Dispersed Dye Quilt Finished!

 

I finished the disperse dyed quilt this past weekend and hung in our master bath!  I'm pleased with how it turned out...especially after I struggled with the layout and design!

I started with lots of disperse dyed blocks.  Disperse dyeing is a process of painting papers with a special dye, while wet I laid leaves on the wet dye and covered with plastic wrap.  After it's totally dry, you iron the painted side down on fabric and the dye/pattern will transfer.  This is a touchy process as some fabrics take longer and more heat than others.  

You're only suppose to use disperse dyes on poly type fabric but since I don't wash my quilts, I use cotton!

This was my first idea/design!

and then the madness began with layout after layout...

And more layouts

Yep..still layout out

Adding blocks...taking blocks away

Then decided to use small strips!

Finally, I was happy with the layout...now to hand embroidery the large leaf blocks

I tried to use different threads for each block or at least for the different stems

and then the free motion quilting began!  I haven't quilted in SO long but I have to say I enjoyed this process!

Added embroidery stitches on strips

More threads

More quilting

I blended different color threads in sections rather than using the same color of thread

I'm quite happy with the results...and here's a quick animation I put together of the process!  Hope you enjoy!

 

Knitting & Day 25, 26

I'm still at it!  But have to show what I'm working on inbetween the daily art project!!!  Yep, the lace T is getting there!  I just have to finish the ribbing at the bottom and then knit the sleeves.  Still a ways to go but at least the main portion will be done soon!  

DAY 25 - and it's finished!!   The last leaf block too embroider!  Woo hoo

DAY 26 - I started some free motion quilting on the blocks.  I think I'm finished with hand embroidery...but we'll see! 

I was going to embroider the small leaf prints but decided some simple stitching would be better.  There are several of these smaller 3"x5" blocks that I stitched.  You can see them in the large quilt picture below.

I had the hardest time trying to decide what to quilt in the plain blocks.  They didn't print out as well so the leaves are barely there to see...hence, I just filled them in.

I have several blocks to go to free motion...and then the binding...which, the dark strips are really a deep purple, which is what I'm using for the binding.  Should help with contrast against the light blocks.  This will be hung in our master bath replacing a large piece I currently have hung.

Cooking like Betty Crocker!

 It was bad enough when Covid first started and we couldn't eat out...yes, I sure missed it....now I'm not wanting to go out to eat just because I am having fun cooking!  WHAT!  Fun cooking??  Well, the cooking part is fun but the cleanup isn't so much but guess it goes with the cooking, right!  

I am hooked on recipes by Tieghan Geard and her book/website.  I have her Super Simple Meal cookbook and love the recipes.

On Wednesday I was on a baking/cooking kick, again!  I made these Salted Tahini Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They were really good BUT the tahini/honey mixture was suppose to create a little carmel type area in each cookie.  My Tahini mix never did get thick...I'm thinking it was the type of Tahini I used.  BUT the cookies still tasted really good!

Yes, I cook my bacon in the oven, then I freeze them.  So much easier to clean up (lay newspapers on top of the grease left in the sheet pan and toss in trash).  No more grease all over the stove top!  This way we always have bacon in the freezer that I can pull out for breakfast!

This  is a Crispy Cheese Poblano Avocado Burrito!  It was  fantastic and is on her website.  

You fill your tortilla with lots of good stuff!, then lay jalapeno's on the flat grill, place shredded cheese on top of the pepper in a circle and lay your wrapped burrito on top of the cheese.  When the cheese starts to crisp up, wrap the cheese around the burrito and then flip over!  Delicious!

This quesadilla has bacon bits (which I took out of the freezer!  ha), spinach, Poblano sliced/sauteed peppers, cheese between two tortilla shells and cooked on flat top.  YUM...you also make a pineapple salsa to put on top!  This is in the cookbook, Super Simple.

I also made another recipe from Tieghan's web site called:  Slow Cooker Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo for dinner on Wednesday!  Whew!  That's a mouthful but it was really good too.

Of course I had to make more bread!

I've started another block on my disperse dyed quilt top.

I've finished one block so far!

