Looking back 2016

Oh my! This year has really gone by fast. So how much did I accomplish during 2016?

This year I spent a lot of time teaching. After a year of planning and thinking about it, I finally opened my online class, Icy Delights: Dyeing Fabric With Ice, for registration in May. It’s been so much fun to share my love of this technique, and to see all of the lovely fabric students have created.

It also was the year of teaching local classes. I taught almost 200 students.

I taught three classes for kids: tie dye bandanas at Patchwork Central and tie dyed t-shirts at Gilda’s. I also taught the Patchwork group to dye silk scarves.

The Easy And Fun Silk Scarf Dyeing class was so much fun. Students found out that they  could create something beautiful and wear it home! I taught a couple classes at Gilda’s and many more at Scattered Art in Newburgh. I also had a couple groups contact me to have their own dyeing party.

I taught a prayer flags class at Gilda’s and a Painted Zip Bag class at Scattered Art.

But besides teaching, my biggest accomplishment this year was sewing! Not only did I sew up these lovely bags, but I felt confident enough to give the one in the back on the right (my favorite of the bunch) to a local silent auction.

I’ve wanted to make those corded bowls for years now, and finally this year I did it! I’ve been having so much fun, but instead of covering the cording with fabric, I’ve been dyeing it. Then I got on a roll making coasters.

I also had the opportunity to share my art on WEHT Local Lifestyles. I appeared on this popular local program seven times this year with my friend and lovely host, Ange Humphrey.

I also completed another project I’ve wanted to do in years and that’s sew those little cloth dolls.

I moved my mandalas from paper to cloth and painted them with watercolors.

This year was the third and last year for The Printed Fabric Bee group. It’s been a fun run and it’s been so exciting to meet this great group of creative women. During the first two years when we did a project every month, I felt it really helped to stretch me as an artist. This year we each took a month and posted on our specific topic. During my month I talked about adding resists to ice dyeing. This was one of the posts.

In June I headed to Cincinnati for an Eco Print Retreat “Exploring Nature’s Patterns” with Jacqueline Sullivan. I had fun and loved meeting Jacqueline and the other lovely women, but decided eco printing  just wasn’t something that I wanted to pursue. And that’s a good thing – marking off something from my list!

But of all of the wonderful stuff I did this year, the highlight was traveling to Honolulu with Dave and recreating a picture with him. We tried to find the exact location where mom and dad’s photo was taken. We were close, but so much has changed since they were there. I talk about this journey on this post.

What a great year! Thanks for dropping by. Now for 2017. Happy New Year everyone!