dorothy.j.wolf wrote:
Dorothy,
I've had that problem myself at times. I think it was Judy that said she strained her dyes through coffee filters. I'm going to try that on my upcoming dye workshops. I just know this: DO NOT THINK YOU CAN USE PAPER TOWELING FOR THIS,!!! And I think a skewer through one of the filters that's flat and opens at the top would be the way to go. I wonder if a fill-your-own tea bag down the throat of a proper sized jar, rubber banded to top ring, might also work.
When I get spots I just cut around them for fussy cutting, make sure they will land in a seam, appliqué over them, do some surface design work over them, or add more with various methods and act like it was exactly what I was going for!! LOL
Most importantly, enjoy what ever you get. We can drive ourselves bonkers trying to be perfect. Ask my how I know!
May God bless your stitches.
Luann

I found a table runner I liked, called "Lily Dreams," in Edyta Sitar's book "Hop to It..." This, too, is a gift... I can never seem to hang on to anything I make... It's made entirely from scraps in the favorite colors of the intended recipient. She'll be receiving it in a couple of days. The hardest part, for me, was figuring out how to quilt it, but I stitched in the ditch to give me as much flexibility with the different densities of quilting I used for the middle block and the rest.

Rosemary I will try the Profelan Arnica cream, Geneva gave me a prescription for wine and I have tried that with great effect (on the night). Sounds like you had a great day at Oxford - I love days that involve art activities.
Love Pam

Geneva you are the best Doctor EVER! I love the wine medicine. As you are a Doctor I wondered if you could also prescribe me a wee Whisky- only a small one - before bed. Thank you Dr Geneva
Love Pam

oooooh sounds wonderful Rosemary!!
Still working on my first batch of hand dyes....had one (blue violet) that ended up with speckles of red on it, but so far the rest are turning out ok. We'll see after I get them all washed out

Pam, a good cream for sore muscles is Profelan Arnica Muscle & Joint Cream -it is wonderful for pulled muscles & bruises. I will be using some myself this evening on my ankles as I spent all yesterday walking around 'Art In Action' at Waterperry House in Oxfordshire with my Dad & DD and had an excellent day.
They have exhibitions of lots of different types of arts with some hands on play pieces, classes (if you are organised) and all the artists there working on pieces and available to talk to about their specialism. Arts included, sculpture, painting, printmaking, glassmaking, jewellery making, ceramics, dyeing, tapestry, embroidery etc. The food outlets were also excellent. We had fresh pancakes in the morning for an early lunch and freshly made Belgium waffles with cream & berries mid afternoon - yum.

Luann, thank you, I would love a copy of the article! That would be great!

Also, it wanted to point out that I cannot take credit for the spoon/fork idea, as it was a pattern I bought at IQF Houston last year. I forget the name of the pattern designer, but it is easy to google. Loved everything in her booth and bought that one, a Christmas tree one, and a Christmas wreath one. Haven't made those yet...

Did some more piecing on my curved piece and love how easily it is going together! Will come back with pictures later on.

Hope everyone had a good weekend so far!

Kathy, thank you for those step by step instructions, yes, i want to make one of those too... And it seems to be something that cozld well be sewn by hand when one is on the go, maybe presew the circles with the machine and then do the piecing by hand when one is travelling...
Something to try when i get sick of my hexies....

Thanks for all the dying info, luann, i'm now off to get lost in your blog...
If i don't show up again next week, you know where to find me

dorothy.j.wolf wrote:
South Carolina

Montana...where are you?

Dorothy,
Where are you located?
Luann

Thanks Luann! I just started dyeing about a week ago, and am just loving it!!! I can't wait to get enough fabrics that I can make a whole quilt out of my own hand dyed fabric! I'd LOVE to spend the day dyeing with you LOL!
Dorothy

dorothy.j.wolf wrote:
Dorothy,
On many classes they say any where from 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp. when using measuring spoons.
I weigh my dye powder and prefer Candy Glendenning's saturation level. If I use 10gr to 2 cups of water, I get lovely and lively results. You can always cut your stock by adding water to get less saturated colors. When I was in Elizabeth Barton's class I mixed it at 20 grams to 1 cup of water and I felt that I wasted a lot of dye. The washout took forever!!
Another note that is important. I use less than 1 cup for a 1 yard cut of fabric. So if I am dyeing a fat quarter I use 1/4 cup of dye stock, etc. I hope this helps.
You really should plan to spend some time visiting me!!! We could dye all day long. LOL
May God bless your day with a new song,
Luann
And do keep records whether you want to duplicate or not. I formerly hated recording fun stuff, but now I enjoy it. I usually write up a plan, then make notes as I go, because things always change. Then at the end I can write a review or make samples of the results. Like this,,

Luann...how much powder dye per cup do you use to make the "stock" dye?