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.

#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.

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.