Vest

 This is a vest that I made from some Japanese silk which I clapped and hand dyed. It is very light weight.

 I hand sewed the hems and together.

 It has a big black button on the side. I am going on Marcy and Katherine Tilton's Paris trip in May. I thought this would be a vest that wouldn't take up much room in my suitcase.

Silk Painting

 I have been working on some samples to take to the silk painting conference next month in Santa Fe. I have been trying out this new gutta from New Zealand which you use as a resist. I mixed dyes into the resist and I like the way they turned out.

Fun

These are the color silk ribbons that I dyed with colorhue dyes today. They will go with the lavender panels that I will be working on in the online class. Color is so much fun to work with, don't you think? The larger piece at the top of the picture is what I put all of my left over dye on. Even that one looks good.

Blue Gel Glue Resist

I have been experimenting with Elmer blue gel glue as resist. First I tried a piece of Kona cotton. I soaked the fabric in soda ash and then let it dry. I stretched it on a frame. I used the glue to outline my design. Let it dry and then painted with thicken procion dye. I let it dry for 24 hours and then soaked it in hot water and the glue came off. Then washed it in the machine with baby tears(it sets the dye) first with hot and then with cold.

Next I tried it on silk. I followed the same process except that I used thicken procion dye in the squares and then liquid procion dye for the back ground.

I see in the Quilting Arts Magazine which I got the new addition in the mail today, that there is a article on using the blue gel glue as well.