Shibori Dyeing Experiments

I've been away from my sewing machine, except for one week, since mid-May.  I'm getting itchy fingers to say the least!  Last week I decided it was time to do some therapeutic crafting and hit up Walmart for some white onesies, dye and thread.

I've been wanting to experiment with the Shibori thread resist technique, called Nui Shibori, for a long time. I wasn't sure it would work well on fabric with such an open weave since it's usually done on fabrics with a very tight weave similar to what is used for batiking.

Happily, as you can see, it worked well! I drew the designs first in washable marker and then stitched over them.  The pic above is of the jellyfish onesie.  After stitching you draw the threads up tight and tie them (like cinching the rubber bands in regular tie dye.

For this one, with the "tentacle" looking stripes I sewed through the front and back layers at the same time.

I really liked this "fish scales" one with a faded dye technique. I just clipped the onesie to the side of my dye bath and lowered it further in every ten minutes until it was done.

The tentacle-looking stitch pattern inspired this onesie called "Octo-hug" or "An Octopus Ate My Baby!"  Can you see the octopus on the back wrapping his tentacles around? 

Front of "Octo-hug"

I learned a lot from making this one and I will definitely do another version, which will hopefully come out even better.

There is at least an hour of stitching and tying in even the relatively simple designs so I am working on these slowly and doing small dye batches of about three at a time.  This week I'm going to pick up a new dye color and hopefully find a bottle of Retayne to help set the dye.  Can't wait to gift these soon!

The new Covered in Love block drive just began and it's a red, white, and blue star free-for-all.  This drive will run until the end of August if you want to help out.  We gift quilts to the family member of patients dying in the hospital. More info here! 

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... OK GO (those guys with the killer music videos)

Sew Some Love Linky

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.

There are a lot of people who are helping to keep CiL running while I'm away from my sewing machine this summer.  Quilters like Cynthia, Judy, Meloney, and Kathy are my angels. Because of them quilts are continuing to be finished over this summer and the pile of tops and blocks that greets me when I get home should be manageable.

Santa Fe sunset

And of course there are too many of you to mention by name who are sending in blocks, tops and other goodies so that CiL can continue to run smoothly! Thank you!

An InLinkz Link-up

Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

Spring Greens

Spring Greens is what I'm calling this quilt. No, it's not spring. I wish it was!  It's summer and hot as blazes. This pretty green top that Jannette sent in for Covered in Love just screams Spring though, don't you think?  This one was also quilted by Meloney on her long arm.

I received a lovely thank you email from a family member of a Covered in Love quilt recipient today that I want to share with you.

"You truly touched my family's heart through CIL. My mom was critically ill in the ICU when she received a beautiful quit. This quilt was with her until she passed and now it sits in her favorite chair at our home in our living room."

 Thank you to every single person who has contributed to CiL. These thanks belong to all of you!

In the photo above you can see the design Meloney used, daisies in swirling lines.  I really like this design and think it compliments the quilt top really well.  This quilt has already been taken up to the hospital for Covered in Love, it was part of the last donation that put us up over 200 quilts. Yes 200! I'm planning a proper celebration this Fall for that milestone.

I had the perfect backing for this top, bought on sale some time ago, and finally found its home!  I really like how this design looks fairly complicated when it's just a simple alternating grid of two blocks (and one of them isn't even a pieced block). (ETA: Jannette says it's a Project Linus pattern called Warm Wishes and you can find it HERE.)

Finished, photographed, folded and ready for delivery :) Thank you Jannette and Meloney!

The new Covered in Love block drive just began and it's a red, white, and blue star free-for-all.  This drive will run until the end of August if you want to help out.  More info here! 

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... Celtic Thunder singing about "all God's creatures"

Sew Some Love Linky

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.

I've been away from my sewing machine for a couple month's now, so I'm running low on quilt-content (not to mention getting itchy fingers!)  The photo below is from my whirlwind trip to San Diego in June.

Since I'm not sewing anything I'd like to direct you toward a favorite blogger of mine who sews a TON for charity. Louise lives on a boat (currently off the Gulf of Mexico) which makes her automatically cool, in my opinion.  Despite small spaces and occasional high seas she is a devoted quilter for not only Covered in Love, but also Project Linus, Hands 2 Help, and more.  If you are unfamiliar with her, go check out her blog and consider following!

Covered in Love has been so blessed by donations from quilters, I want you all to see what each other have going on!  For purposes of the linky, I'm going to define "charity" really generally.  If you're sewing a quilt for you co-worker's mom with cancer or your friend's uncle who lost his home, that totally counts!  Anything you're sewing out of the goodness of your heart for someone outside you immediate circle of family and friends. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

Christmas in July

Happy Friday! I hope everyone's 4th of July went well and you saw some nice fireworks.  This week's quilt is a subtly holiday themed one for Covered in Love. This is another top made by Jannette from Canada and quilted by a Texan longarmer, Meloney.  Thanks ladies!

Of course this quilt doesn't have to be Christmas themed, but the colors do lend themselves well.  Christmas is only 6 months away now!  (If your looking for some Christmas quilting-gift-guidance and encouragement check out the Christmas in July blog hop.)

Meloney did beautiful quilting of wavy lines interspersed with stars that really bring a nice texture to the quilt.

I love how simple and striking Jannette's interlocking pinwheel design is.  This quilt is in the stack for the next CiL delivery to the hospital where it will comfort a grieving family. Thank you to Jannette, Meloney, and everyone else who keeps CiL running!
 

The new Covered in Love block drive just began and it's a red, white, and blue star free-for-all.  This drive will run until the end of August if you want to help out.  More info here! 

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... Christmas music, of course :)

Sew Some Love Linky

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.

I mentioned last week that I have been traveling quite a bit this summer, so I'm running out of quilt-related content for the blog. I was in Illinois during May visiting friends and made a couple of these shrinky-dink safety bracelets. They aren't quilt-y and it might be a stretch to call it charity, but I thought some of you might find it useful.

Shrinky-dink is a plastic that shrinks and thickens when you put it in the oven, so I first wrote Amrei's name and her parent's phone numbers and drew a couple of flower designs in sharpie. Then immediately after baking and shrinking I bent it around a drinking glass to make a curved shape to fit her wrist.  I sealed it with Dimensional Magic and attached a chain with pliers so it does not come off.

She's been wearing it for over a month and it still looks good and seems well attached!  She likes it and it's prettier than a usual medic alert bracelet.

Covered in Love has been so blessed by donations from quilters, I want you all to see what each other have going on!  For purposes of the linky, I'm going to define "charity" really generally.  If you're sewing a quilt for you co-worker's mom with cancer or your friend's uncle who lost his home, that totally counts!  Anything you're sewing out of the goodness of your heart for someone outside you immediate circle of family and friends. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

A Starry Autumn Sky

This beautiful star quilt is a tag team effort by Teri from Texas, who pieced it, and Judy from Arizona who quilted it.

You might remember Judy and Teri's previous collaborations from here.  I adore these fall-colored stars with the pretty blue.  The neutrals and oranges are scrappy but Teri used the same blue through out the top.

This is a generously sized quilt.  I can't remember exactly, but it seems like it was in the 60+" x 70+" range.  Judy custom quilted it to accentuate the precise piecing.

This beautiful quilt will go to a family mourning a loved one through Covered in Love.  Covered in Love is nearing 200 quilts given to grieving families, thanks to the support of quilters like Judy and Teri!

The new Covered in Love block drive just began and fittingly it's stars as well! This one will run until the end of August if you want to help out.  More info here! 

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... the KONGOS.