Dye Day

Prayer Flags for Ron.  My friend Ron had a stroke last week so I made these flags for him.  Truxton and Olivia graciously offered to hold them up so I could take a photo.  I will send them to Anchorage with friends that are going to visit.

 I spent the day today with my son, Nick's, kids-Truxton, Olivia and Braelyn.  We started the day previewing the movie, Winnie the Pooh, at the theater AI manage.  When we returned to my house, Braelyn took a nap, and the older kids wer busily occupied so I got out the dye I mixed up yesterday, and all of the poles that I wrapped some time ago- you can see here: http://sallysartquilts.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-i-have-been-doing.html
 Most of it I am leaving to cure overnight but I couldn't wait, and rinsed out three scarves.



 Olivia did this one for her Grandma Darlene.

 This is hers, too.  I really like the lighter blue sections.

This is one that I did.  I bound stones and tied them off with little rubber bands.   This one is not destined to remain a scarf since I was impatient removing the rubber bands and accidently cut the scarf a tiny bit.  Now I will cut it up and find a creative use for it.  Stay tuned-tomorrow I will post pics of my water and northern lights shibori.  Better turn out really cool since I have hours into the preparation for dying!

Truckies Prayer Flags for Darlene

When I got off the plane last night, my grandson Truckie, met me at the airport with his bag packed to come spend the night at my house.  We got up this morning and he printed his flags for his Grandma Darlene.  Unfortunately, the phone started to ring and I was not as attentive as I would have liked, but he did a pretty good job on his own-aside from the upside down HOME.  We decided to go with it-it will give Darlene a laugh!  My friend, Ron, had a stroke a couple of days ago, so while we had the stuff out, I printed a set of flags for him, as well.  Truckie used fabric paints, so they are dry.  I used oil based ink, so mine need to dry for a couple of days.  Then I will post a picture.

Anchorage

I just returned from spending a week in Anchorage.  I took my granddaughter, Olivia, to visit with her cousin, Callista.  That was the reason for going to Anchorage, but my daughters, Ingrid and Kristin also had an agenda!  Here you see Ingrid slaving over her sewing machine(actually, Kristin's because Ingrid couldn't find her foot pedal and power cord). 

 We had made most of the squares previously.  Here you can see the quilt with part of the sashing added, laid out on the bed to arrange the squares.

 This is how far we got.  She still has a row of 1/2 square triangles and a 6" border to add.  There was no stopping Ingrid!

 Kristin was intrigued with the prayer flags I had made.  At Christmas I gave her a 12 step fat quarter gradation which we tore up and printed with the stamps I have carved.  She could hardly wait for the ink to dry to hang them.  She strung these from the fence in front of her house.

And these in front of her lovely garden. She has one more strand in front of her house. She calls them her Alaskan Peace Flags. I want to make some for me but I have to dye more fabric first. We also made 29 jars of raspberry jam from berries growing in her yard. Of course, we showed Olivia city life too.



Build A Bear Workshop



 Waiting for Mom to get off work, outside City Hall, after an afternoon of shopping for school clothes.

After some margueritas at the house, we decided to walk to dinner.

Olivia jumping on the trampoline with her crazy Aunties!

Had a great time!  Thanks Kristin, Ingrid, Mike and Callista!

Prayer Flags #3-#7

 My granddaughter, Olivia, spent the night last night and we got up this morning and continued with the Prayer Flags for Her Grandma Darlene.  I had some commercial foam stamps and some word stecils that were perfect for her to work with.  The flag below needed a little something more and I was itching to use my new thermofax screen, so I added the little birds.

 On this one we decided to have her write her name more than once so it became a design element.

 I am continuing with my Home theme.  My stamp did not take the lumiere metalic paints very well, so I stamped it again in a different color so there is sort of a shadow.  Anyway that was the intent, successful or not.  These are a great way to try our new products and techniques.  I love, love, love my crab stamp.  this is the first time I printed with it.  It will be clearer when I print with ink.

 This is the first print I made with the Kingfisher stamp, also.  this was carved from linoleum, and once again didn't take the paint I used as well as I would like, but it will be great with ink.  I am really pleased with this stamp, also.  I had never printed with sequin waste before.  I used it as a stencil and as a stamp.  Again, not perfection, but experimenting with new toys.

 And here is my partner in crime for the morning, Olivia, with all of the flags strung up behind her.  I like them!  I am probably through, now, unless Truxton wants to make some next time he comes to visit.

Here is Olivia with a piece of fabric she painted to take home to he Mother.  I carved the leaf stamp.

Calllista's finger knitting

My 9 year old grand-daughter, Callista, came to visit recently.  When she asked for yarn  for finger knitting, I gave her a ball, and was totally astounded when she used it all up and wanted more.  That is alot of yarn!  I knew it was essential to make a reason for all that fingerknitting.  I had her do long ropes in three different colors.  After she had gone home, I braided the ropes and felted it.  This could be a nice strap for a felted bag, or if braided more loosely and not felted as much, I think it will be flat enough to make a belt.  A crafter in the makings!



Fun with Callista and Truckie

Callista's jellyfish

A few nights ago, my 9 year old grandkids, Truxton and Callista spent the night.  This is what we did.  They drew pictures on fabric with Fabric pastels, which were then heat set.  I will quilt the pictures for them, then they will add beads, buttons, whatever.


Truckie's shark



This is what I worked on this week.  I have been working with my prints, trying to think of new ways to finish them and have been feeling in a rut.  I dyed this fabric last summer.  It was two pieces.  I just started cutting pieces and laying it out on the wall.  It was a fun exercise and I like what I have so far. 

Sunprints with the Grandkids

Here are Truxton and Olivia visiting the Art Show put on by the Art Council.  The three quilts on top in the case are quilts that Olivia, Callista, Truxton and I made together last summer.  The kids did the sun prints and Callista and Truxton, aged 6 at the time, actually sewed on the borders using a Singer featherlight sewing machine that I inherited.  Olivia was only 5 at the time, so she sat on my lap and pretended that she was sewing.  I quilted the pieces, then the kids sewed on the beads.  Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the quilts before I gave them to the kids.  Perhaps later.