Wednesday, April 09, 2008

done but not done

Just couldn't resist washing out just one to see what all the fuss was about. Do you think that she thinks she is sleeping by the fireplace? I am rubberlegged! I ran out of soda ash and personal energy before I ran out of fabric to dye and color, so now I rest and I'll live to dye another day. Arrrr! Madame Karma expresses her opinion of my tablemopper - I always dedicate one clean yard of fabric to general and ongoing cleanup during a dye session. Interesting things usually happen.

Snow Storm?

This is only a small portion of the snowstorm of fabric hanging around waiting for dye. It's been soaking in soda ash solution since last week and I was getting a little nervous about it dissolving or something so I'm drying it out to use as the mood strikes me. It had better strike sometime today - this is the first real sun we've had in a while and the weather whiner portends crapola by the weekend. I saw my first hummingbirds this morning. One took a sip at the upstairs feeder, turned to look at me and SPAT..I'm cooking a new batch right now. Apologies from the chef. Here's one small piece brewing. Note the pollen everywhere. It's all over the wet fabric and I know it will wash out but wonder if it will create a resist in any way. I am among the fortunate few who have no idea what pollen allergies are all about. I blow the stuff off my dashboard with abandon. Everyone I know suffers somehow. Even one of my cats is blinking his weepy eyes. Alien blood will tell.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Spawn of the Frankenstein Dyeworx

Of course I'm only going to post the particularly tasty ones. Believe me there are some devil's dregs upstairs in the studio quaking over what I have planned for them when I get the strength and inclination. The green goddess draped over the chair is a large section of damask table cloth and to me it looks like the south lawn just inside the gates of heaven. This was a fun little cartoon to draw in soy wax. Looks like I have an indigo bucket hidden away somewhere but I don't. Below are the Cherrywood fat quarters that I had the nerve to tamper with.As nice as they were before, I like them better now.

uplift me

After a night of bad sleep due to some kind of intestinal uprising I find myself cranky and apologize if I spoke harshly or flipped you the bird during my foray to the post office. I usually dance in line and lip-sync with the Muzak while I'm in there. Today all I could do was let the half-wall hold up me and my packages. So I came home from errands and delved into the Sunday New York Times as I crouched over a bowl of tomato soup with too many crackers in it for a pseudo liquid diet. The image on the left is my interpretation of the one blazing from a full page ad for Sothebys May Contemporary Art Evening Auction. It's a good thing they keep the riff raff out, I woulda waved my paddle for this one. In the magazine section there was an ad for ABC Carpets version of a Gee's Bend Quilt. They happened to depict one of the few that I like but when you go to the website, it's not there. Meanwhile Bravo was showing back-to-back early episodes of West Wing that I had never seen.As always, late to the feast. Between Mark Rothko and Aaron Sorkin I am on the road to feeling better emotionally if not physically.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

helpers

This is what goes on when your back is turned.This is Voodoo making himself comfy on the kitchen table on a piece of fabric that has been prepared with soy wax. Black hair will be an interesting element.