Natural dye: avocado

I save all my avocado skins and pits.  When the bucket is full, it's dye time! The nice thing about cooking up a pot of avocado dye is, it doesn't need a mordant added to the mix.  There is enough tannin in the pits to self mordant.  Or at least that is what I read.

Nameless quilt blocks...

I usually have a name for a quilt as I am beginning to work.  Easy to do when it is an art quilt  - names like, Barn Quilt, Poppies, Jes Face, Rusty Fish, etc.  The names usually change after the quilt is done.  For instance, "Jes Face" became "Discipline".  (I used a photo from basic graduation to cut a stencil for this quilt.)

Yesterday, while being stuck inside due to cold and rainy (and even a bit of snow!) weather, I worked on blocks for my brother and soon to be sister-in-laws quilt.  I won't post any pictures yet, just in case Michelle is snooping about!  I also worked on finishing the blocks I've been sewing to make a new quilt for my bed.  Poor quilt doesn't have a name.  The name in my head when I think about it is, "Swedish Death Cleaning Use Up Some Fabric From The Closet Before I Run Out Of Space" quilt.  I think that name is too long.

Anyway - the blocks are all sewn.  Sometime this summer after Arrianne comes home from school, I'll put her to work laying out the blocks.  She enjoys doing the design work - just doesn't like to cut and sew...  I'll see if she can come up with a name for the quilt!

Natural dye: Dandelions

Last week when I did my natural dye presentation for the library quilt group, one person asked how much plant matter I use for a pot of dye.  One lady said, "probably as much as her pot will hold".  How true that is.  Yesterday, I set out picking dandelions (between rain showers), and picked every flower in bloom in the yard!  Not enough to fill my cooking pot, but enough to cook and make a lovely yellow colour.  I did not use a mordant, but believe there is enough colour left in the pan to simmer another piece of fabric today and add some alum to the mixture.

Some cheery butterflies

Still keeping up with the 100 Day Project!

Natural dyes: Stinging Nettle

My first reaction was disappointment with the colour of my stinging nettle dye.  Then I remembered how much I enjoyed the process.  I'll just over dye the piece later in the season.  Maybe the leaves were too young?

a little dyeing from monday

It's so fun to get together with the girlfriends to dye fabric.  I didn't do much, but am excited about some new pieces to work into my stitching.


This piece of lace came from the stash of my mother's man friend.  Ray's mother made it in the early 60's.  It needed colour!

Grey, grey, grey!  I'm happy with all of these pieces!  Happy enough to plan an all grey dye workshop in July.  I did have the common sense to schedule the workshop after my brother's wedding, as I would hate to have grey hands for the wedding!

I like the subtle colour of this doily.  It's one of those "found it in the closet" things.  Not sure where it came from. 

I'm not much of a pink girl, but this lace began with pink flowers.  It seemed fitting to continue with pink.  At least for now...

This lace was on a little table runner that I bought new, many years ago.  I keep snipping little pieces each time I dye.  What will I do when I run out?!?

The old pillow case that this bit of lace came from was totally rotting and falling apart.  The lace was white and peach in colour.  Either my grandmother or great grandmother made it.  Some lovely boysenberry dye will turn this lace into a lovely butterfly!

Friday morning

This week was crazy busy.  Next week is even crazier!  I have been spending much time with my mom as she prepares for hip surgery.  She is very nervous about it and is now imaging other things wrong with her body.  Yesterday when I stopped by for a quick visit (ended up 7 hours!), she told me that she thinks she has breast cancer and should schedule a mammogram.  She had one in August. I woke up with a head ache this morning.... maybe I have a brain tumor.  Maybe I just need a day away from her.  (I hope she doesn't read this!)

One of the things that has been on my to do list is to remove pictures from my phone.  They do seem to stack up!  Americans are guilty of taking pictures of our food.  But who can resist when it looks so pretty!  And yes, I love sushi!

Natural Dyes "Viking" Quilt

I've been trying to move ahead with this quilt. On the 16th I'm scheduled to do a natural dyes presentation at the library. So wanted to have this quilt done.  Not going to happen. With rain in the forecast, I may at least have the top pieced. The bottom half is put together, although once photographing it, I see areas that I want to work on with applique and stitching.


I made the decision early on that I wanted the quilt to have the appearance of being old and well used.  So when my iron "burped" on the fabric adding some rust spots, I was very relieved that it wasn't the quilt I am working on for an upcoming wedding! 

This block was created during Mend March:

I see more hand stitching in my future...

#the100dayproject

Mend March was so much fun. It was nice to prove to myself that I could do something for 31 days and actually keep up with it.  Now onto a longer challenge - The 100 Day Project.  I signed up.

My project will be 100 days of butterflies.  The start date was April 2nd.  So far, I am keeping up!

31 days of mending - finished

Happy to say that I was able to do a mend everyday during the month of March.  It was a good test for me to complete before committing to the 100 Day Project.  Yes, I will be participating!  It's always fun to do crazy things you don't really have time for...

This is the last of my mends: