Unscientific Comparison

My friends Susan and Marilyn from the Fiber Divas use a 50% bamboo/50% cotton fabric for dyeing and other surface design. They get it at Joann's. I decided I wanted to try it out. Since the Joann's near (relatively near) us doesn't carry it, I ordered it online. They call it a drapery lining muslin and it is a 200 count weave. I decided to try ice dying with it and a piece of  PFD Pimatex cotton for comparison. The Pimatex is what I've been using for quite a while. 

Below on the left side is the Pimatex piece. The two longer ones in the middle and on the right ore the bamboo/cotton fabric. They dyed really well. They have a softer hand than the cotton after being rinsed. Almost a silky feel. Susan likes using this fabric for stamping and other surface design because of the tighter weave.

I bought the bamboo/cotton when it was on sale for 50% off. Regularly it is $12 something a yard. I paid $6 something. I also bought it over the 4th of July holiday when they had 4 cent shipping.

This bottom one is another piece I dyed. I think it is one of my favorites. I used a variety of reds and yellows.  Will have to think of something special to do with it. This one is Pimatex cotton.

                                     

Challenge Quilt and More Ice Dyeing

Recently on the Quilt Art list, there was a discussion on how you work. Do you work on one project at a time and finish it before you move on or do you work on multiple projects at once? I'm definately in the latter group. When I start a quilt I will almost always reach a point where I have to stand back and figure out what the next step will be. This could be a matter of minutes to days. While I'm waiting for inspiration to hit me, I will either start a new project or move on to an old one. I was at that point the other day and sandwiched 3 quilts to be quilted. This is the first one. It is now quilted and bound. I need to find something to go in the center circles to hide where the quilting lines meet. It looks a little sloppy there.

 This is what I made for the Divas challenge where we all received a 1/4 yard of fabric from everyone and had to create a quilt with it. I had trouble adding Susan's fabric to the quilt. Hers was the last one I received. I  kept trying things and didn't like them and my piece of fabric was getting smaller and smaller. I finally decided on the circles in the center of all the squares.

This piece of yellow was the yellow piece here. I overdyed it the other day and think it looks much better.

These are some new pieces that I ice dyed. The one on the left was on the bottom and the one on right was on the top. I mixed some intense blue and sun yellow dye powder together before I put the powder onto the ice. I wanted green not yellow and blue. I forget what red I used.

New Quilt

This is a new quilt I've been working on. I started it using Rayna Gillman's book, Create Your Own 

Free-form Quilts. Using Rayna's technique you just start cutting strips and sewing them together. With my schedule right now I just needed some mindless sewing. I really like the colors in this. I didn't like this first layout as much with the purple strips on the bottom. 

I replaced the purple strips and came up with this. Don't like this orientation as much. It's really nice to be able to play with Photo Shop Elements and see the different orientations with out having to keep rearranging the pieces.

This is the way I like it the best. Tonight that is. When I look at it again tomorrow that might change or I might decide to move things around some more. Think I need to add a little more of the black fabric to balance the quilt a little.

This is the orientation on my design wall. Which is the back of two bookcases right now. I really need to get up a real design wall. Since I have the nice new painted walls, I don't want to stick push pins into it. You can see the pieces of scotch tape I've used to stick the different pieces up. I don't really like this vertical orientation. Something about it just doesn't work for me.

 It's getting late so I'd better head to bed so I can get up for work in the morning. I hate having to stop when I just want to keep working.

Good Night All!!!