago, I received a surprise package in the mail. There was a whole bundle of goodies, and as I opened it I was trying to think why someone had sent me this--from Ireland, to boot! All the while, I was tickled pink by the surprise! My mind slowly went back months to maybe a year before when I had had traded emails with another blogger about being part of an exchange of sorts. In order to be a part of it, I just had to agree to send one or more forward. There were no hard rules, nor a set timeline. (Oh, I liked that part!) So, I did agree, and then forgot about it until this lovely package turned up.

Monday, July 11, 2016

Using Inks and Paints Not Labelled Safe for Fabrics



Green, Green Ohio!
The lilies are about to bloom. 
Can you see all the different
shades of green?

While heading toward the middle of July here in Ohio, the rain is soaking us less often. Yards might have a bit of browning, but for the most part it is still very green. I think it's natural for our surroundings to influence our work, and sure enough, I mixed up some grass green printing ink for a project.

Friday, July 8, 2016

Embellished Deconstructed Screen Print


'A Royal Afternoon'

This 11" x 29" art quilt has been in progress several weeks. 



It was very difficult to figure out what it needed, and I put in hours of stitching that I later ripped out. I'm glad I persisted, though, because in the end I'm happy with the piece.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

#BraveQuilter Winner for June



Low Immersion Dyed FQ's

These 2 fat quarters are packed and ready for the June winner of #BraveQuilter. The Random Number Generator said #2, so...

Monday, July 4, 2016

My Bee Hive Block Collection from May



Chainlink: A block from the Bee Hive
at Blossom Heart Quilts

May was my month to be the queen bee for my bee hive. I have written before about my brand new experience of joining a bee where blocks are exchanged each month. Twelve participants each have a month, take their turn at determining which block they would like made for them, the colors, and some other determining factors.

Friday, July 1, 2016

#BraveQuilter Wrap Up Linky for June OPEN


Scenes from the Commute:
Cue the Turkey Buzzards

I enjoy these link up parties for #BraveQuilter more than anything. So many of you have attempted things you might not have tried without them, and that includes me. For the past two weeks, I have been here at Pink Doxies only to do a quick check-in or submit a post written ahead of time. I guess you would say I have had a sabbatical of sorts.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

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?"

Sunday, June 26, 2016

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. 

Friday, June 24, 2016

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. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

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.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

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.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

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.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

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.

Friday, June 10, 2016

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. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

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. 

Monday, June 6, 2016

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?" 

Saturday, June 4, 2016

#BraveQuilter Winner for May & June Linky OPEN



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


Friday, June 3, 2016

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!

Thursday, June 2, 2016

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?