Daily Fiber

Salty Squares Disaster

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Laura Kate

I’m feeling pretty low right now. Here is my colorful tale of woe. Maybe talking about it will help me feel better.

After I finished my two swatches yesterday, I could tell that the two patterns would not go well together in the same quilt square. The patterns were both the same scale. So I decided to make two additional color wash pieces – one in dark purple, to pair with the light patterned swatch, and one in pale pink, to pair with the dark patterned swatch. They turned out great – the colors were just what I wanted.

Oh, by the way, I also hand-washed the two salted pieces which I made yesterday, to remove the salt. At this point, all four pieces were drying. As they were nearly dry, I decided to toss them into the electric dryer, briefly, just to speed things up.

You’ve probably guessed what happened next. I returned to the dryer, and found purple paint everywhere. The purple swatch was clinging to the dryer exhaust vent grill and now looked like this:

The pink and the light color printed swatch had dots of purple all over.

Only the dark-colored print escaped harm. I will spare you the view of purple disaster inside my dryer. Fortunately, I was able to remove all the paint from the dryer walls by wiping them down with a wet towel. But I have now lost enthusiasm for sewing up nine-square patches today.

Let’s see, what aphorism can I use for this situation? “We learn from our mistakes?” “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger?” I know – how about. “I’ll think about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow’s another day.” So true, Scarlett my dear. So true.

colorwork

Salty Squares

Posted on May 29, 2019May 30, 2019 by Laura Kate

Rain, rain rain. It just doesn’t want to stop. So today I decided to stay indoors and play with my Dye-Na-Flo paints again. The goal is to color up some fabric that can be sewn into a nine-patch quilt square. Thinking about the design principals of using light, medium and dark colors to create good design, I chose pink, orange and white for one swatch, and pink, purple and black for the other swatch. I will use the salt technique on top of the color washes. Salt has the effect of moving the pigments around in the drying phase. So here are my before and after photographs:

**Light colors after painting, with rock salt sprinkled on top.**

**Light swatch after drying, salt removed.**

**Dark swatch after painting. I used broad stripes, then moved the paint side-to-side before sprinkling with the rock salt.**

Due to the damp weather, it took all afternoon and the application of a little blow-dryer heat to get the fabric dry. But what interesting results have happened!

Next time, I cut the patches and sew.

weaving

Button Loom Weaving: Finished Object

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Laura Kate

I finished up the weaving on the button loom yesterday. Today I spent a fair amount of time making a backdrop for the weaving. I used silk triangles.

After sewing together enough triangles to cover the frame backing, I attached the silk to the backing with spray adhesive. In retrospect, I should have used non-woven interfacing behind the silk before attaching it. Wrinkling was a problem.

And here is the finished object. I call it Escape from the Tower. In case you are wondering about the story behind the title, rest assured that everyone was able to get out. It’s fortunate that the artist thought to attach a coppery rope to the tower. Those on the top floors used it to get to safety by rappelling down the wall.

Here is a closer view of the top section.

weaving

Button Loom – Weaving Progress

Posted on May 27, 2019May 27, 2019 by Laura Kate

So I have been weaving on the button loom for the past two days. I thought that I would have finished today, but it is not to be. I did take of photo of my progress after the first day of weaving:

After day one, I was happy with the way the piece looks. I chose a color scheme of dark red, turquoise, pale blue and ivory white. It seems to go well with the black frame and the brass and silver buttons. The weaving pattern is pretty basic, but I did use a basket weave effect with the white yarn, to show off some of the warp threads.

If all goes well, I will have a finished object for you by tomorrow.

recycling, weaving

Button Loom

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Laura Kate

When thinking about all things fiber, I occasionally ponder the role of objects associated with fiber. Buttons come to mind very quickly. Who doesn’t have a handful (or jarful) of these tiny essentials? While they are often mundane adjuncts to your cardigans, coats and jeans, is it possible for buttons to step out of the ordinary? Let’s make something that gives them a stellar role. I am designing and building a button loom. This loom won’t handle the work of any serious weaver. But it can hold the warp threads for a modest tapestry. If positioned artistically, the buttons can become a key design element of the finished object.

Among my collection, I have two dozen metal shank buttons that were saved from various worn-out blazers and jackets.

**The pretty silver ones came from my mom’s stash of vintage buttons.**

If I sew them very close together on sturdy upholstery fabric, and then wrap the fabric around a wooden frame, it could start to become a loom.

The button-covered fabric rectangles were wrapped around the short sides of the black frame and stapled in place. I used the glue to prevent fraying.

Here is my finished frame with warp threads in place. I have used cotton and acrylic yarns for the warp, pulling and tying them together at the lower edge of frame.