Ink-O-Dye Experiment

I can finally post about this without fear that the recipient of the gift will see the post. :) It was a Christmas gift for my 10 year old niece, K. 

K is awesome. She is funny, horribly creative, a talented singer, and lots of fun to be around.
Like a lot of 10 year old girls, she loves to post pics of herself on Instagram. I decided to make her a fun gift, including fabric that featured a few of her "selfies" from Instagram. I downloaded them to my computer and did a little editing in Photoshop to prepare them for the photo exposure process. I used a blue Ink-O-Dye kit that I got at our local Dick Blick. It took a little trial and error, but it eventually came out great. When back home in Louisiana over the holidays, I was able to give it to her. She really loved her unique gift. 

I took a few pictures of my process that you can see below. The first round of sun exposure was a total flop, resulting in some lovely blue fabric with no images at all on it. The second round was much better. The second time, I did two things differently. I ran the Ink-O-Dye transparencies through the printer twice, leading to a denser application of the black ink. I also weighted the transparencies down with a heavy piece of glass. (Although, I'm sure plexi would work too) I just found that the transparencies alone, tacked down at the edges like the instructions suggest, were allowing too much light underneath the film. I know from my silkscreening trials that this is a potential problem area. 

I used some of my own pattern designs....basically, just dots....to add some coordinating fabrics to the mix. Overall, it really came out exactly how I had imagined. 

Here is a link to the Ink O Dye site if you want to check it out.

The exposure process---transparencies placed under glass with fabric wet with InkODye solution

                                     

The beginnings of my piecing

Birthday Week Recap

I feel like last week was a total whirlwind. School wrapped up. I had final meetings with the students and critiques. Also, it was my 36th birthday on Thursday. This is the closest to 40 I've ever been! eek! :) 

I'm only kidding, age doesn't scare me that much. I had a really fun birthday bash at home, complete with disco ball, dancing, lots of delicious food, and fun times with friends. It was more than a girl could even hope for. I was particularly excited about sporting my new red tights that night too. ha! My friend Tonya captured just a few fun seconds of the dance party here.  

Red tights=tons of fun

On Monday of last week, I was able to stop by the Old Capitol Quilters Guild meeting in Iowa City to see Vanessa Chrsitenson's talk. She was fabulous. She's so charming, funny, and talented, that it is always a good time to be in her company. I've had the chance to get to know Vanessa more over the last year, and really just admire her perseverance, dedication, and mad skills in the quilting and design world. 

Now that things have slowed down a bit for a while, I also feel like I can relax and do more of my favorite things---drawing, sewing, and crafting. Here are a couple of pics from last weeks doodling sessions, and the little bird ornament I finished last night. My great friend, Marie, came to town to visit and we each made one. It was so fun! 

And, finally-----the oh-so-lovely Jenny Gordy is due soon, and I really wanted to come up with the perfect gift for her. Jenny's style is simplistic, modern, clean, and just beautiful. So, I tried to keep that in mind when I came up with this bib pattern. I just fell in love with them. I had so much fun doing the piecing and the tiny bits of embroidery. I think there will be more of these in the future...maybe even a pattern or something to share.  They're just so fun to make, and it's nice to have a little simple elegance added to something so functional.  At least, it seems like that's a good way to look at making something like this, which will just be puked on by an adorable little one! ha! :) 

Tova Dress + My fabric + St.Paul trip

Well, I think I might have made a match that was just meant to be-----my fabric from the Here to There collection----and Jenny's fantabulous Tova Dress pattern!!! 
I made a shirt earlier in the month (see previous post), but definitely wanted to take on the dress. I had some grey fabric in my stash and paired it up with one of the coordinates from my collection.
I have to admit, that since seeing that coordinate pattern printed up, it's been screaming to become something in the apparel world. I think this is it!

Jenny's pattern is so versatile. It is this great silhouette with that lovely little placket up top that allows for so much creativity in matching up fabrics to use. In this case though, I decided to add a couple of my own touches to the dress. I had this lovely buttons floating around for a while now that needed a home........

And, I decided to add a belt to cinch it at the waist a bit. While, I love the dress without it, I think it fits my shape better with the belt....plus---I've never made a belt. So, that was a lot of fun to try! 

Also, last weekend I got the chance to go to Minneapolis to visit one of my favorite people, my darling friend Marie. We spent the weekend sampling lots of goodies from around Minneapolis/ St. Paul including more craft beers than I should admit. It was such a great weekend. Admittedly, I have only been to the area once, when on a synchronized swimming team trip---and I can only recall going to the Mall of America. Needless to say, a grown-up trip was long overdue! Not to mention, that hanging out with her, Laura, Tim, and John was just a blast. Hanging with that group of great friends never fails to be a good time filled with laughter, conversation, and fun. 

I may have crushed someone with a very large cherry. oops. 

Marie gags John with a spoon

Farmer's market goodies! 

yes. this was delicious! 

When you're in a town with outstanding espresso and beer---you sometimes have to have both at once.  

Succulents galore at the Walker outdoor area! whoa.