finish friday - dyeing fabric

one of my first projects for fibers II.

i did a 9-step gradient dyeing process between 2 colors. then, i did that 3 times resulting in 27 different colors. i will end up sewing this fabric into something to turn in, but the result of the fabrics is exciting enough to post.

this is a picture of all of the fabric marinating in their dye baths overnight. i brought them home in a big plastic tub so i could keep a close eye on them.

my mom came to the studio to help me rinse them all out. it was quite a job and i was glad to have the assistance and company. we hung them on the line in color order, and it was so awesome looking i had to take a picture.

i was standing on a stool to snap the shot and about fell on my a** when getting down. suppose that would have added some humor to the day...

bubblegum houndstooth

this is the final project for my fibers one class. i can't believe the semester is already over....

the fabric on the outside is what i wove on the loom in a hounds-tooth pattern. it's made out of a cotton yarn and is pretty soft and flexible. for the bag i put a yellow plastic zipper and a sky blue cotton lining. i intended this to be a cover for my laptop, but my fabric turned out narrower than i planned. now i know how to plan for that for next time....

here's a close-up of the weave....
purple, orange, pink and brown. it kind of resembles a super 70's couch....

first weaving

a few posts back i put a picture up of a bundle of yarn waiting to go onto the loom. you can see it again here (http://shawnadoering.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-is-warp-for-my-next-project.html).

i'm finally getting the finished project posted now....


yay! my very first weaving! i'm quite proud.

new warp

this is the warp for my next project. it's waiting to go on the loom....


yes, it does look like a jumble of yarn, but there really is a pattern and an order to it. i am going to make a scarf and this warp will create a stripped pattern on the length of the scarf.

p.s. the posting of this is a bit late because i have the project almost fully woven. next post will be the finished result...

onto the loom....

the second half of the semester has arrived and my fibers class has moved to the weaving side of the studio. so exciting!


we are starting with a 2" wide sample in order to get familiar with the process and try out different patterns and such.


i have finished weaving my sample so i'll now get to learn how to cut it off the loom.


the warp has been wound for my next project and is ready to go. it will go on the loom tomorrow!

the latest and greatest....

my latest project for fibers....


i pieced 420 squares together to create a watercolor effect with a border. i added some embroidery stitches and displayed it with the seams on the outside.







pretty excited with how it turned out. it's to honor the creative spirit and the artist within.

now on to the looms.....

i have returned....

i've been feeling a bit like nothing significant enough has been happening to warrant a post. such silliness! so i return to the world of blogging....

i am now in the fiber arts program at CSU. it's been fun, interesting and challenging. some stuff i'm learning is new and some is not, but it's all been good.

...on a side note, i might have found a new hobby in hand applique. like i need a new hobby. ha. more on that later....

here is my first project from my fiber class.


i started with a solid black piece of cotton homespun fabric. then i did a binding technique called arashi shibori. with this technique you wrap the fabric around a pole of some sort, then wrap string around as tight as possible. it helps to use lots of it. then, you scrunch the fabric down to one end of the pole, so it's all in a bunch. once this is done you can dye it or bleach it, etc. i dipped it in bleach. it was awesome. it created the really cool crocodile skin type pattern.

our project required us to then add to the process in some way either with overdyeing or stitching or something. i added some chain stitching in the upper right corner...


and then some red machine stitching at the bottom.


and now it's hanging in the fiber department display case in the visual arts building. i'm quite proud that my piece was selected to grace the walls at CSU for a short time.