Dyeing with Blackberries

Lots of harvesting going on here and that means I need to inventory and clean out the freezers. I meant to do this earlier in the summer when the produce was still in the garden, but I just didn’t make time for it. While cleaning out the freezers I found a couple bags of old…

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More fun silk scarf dyeing classes

Yesterday I taught two of my Easy and Fun Silk Scarf Dyeing classes at Scattered Art in Newburgh. Since Dolly’s (Scattered Art’s owner) space is now limited, the maximum of students we can accommodate is eight. However, that didn’t limit our fun! I’ve gotten a lot of great comments about these classes, but never the…

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How To: Dyeing silk with ties

I love ties. When I’m trolling local thrift stores I always have to stop by the tie rack and see what lovelies I can find. Until recently I really didn’t know what to do with them but add them to my stash.  I thought about cutting them up and making something, but then I ran…

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Back To Basics: Soy Wax Batik

UPDATE: Check out this new soy wax tutorial from 2021. This year I’m started a new series of monthly “Back to Basics” posts which will include introductory information on different surface design techniques. I love to teach both through my blog and “live”, and thought these might be helpful for those of you out there…

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Using Cleanline resist

I have been hunting for a good water soluble resist. I’ve used blue school glue and it works fine, but I wanted something a bit thinner. I have tried several bottles of Jacquard resist and have not been happy at all. It spread all over the place. I was told by a chemist at Jacquard…

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Lots of Dyed Silk

You know I love fabric and surface design, but I’ve always gravitated toward cotton. Really, to tell you the truth, I have been scared to death of silk. It’s such a lovely fiber, but I’ve been so afraid I’d mess it up. Then last year I took an awesome silk painting class from Evi Slaby.…

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October 20 Sunday Roundup

Good Sunday Morning all! I bought a new Brother Innov-is 950D embroidery and sewing machine!  I love my old Elna, but it seems lately that it takes more time to get her up and running. Once I finally get her humming I’m out of the mood. A week ago Saturday I was ready to start…

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My Silk Painted Scarves

Wednesday was the last session of the  Silk Scarf Painting Class with Evi Slaby. I wanted to show you four of the silk painted scarves that I completed. I learned so much from this class, but the biggest lesson was not to be so afraid of silk. For me, silk has always meant expensive and…

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Dyeing with Colorhue

In my quest to find and try different supplies to experiment with, I ran across a video about Colorhue dyes. Before I get to the tutorial, here are a couple of my new dyed silk scarves. According to the manufacturer’s directions, these dyes are instant-set and can be used on silk, linen, wool, and rayon.…

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