Two projects

Continuing on my list, experimented yesterday with dyeing fabric that had a white design printed on a white background. The first is a butterfly pattern, and I applied unthickened procion mx dyes to a piece of the fabric which had been soaked in soda ash solution, then dried:

I used a 3 inch wide foam brush to apply the dyes, creating some wavy stripes, slightly overlapping the colors. I call this "Waves of butterflies", and I used part of the fabric to create a cell phone case:

I actually started another where I was outlining the butterflies with free-motion quilting, but I realized that would be a lot more labor intensive, so I ended up just quilting along the flow of the color bars... much easier and quicker!

So I have now made 3 cell phone cases, and I have removed that from my project list... not because I won't be making any more, but because I feel comfortable enough with the concept to feel like I don't need to keep it as a 'to do' on my board.

Meanwhile, I also did another experiment with a different white-on-white fabric, and I'm not as pleased with the results:

I used my eyedropper here to apply the dyes to the pre-soaked and dried fabric. I had laid the fabric flat in a bin, and really don't feel that the dye worked well here... I love the fabric, but I think next time I will either apply with a foam brush or roller, and I want to try this fabric with a bronze dye with maybe a touch of orange. I will post more pix as I go... meanwhile, this item stays on the project board for awhile longer. I still have at least 8-10 different fabric samples to experiment with, including a number of black/white, and a white with gold print... fun!

On an unrelated note, I posted an item on my Facebook page that our semi-wild kitty, Shrekkie, actually spent the whole night in the house last night, comfortably perched on a chair in the living room! I think he gets it that life can be a lot more comfy in the house in the winter than outside, freezing under the house! He's such a sweetie! Looks kinda like a furry bear when his fur is standing out, see?