I'm calling it...

...Free Form Ice Dyeing. 

 

I  don't know what anyone else would call it but that's what I am going to.

 

The other day I want to try my hand at dyeing something that didn't require tyeing.  So with a scrap piece of fabric that was approximately 22" x 91", I started twisting and scrunching till I could fit it on my dyeing rack.  I then put ice on top of the fabric and sprinkled several of my favorite colors on followed by blue gray over the entire piece to soften and mute the brightness.

I am beyond thrilled with the results.  In hindsight my only regret is I wished the piece of fabric had been bigger.  Because I absolutely love it.

The big question now is what to do with it.  Before I dyed the piece I was thinking about making a bunting.  But now I'm not so sure.  A bag perhaps?

What would you make?

Tropical Paradise

 

 

Tropical Paradise

45" x 45"

 

 

My husband's response upon seeing this piece was simply "Gorgeous"!  I'm not sure if I've ever gotten a "gorgeous" out of him.  Don't get me wrong.  He loves everything I create.  He's my husband and biggest supporter.  But I consider it high praise to get a "gorgeous" out of him.

 

What started out as yellow, lime, aqua, and blue, turned into something altogether different that I didn't quilt expect.  But that's the awesome thing about dyeing.  Until you open it up and rinse it, you don't exactly know what you're going to get.

 

I love the how the lines radiate from the center.  It gives it a sparkle that I REALLY like.  I will definitely be repeating this fold and playing with other color combinations.

Not to toot my own horn but...

 

 

...isn't it beautiful?

 

This is my second inclined ice dye using the same colors as the first.

I love how completely different they both look.  You can repeat all the steps

exactly the same each time and never the get the same results.

 

Here area a couple close up shots.

What do you see?

 

 

I see a koala.

 

I see a ram.

 

I see a stag.

 

What do you see?

Same Dyes, Vastly Different Results

Wow...what a small change can impact dyeing results.

Below is a picture of one of two pieces I did yesterday.  It came out as I had anticipated.  

As the ice melted it dripped the color the way I'm used to seeing.  

You will notice each color has stay mostly pure and blends only where it came in contact 

with the color next to it. Here are a couple close up shots to see what I'm talking about.

And here is the second piece...

My jaw dropped when I opened this one!

Like I said before, both pieces were dyed with the exact same colors.  The difference...besides the fact that they were folded differently...this one was dyed on an incline.  

Here are some close up shots.

As you can see, dyeing on an incline allowed the colors to commingle

 as they ran down the pieces to the bottom of the drain pan.

I am sooooo over the moon with these pieces!

The first piece is destined to be cut up to becoming butterfly wings for a large 

applique project.  It would also make some beautiful applique flowers!

As for the incline one...I'm not sure what I'll do with 

it yet but the possibilities are endless!

What do you see?

 

I see an ant.  One of my friends on Facebook said they saw an angel.  I can get there.

 

 

What do you see when it's reversed?

 

 

 

I have a feeling this is going to be one of my "go to" dye techniques because the

possibilities for a fabric like this are endless!  You could fussy cut for applique or quilt it

as a wholecloth.  You could even stretch it over a frame or hang it unquilted as a tapestry.



Jewel Tones

Believe it or not, I've always had a love for jewel tones.  

They have a calm, soothing effect that just makes me happy.

 

I had a bunch of fabric folded and ready to dye with no specific plan for them.   

So I decide to take the opportunity to do some experimenting.

 

I applied dye to the ice very randomly, not thinking about what was going where or

next to.  I used a combination of green, teals, blue, purples, and red violets.