Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!

Thank you so much for the great comments on the table runner! Really these things are not hard to make, I use a sewing machine and quilt with the sewing machine also. No hand sewing for me! I used the charm pack so the pieces are already cut into 5" squares, so it really feels the work in organizing the fabric and preparing it is already done. And of course it all coordinates beautifully since its all from the same fabric line. What could be easier? I love these charm packs and have a couple more in my stash! I can't wait to tackle my jelly rolls, I bought them because they were a great price, $32 each, and I think I will use them in a split rail design to make a quilt top.

Tea anyone?

I found myself with a free morning yesterday ~ work has been very stingy lately, its either feast or famine. But it gave me time to play with my glaringly white fabric which I have to start Paradigm Lost, which is {gasp} starting tomorrow! November 1st is almost here!! I'm really not a white-white kind of person, I really much prefer warm colours and earthy tones and I have a gorgeous selection of Gloriana purple silks that I have been saving (ahem, hoarding) for PL. I didn't think I liked the way the silks looked against the white linen but since this is such a honkingly large design 363 stitches x 354 stitches, I need a huge piece of fabric. And dear Marg gave me a full yard of 40 ct linen that she had mistakenly bought at a craft sale we were at a few weeks back. So it was time to try my hand at tea-dying.

I used 2 bags of a black tea and 2 cups of water with a smaller piece of fabric to see what I would come up with. And wow, it turned this white linen into a gorgeous shade of amber! I was really pleased with the results. But actually I thought probably a wee bit too dark for PL with my purple silks. So I added a bit more water to the mixture and then took a deep breath and added my PL fabric. This piece came out much lighter, more of a tan shade, I guess between a cream and tan, and actually more of what I was looking for. I guess it was a little lighter than what I wanted, I played with the idea of darkening the mixture with another tea bag, but then I chickened out and thought I could end up something too dark. Besides it was time to take the kids to their dentist appointment.


So here is my final result~ the picture doesn't show the true colour of my final piece which is in the foreground of the picture above - its much nicer in RL. And I'm all set for our PL start tomorrow, my working copy has been made, and my needle is ready. Although I think a couple of the others have cheated and have started or are starting today. Well no Hallowe'en treats for them!

23 comments:

Barbara J said...

I think it turned out well, not too dark like the test piece. It'll contrast well with the silks am sure. Good luck on the PL SAL!! Although I'm more inclined on the CdC ;)

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

I love tea-dying...if you ever want it more mottled and darker...you know what to do ;) Yep! Baste and Bake! :)
Have a great day!

Cheryl said...

Im looking forward to the SAL too although im doing CdC! Your fabric turned out great, i must try that sometime.
I love your tablerunner by the way! Charm packs sound great. Im hand sewing my table runner and its taking forever...the class im taking specifies no machine sewing...the next quilting project i undertake will definetly not be hand sewn!!! Its driving me mad ;)

Anonymous said...

Wendy...turned out quite nice...you are adventurous...good going. Glad you could put that fabric to good use.

Marg

Stephanie said...

Oh my, you're SO brave, I don't think I would have managed tea-dying without having a heart attack! You've done a lovely job, and all in good time for the PL start - I'm so looking forward to your progress!

Anonymous said...

Your fabric has turned out lovely! How brave of you - especially as it was the day BEFORE starting stitching!

Carol said...

Oh, I love how the fabric turned out! Congratulations :-)

Margie said...

Your fabric looks great! I love to tea dye myself :-)

mainely stitching said...

I'm drooling over the thought of a full yard of 40 ct. linen ....

Your tea-dying was a huge success - it looks great with the purple silks. Can't wait to see it stitched up!!

Ele said...

Dear Wendy,
your fabric turned quite nice - have a Happy Halloween , too!
Greetings from Gabriele

Anonymous said...

If you want darker spots, here and there you can dab on your teabag. Also while your fabric is wet/dampish you can sprinkle on instant coffee. Dampish is better though, the coffee will spot more rather than blend in. Also if your fabric is a bit too light, let it dry and then redye it once more. The colour gets lighter as the fabric dries.

Lynn said...

You're braver than I am! I'd be afraid that I'd make a real mess of things but you did a nice job on it. I think it turned out quite nice. Looking forward to seeing those first stitches!

Carla said...

Your fabric looks great! Great job on the tea-dying

The Silver Thistle said...

You're too modest. That table runner rocks! lol

Where's the PL SAL blog at? I'd love to see how they all progress.

Natasha said...

I loved how you'r fabric turned out. Thank you for the information about making the runner.And the comment you left me.
I have that PS fairy chart,if you would like it I can send it to you?

Sherry said...

Congrats on the tea dying! I love to do it with my fabrics!

Mindi said...

Nice job with the tea dying. It was smart of you to do a test swatch first, I'm not sure if I would have remembered to do that. The silks you have looks great with the fabric, I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

CJ in OK ;-) said...

Love that you dyed it yourself. Just another way to personalize your project. Have fun with your start.

Dani - tkdchick said...

Oooh Wendy you're so brave! YOur tea dyed fabric turned out lovely!

Leeland said...

Tea dyeing... I have tried and it was a total disaster. Do you put your fabric in warm or cold tea? That's certainly a stupid question, I know... But I have done it in warm tea and the fabric was ruined. And there were stains when I wanted some solid colour... Well...

Beatrice said...

Wow that looks good. I'm not sure I would dare to do that. Hmmmm. Maybe....
Happy PL!

Sachiko said...

Oh!!Your fabric has turned out lovely!
I'm interesting for your blog.I will visit from now.

Sachiko

lena-lou said...

Hope you are enjoying the start of your SAL :) the fabric came out a brilliant colour for the purple threads and it is good fun doing it with tea/coffee. Looking forward to seeing what you do next with your quilting what a fab price you got the jelly rolls up for:)) good for you, that is an excellent bargain :))
Enjoy the rest of your week with your stitching!