MQX Quilt Festival-New England

My friend Kathleen and I went to the MQX quilt show in Manchester, NH last week.  We were both impressed by the beautiful machine quilting we saw.  Here are a few of my favorites. I haven't downloaded all the pictures I took yet.  So maybe there will be more posted in the future!  Enjoy!

This purple clematis flower is my favorite quilt!

I think the predominate color for quilts in this show was green. Or maybe I'm just drawn to quilts with green in them! 

Remember to play a little each day!
Peace,
Diane

Dyeing Eggs with Silk Ties!

At the end of my last posting I said I was going to try dyeing some eggs with silk neckties.  Well, today was the day.  I'm pleased with the outcome and it was so easy.  You should give this a try!!

Things You'll Need: Raw eggs, glass or enamel saucepan, silk ties cut in square to wrap around the egg, muslin or white cotton to wrap over silk tie and egg, twist ties, 3TBS white vinegar, warm water, paper towels, tongs or spoon, scissors, vegetable oil, soft cloth.

I used white eggs in my project. 

How To: Cut silk ties into squares large enough to wrap around a raw egg. (I blew out one egg to see if it would work with this process, but the egg shell cracked.)  Cut white cotton or muslin into squares to wrap around the egg.  Use a piece of silk, with the printed side facing the egg and gently wrap a raw egg with it.  Hold the silk in place on the egg and wrap it up in the white cotton or muslin.  Use a twist tie to hold the ends of the muslin tight against the egg and silk.

Place the eggs into the saucepan and cover them completely with water.  Add 3 Tablespoons of white vinegar to the saucepan.  Bring the water with eggs to a boil, turn down to simmer and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Remove the eggs from the water with the tongs.  Let the eggs cool completely on paper towels.

Carefully remove the twist ties and white cotton fabric from the eggs, now remove the silk. Let dry.  For shiny eggs, use a soft cloth to wipe the eggs with a bit of vegetable oil.

 

Happy Spring!

Remember to Play a Little Each Day!
Peace,
Diane

Dyeing with Silk Neckties

Silk Tie Transfer Dyeing, Fun, Fun, Fun!
I learned about this technique from the Bloom, Bake and Create blog I follow.  I had read about the process years ago in Quilting Arts Magazine, Nov. Dec. 2010 issue, but I'd forgotten about it until I saw Lynda's post.  I got out my issue and along with Lynda's tutorial I gave it a try!

My 100% silk ties.

Silk Ties Cut Up and Placed on one half of a 100% white silk scarf.

Fold over the scarf on top of the silk ties.

 With Muslin under the plain scarf, fold the muslin over too.

Then roll the scarf with the muslin up tight and fasten with string and or elastics. Fill a pan with enough water to cover the bundle.  Bring to a boil and add 2-3 TBS. of white distilled vinegar. Place the bundle in the pan. Place a small plate or some other object to keep the bundle from floating to the top.   Let it "cook" for 20 minutes.  Take the bundle out of the water with tongs and place on an old towel.  Let cool a bit then take off string/elastics.  Open up the scarf and delight in your creation.

My results.

  Hang the scarf to dry, iron to set the dye.  Wash and Dry again to be sure the vinegar odor is gone.  Recommendation: Use dark ties, 100% silk only, ties may be reused but will be lighter each time.

(As always when you dye, do not use any of your utensils/pans for cooking. Keep them just for dyeing.)

Now I will be dyeing some Easter Eggs with ties!!!  It looks like great fun!  Here's a link to that process I found on line.

http://mommyknows.com/silk-tie-dye-easter-eggs-tutorial/


Remember to Play A Little Each Day! :)
Peace,
Diane