Some of the ideas in the book prompted me to try something new with my hand-dyed fabrics. Usually I have been quite happy to do a simple gradation of colour, whether a bright or a neutral. This time, I took some of my surplus brightly-dyed fat quarters and tried to tone them down by dyeing them with a complementary. I used the indigo that I had on hand to work magic on my oranges:
my last drop of eggplant on the yellows:
and the last bit of turkey red on some greens and turquoises:
I was trying to get some interesting shades to use for the on-line course I'm taking through quiltuniversity.com. The course is called "Inspired to Design", with Liz Barton, and it is very absorbing. Classes 1 and 2 were about using photographs, (and music, poems, shapes) to come up with line drawings, and then isolating single elements or manipulating the drawing to come up with something new. Class 3 was about adding value to the design and choosing a palette of hand-dyed fabrics to work with. In the final class, Liz will explain her technique of getting from drawing to a finished fabric piece. Most of my images are urban-themed, so I was looking for a more nuanced palette.
One of the points made in the book is that if you mix a little bit of a single colour into your chosen palette of primaries and secondaries, you will create a more unified palette of colour. Usually this single mixing colour is a neutral, but not always. So in the case of my dyeing experiments, it was the indigo for one batch, the eggplant for the second, and the turkey red for the third. Some of the results were quite unexpected, but on the whole I am happy with the effort.
These are wonderful fabrics that you've created Heather. I've had this book recommended to me in the past, I must talk to that nice Mr. Amazon straight away or perhaps even The Book Depository which has some surprising prices.
ReplyDeleteLinda B.
I think the book is actually coming from the Book Depository via Amazon. It's a British book so....
DeleteWhat a brilliant idea and such a wonderful sublte pallette to work with.Looks like lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteSorry I can't spell today!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Have just ordered it.
ReplyDeleteLove the fabrics!
Very interesting.... thanks for sharing,
ReplyDeleteLovely colours Heather. I'm very tempted to get the book, though I haven't dyed much fabric for a while. Interested to hear you are doing the Liz Barton course, I was tempted but decided I don't have enough time at the moment. Would you recommend it??
ReplyDeleteI can't say enough good things about the Liz Barton course. There are about 30 active participants in the group, and each of us is able to post images to our own gallery. We can access every image posted by every student, and also read all the dialog on the discussion board. The teacher has responded to every single comment or question that has been posted. She has a very astute eye and is also tactful and positive. I know that as a teacher I would have been gritting my teeth at some of the silly contributions, but she has been gracious at all times. What a great value for the $35 or so spent on the course. The classroom will be open for 3-4 weeks after the fourth and last lesson is published, so we will continue to receive her feedback as we put our final projects together.
DeleteI definitely recommend the class, and intend to take her other course "Working in a Series" in May. This one will also be offered again soon. But don't think about taking them together as it would be overwhelming. As it is, I am fully engaged in the one course, generating lots of ideas for future work.
What a supportive group we are. It was lovely to see the results of your dyeing, Heather. Logically it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI am also pleased to hear you are feeling so positive about Elizabeth Barton's online course. I wish I had more time as I would definitely be interested. I look forward to seeing the work as a result of her tutoring.
Hilary