Day 3/101:  In addition to showing the start of the hand embroidered quilt block, I  created two crops from this feathered picture.  I hope to get to make another collage from them!

So off to check out some more recipes!  Betty Crocker...look out!

Yep, it's cold enough to stay in!

This is what we woke up to the other morning!  Yes, that is minus 4 degrees!!!

   

 

It is beautiful out and I don't mind being stuck in the house.  Gives me time to work on projects!  I did meet Donna for lunch out and some grocery shopping on Friday.  Only problem, I complained the entire day about my back hurting.  And hurt it did!  UGH.....1-10 it was a 15!

I am making progress on my lace T.  I have quite a ways to knit the body and go back and knit the sleeves but at least I am past the lace work!   So I don't need total concentration!  ALTHOUGH, last night while watching the Olympics I noticed I dropped a stitch!  YIKES!  But I was able to pick it up with instead of  'untinking'!  Actually, this is a real term knitters use (I just found this out!)...it's 'knit' in reverse..get it!

So now I'm working on the disperse dye quilt top.  I free motion quilted around each of the purple leaf patterns.

Then I'll start to hand embroider inside them for the stem and veins.

This is one area that I did some embroidery stitching on....

And another area.....

In case you don't remember, this is the quilt top before I did any FMQ or hand work.  So this should keep me busy at least during the daytime while keeping warm.  Knitting, I save for nighttime while watching TV and the Olympics.  

Progress Updates

Front View

 Making progress on the lace T!  Basketball on tonight so knitting will be calling me.  I'm not a big basketball fan but Bob's loves his Michigan team so that's on our TV tonight.  Here's the progress so far...keep in mind, I'm using #4 needles, which are small, so it takes a lot of stitches to knit the 10-12 inches I need!  HA       

Back View

I can't wait to block the entire top and be able to see the lace pattern so much better.

On the disperse dye block quilt top...this is final layout....for some reason, Bob really likes this piece...It's about 34" (length) X 31" (width).  He said "but it's not small enough to lay on the table" (he loves the quiltlets I put on our end tables - ha).  Haven't a clue what to do with this one but it has a long way to go before it will be finished.  

I'm auditioning the deep purple to use for the binding, which I think will pull in the strips.  

But first I have to stitch in the ditch to keep the piece as stable as I can before I start any hand work.

I'm going though some of my 'saved' design files/jpg's to decide what stitches I'll use for enhancing the leaf prints.  This was a piece that I printed the blocks on before cutting apart.

Some blocks show the leaf print better than others but hand work will give the opportunity to enhance the print...OR perhaps I'll just free motion the blocks....I won't know what the piece will need until I get started, which is typical isn't it!

Back at Disperse Dye Quilt in Progress!

 Back in September I started this small quilt top using some of the disperse dye blocks I made.  You can see the first layout here.  With my knitted lace Top consuming all my brain energy, I've let this piece marinate on my design board.  Because I can now knit while watching football or movies, I'm using my time during the day to get back to finishing this small piece.  I have some designs in mind to use for adding  hand embroidery...like I need another small quilt, right!

This is pretty much the final layout....but I haven't stitched the rows together yet...I keep changing my mind!

I am adding fused strips on the blocks...again...just not sure where they are all going!  I'm thinking I'll use a dark purple for hand embroidery and yellow when stitching on the purple strips...but, hey, that could change at any minute!!

This was my original draft...well, some of the blocks are where I had them here on paper but not many!  HA

this was auditioning for background fabric.  I think the purple gave the contrast these light blocks needed.

It's funny because I never have enough lights when working on certain quilt projects and here I am making an entire quilt of lights!  HA  Go figure!  Oh, that yellow square on the right that looks like the pattern from my iron....it is a pattern from my iron and I didn't put it in the final quilt layout!  HA HA

We got to watch some good football this weekend!  Four games all won in the last quarter and with field goals!  Really exciting...Bob and I love football and it's always sad when the season is over.  I'm not a big basketball or baseball fan but I love me a good football game!!  

So now with the snow, which is keeping us indoors...I'll have time to work on this top!  My walking bud, Donna, and I try to get one or two days walking at the church...it's no fun walking on the treadmill....I may have to break down and walk on the 'thing'!