I recently gave a talk to a guild about using indigo fabrics in quilts. I shared old quilts and new ones I had made. I included purchased indigo fabrics from Africa (again, both old and new ones), commercial reproductions of indigo fabrics, and fabric I had dipped in the indigo dye bath myself.
Once home, I rearranged quilt displays so I could visit with these pieces more.
And, with warmer temperatures outside, I knew it was time to resurrect the dye pot and get busy.
So for the past couple of days, I’ve been dipping. Yes, even a lampshade.
This is a tablecloth my mother crocheted for me in 1985. It was beige. I would see examples of this in antique stores and think how beautiful these objects would be if they were blue.
So I bought one to test my theory. I dyed this one on Tuesday and I liked it so well that I dared to dye Mama’s handwork on Wednesday.
I dipped a lot of other fabrics each day, too.
Napkins are always a favorite. The group pinned together is 9 matching linen napkins that had never been used. All the same size, I think they will be great backgrounds for appliqué.
A printed black on white linen skirt takes the dye beautifully. And, one of the most delightful pieces I dipped is a piece of Moda’s new line of barkcloth. It’s 100% cotton, but beefier than quilting cotton, and dipped and washed and dried, it is soft and buttery and ravels beautifully. Raveling well is important to me.
I’ve joined a new online group with Jude Hill, her latest adventure in soulful stitching. Ragmates in this journey with me can expect to see some of this dye lot in future explorations. I’ve written about Jude before in many posts, but she is the one who convinced me that I could explore indigo dying. Thanks, Jude.
