Building a Steamer for Dyed Fabrics, Part 2

We have finished constructing the steamer for me to use to complete the dyeing process when I am using my Procion dyes (and this will be good for silk dyeing as well).  This first picture shows the inner core.  I will wrap my dyed cloth in newsprint and then wrap it around this inner core.  The core is covered with cheesecloth and my guy was careful to cut off all the sharp bits of metal.  The cheesecloth is just further assurance that no scratchy bits will get in the way of the fabric, or my fingers!!  The outer tube is made of chimney stove pipe and the seams are covered with a metallic tape that I understand will be waterproof and will keep the steam in.  I'll set these two pieces, with the dyed fabric around the core, on top of the wire-covered spring-form pan into the canning kettle (see my last post) and add water to the kettle.  I'll cover the top with a towel and then the canning lid and set it all atop the heating element.  I'll be trying it out in a couple of days, so I'll report back at that time.
  

In the meantime, here are a few images of some watercolour pictures I have completed at the course I am taking at a nearby art school  The teacher has been gracious enough to let me use my own pen and ink style, the same one that I am using on fabric.  This way the class nicely complements what I am trying to achieve with my own designs.  I am very happy to have the drawing and painting instruction and I think it is going to be a fun class.  The teacher is a very talented watercolourist and her own botanical paintings are exquisite.  Check out some of her work at  www.foxglove.ca    

This last shot is out of order because I had originally set it to post as the second pic in this series but only half the image came up (I know how it feels!!) so here it is at the end of my post.  It shows the cheesecloth covered inner core of the steamer (sewn with a mattress needle that I found amongst some old needles that belonged to my mother) and the top of the stovepipe.  I'll report back when I've tried it all out.
Back soon.....

Building a Steamer for Dyed Fabrics

I haven't been doing much art lately so haven't had much to show you.  Sorry about that.

However, we have been building a steamer for my dyed fabrics using the directions from Jean Dunnewold and Lisa Kerpoe's bookon Vibrant Colour (I'll get the complete title for my next post).  I haven't had a chance to try it out yet but I can't wait.  The resulting colours are supposed to be much more vibrant.  Certainly, it will make the removal of the soy wax much easier and so much better for my drain pipes!!   You can see the various bits and pieces in the first shot and then the platform to raise the unit above the water in the second shot.  More pictures and more information for you next time.

 In the meantime, my guy is getting himself organized for his winter trip to warmer climes.  And I am getting organized to spend the winter devoting myself to various art endeavours.  I have started a watercolour class at one of our local art schools and am taking an on-line class with Lesley Riley (for which I will provide a link in the next post as well.....clearly I am not as organized as I had hoped!!)  I am trying to spend some time drawing every day and I want to do some painting every day as well.   I am babysitting quite a lot and we've been doing lots of walks. The rain has arrived at last and the fall season is upon us.  It is all very beautiful.

My guy leaves in a week and then I'll be back.  I promise!

(A) Little Chair Stitching

I have started stitching on the little chair quilt.  I have stitched the chair onto the piece and have begun the hand stitching.  It always seems to take such a long time to decide what I'm going to put where.  I have to look at the piece and consider what, where and how.  All part of the process I guess.  And I don't dislike the process at all.  But it does seem to have to come from deep down.

I wonder if that ever changes.

I'll be back.....

'Little chair in Aix" revisited

I am working on a new piece but I am revisiting one of my watercolours from my time in Aix-en-Provence this past spring.  This is a little chair that was in the gite that we stayed in and I loved it so much that I just had to paint it.  So much so, that I am painting it again, this time on fabric, to use in one of my stitched pieces.  I have painted it onto mercerized cotton using old (very old!) fabric paints by Jacquard.  The paint sort of 'glooped' out of the container instead of 'flowing' out, but that's all right.  I  mixed them with some of the Jacquard Colorless Extender and that seemed to help.  The paints performed well on the fabric and that's all I ask! 

So I'll heat set this and then apply some fusible web to the back and then I'll carry on stitching. 

I'll be back to show you the next step.

Wool yarns or silk yarns

I have been busy finishing up this piece, putting on a backing, inserting a zipper (not my forte, alas).  But I haven't been sitting around just reading or enjoying the last of the summer or babysitting...oh no wait, yes I have!!  We've been having the most glorious weather.  And in between all of that, I've been stitching.

In this portion of the pillow (yes, it has been determined by the future recipients that this is to be a pillow) I have used a silk thread (golden yellow) at the top of this pic for the hand stitching and in the bottom portion I have used a wool/poly thread.  I am trying to decide which I prefer.  I think at this point I favour the wool mix.  Perhaps it's because the silk seems to be sitting on top of the fabric (no doubt because of the way I've stitched it) whereas the wool seems to meld a bit more into the fabric, as it might do when it is felted. But I won't decide definitively based on this small sampling.....I'd best get busy and work up a few more designs to practice with. I have lots of ideas so I have to get going.....

I'll be back.

Fabric paints and washing out.

I painted with fabric paints the other day onto mercerized cotton and then heat set the resulting image.  I am wondering about the feasibility of washing the fabric since I'm not sure yet if I'm making a pillow or a wall hanging.  I know it's good to have some sort of direction when one sets off, but at this point I'm just not sure.  Such is life!

Anyway, I digress.  This morning I took a small sample of the fabric painting....the section where I was trying out my mixed colours, actually, so it's a very small sample.  Nonetheless, I wanted to give it a try.  I was also a bit concerned that, since I hadn't prewashed the mercerized cotton, there might be some sizing left on it that might prevent the paints from totally bonding with the fabric.  No worries.  I took off a small piece (these pieces are getting smaller and smaller) and kept it to one side when I did the washing.  I'm very pleased with the results.

You'll have to look carefully...I'm sorry the bits are so small.  The piece on the left was washed and then re-ironed and the piece on the right was left untouched, just heat set.  I really don't think there was any change at all.  Success!!!
But as an aside, I must mention that the fabric paint definitely changed the hand of the fabric.  The pears almost feel as if they are on paper, which isn't a very nice feature.  And with the fusible webbing underneath it as well, it really has quite a papery feel, but in all fairness, the mercerized cotton has a very crisp feel to it to start off with.  I'm really not sure I would want a heavily painted section on anything I was going to wear although I haven't tried any other fabrics yet.  And I'm a bit reluctant to stitch too heavily into it either.  Perhaps it might be a nice feature to add after all the quilting is done.  Just thinking.....

On to the next stage: I have stitched the pears on to the piece and have started to do a wee bit of hand stitching.  Now I have to convince the cat that I don't have room for both her and the stitching on my knee at the same time.  And she usually wins.  She is such a little pal, how can I say no!

I'll be back...

Jacquard fabric paints versus Inktense pencils

I am working on an image to affix to the fabric that I dyed the other day (the big reveal, CC.  They're pears!!!).  The image on the left was painted with the inktense pencils.  I like it, but it doesn't have the vibrancy that the right hand image has, in my opinion.  (I think for my current project the painted version is better.  But in all fairness, I do love the pencils, and where I was starting to apply several layers of the pencils I think the colours were getting richer and richer....)  For the fabric paints I used just orange, blue, black and yellow to mix the various colours and I was quite pleased with the different colours and values I managed to get.  I was doubly pleased because the paints themselves are about 5 years old!!  I still have to iron them to heat-set them, iron on some wonder-under and then cut them out.  Miles to go before I stitch, as it were!

I shall plod on, so  I'll be back.....