Preparing to Play with Colouring My Fabric

The one piece of my own printed fabric I've ever used graces the bottom of this Tzedakah Box

Being a process person I need to know the steps involved before I can get anything done. Maybe this is why I love taking classes. I excel at learning the steps as presented by the teacher and quickly working through them. What I may not excel at is continuing to develop the skill I learnt in class once I get home.


 Take the class I took with Pam Woodward on colouring your fabric for example. I loved this class. I love the samples I made and have been loathe to use them in projects for fear of running out. I bought all the materials I thought I would need to keep playing with colour and pattern and texture on fabric once I got home. I labelled an old plastic bin "Fabric Dying Essentials", put all the stuff in the bin, shoved it in the cupboard and proceded to feel guilty about it.


 I can feel guilty about just about anything at the drop of a hat. I felt guilty that I had: not used the skill I learnt in class, not used the materials I went out of my way to purchase, not used my creativity in this way that really spoke to me, and that I had hoarded the fabric samples I had made for fear of using them up.


 Yesterday I had a most enjoyable afternoon at the YHQG Show. I visited with lots of quilting and fabric artist friends. I oohed and ahed over the quilts. I bid on lots of little quilts in the silent auction in support of SKETCH. Most importantly I plied Gunnel Hag with questions about colouring fabric with her Colour Vie (TM) Pigment System. I needed to be reminded about the process, and I needed to figure out what my roadblocks were and why I hadn't been doing it at home. As I spoke to Gunnel I realized/remembered that there are two thing holding me back. I don't have the nice sturdy straight pins that Pam used for our class and I don't have the soft board that you pin your fabric to before you print on it. Gunnel assured me that any pins will do. I'm a quilter, pins I have!! She also showed me how to make my own light and portable board.


I came home and made a board from this stuff I had saved for a rainy day: Piece of styrofoam left over from insulating the house, pieces of batting trimmed of of quilts before I put the binding on, square of cotton ripped from an old sheet, plain old straight pins. Now I'm ready to start playing with colouring my fabric at home. I can't wait!!!







I'd love to hear your comments. What's keeping you from getting on with it? What steps have you missed out that are keeping you from enjoying your artistic process?