rusting pictures

the first one i thought looks like birch tree trunks, the second looks like sunflowers (i think). the black came from soaking the rusted doorknobs in water before i wrapped them with the fabric.










here are the pics i took of the steps i took in rusting the previous fabric. i thought i would throw in a beautiful rainbow i saw this morning when i went outside to see why all the cows were bawling. we got the rainbow before the rain storm this time. the vinegar soaked fabric baked (100 degrees +) in the OK sun for three days.

still rusting

i have discovered a few things since my last rusting. when my pam and i were dying fabric i thought that i would take a piece of the fabric that i had soaking in the soda ash solution and rust it. after a week there was barely any rusting action going on at all. the piece was virtually rust free. a few days later pam told me she read somewhere not to use soda ash on your fabric prior to rusting because it would retards the rusting. it came to me one night while i was trying to shut off and go to sleep that if i washed the finished rusted fabric with some soda ash in the washer with some very hot water that it would stop the rusting action so as not to cause the fabric to fall apart in a few years. the last wash was with laundry detergent alone.

so far i have liked the results. the fabric is softer with the soda ash after wash than with the salt. more of the actual rust that is on the fabric when you first unwrap it is gone also with the soda ash. i am going to sew some rust fabric to a white piece of fabric and wash it and then iron it wet and see if any wanders over to the white. i will post what happens.

not a laid back sunday morning....

nothing like a good f-bomb dropping mad rage early on a sunday morning. went out the garage door and the neighbors dog and tore up three sacks of extremely gross trash. good grief, where's a loaded gun when you need one?

leaving for the kids vacation tomorrow so i will be out of pocket until thursday. this will be a xanax a day trip i am sure. i would give my life for my grandsons in a second but to be closed up in a car with them for 6 hours straight gives me thoughts that had best not be shared. give me strength.

i am starting on my christmas gifts to everyone in my sewing group today. each one will be different and hopefully enjoyed by all. these will be tongue in cheek so they'll have to lighten up when they get them.

worked up a good sweat working off my mad spell that now i have to take a shower. i am trying to stay inspired to work on the aforementioned. stay motivated, stay motivated, stay motivated.

this is where i'd like to be.

another successful rust

i loved the way this piece of fabric turned out. i wrapped it around a iron rod and then scrunched it then wrapped rusted wire around it, wrapped it in saran wrap and let it bake in the sun for 4 days. there are all kinds of feather patterns in this piece. can't wait to do another one.

another looney cloon retreat

i cannot wait to get on the road for retreat. it is what keeps me going and able to deal with my day to day obligations. it is the eye in the middle of my hurricane of a life. this doesn't mean that i don't cherish every minute that i spend with my family but sometimes i need a break to refuel. it's not only family that i need a break from but the many things that i haven't learned to say no to. slowly but surely i am eliminating things that have taken up so much of my time.

i can't get to my sewing room to work on ideas that i have in my mind, actually i really can't get IN my sewing room because the door is blocked with everything that was against one wall because the mud guy is working on the walls. i had my husband close the door off from my sewing room to the main bathroom. every time someone abused the bathroom they would open the door to my sewing room and well you know. now there is only one door leading into my room, i have to get used to going all the way around the house to get there. it is kind of hid in the back of the house. i like that.

the experiment

the experiment didn't work with my father in law coming to live with us. he arrived on a wednesday and he went home on a wednesday. one week...

rex and i thought we were prepared to take care of him but we were sorely wrong. what ya gonna do bad boy, bad boy, what ya gonna do.

trouble maker and shadow dye fabric

a good friend of mine, for reasons i had rather keep to myself, has nicknamed me "troublemaker" and now she has nicknamed pam 'the shadow". i have been dying fabric for awhile and now "the shadow" is in on the fun. we have decided to do some workshops dying fabric and whatever else tickles our fancy. we are by no means professional but we sure have loads of fun learning as we go. i am not afraid to make a mistake in front of people who think i know what i am doing. the following is some pics or our process. i am not a photographer. oh yeah, my grandson, koty worked on his 4th of july t-shirt.



i am using ann johnston's book "color by accident" for the basic recipes and tweeking them along the way. the first is bound with rubber bands, dyed, unbound, rebound, and another color added.