dyeing fabric Minnesota style

Hello,

I feel very fortunate to be a member of Minnesota Contemporary Quilters.  They are a great group of women, and I love to go to our meetings once a month.  I learn a lot from the wonderful speakers we have but what I find most inspiring are the comedians in our group.  It isn't always the same person but there is always someone with a story that just makes me laugh out loud picturing their adventures with quilts.  When you are a contemporary quilter you often have adventures with your quilts, you certainly let them become a part of who you are at that point in time.  This last meeting was no exception.  I can't even begin to tell the story like she did, just picture yourself in front of a bank of snow in your front yard.  Fabric in one hand, a bottle of spray bleach in the other.  Neighbors peering from behind curtains wondering, what is that crazy lady up to now.  We do often become the neighborhood oddball because we do odd things in our yards such as pounding flowers, dyeing fabric, using heat guns on fabric, using wood burning tools on fabric, rusting fabric, (yes I admit I have done all of these) and now bleaching fabric in the snow.  I still haven't tried the garbage truck fabric but rumors are, that one wasn't true.

Some friends I've met through the internet were talking about dyeing fabric outside by their pool in California.  It was snowing here and I have to admit I was a little tired of winter at that point.  I told my husband I had warm weather envy!  He said yes but you have something they don't have, snow!  So, I got outside the next day and tried my snow discharge adventure.  My results weren't as spectacular as hers, she had three different fabrics and they looked like batiks by the time she was done.  You need to let serendipity happen with this technique and I think I tried to control it too much.  I pressed it down into the snow.  It was also still very cold that day, and I think she said the warm sun helps.  So I will try this again.  Might have to wait until next winter now (I hope)  as much of the snow is melting.

Today I'm having my small group over so we can play with lutradur.  I've never used it before and wanted to try as it looks so intriguing.  We will probably end up outside at some point.  I think the weather is supposed to be good.  It was gorgeous yesterday.   Later this month the guild is having a retreat.  I think only a couple of us from our small group are going.  I've never been on a sewing retreat and am really looking forward to this.  I'll have to remember to take my camera and a notebook to write down our adventures.  I'm sure we will have some. Have a creative day. Janet