Jamie's piece this month uses a pomegranate as a motif as well as the "dye" for some of the elements. She used a pomegranate tea for dyeing cheesecloth and embroidery floss; the light background fabric was simmered in pomegranate juice; and the halo around the fruit has been painted with cold pomegranate juice after the piece was quilted.
Sue says her kitchen was a regular chemistry lab as she tried to find just the right red for some of her leaves. She has dyed used dryer sheets and wool as well as using commercial fabrics overlayed with organza. The yellow wool is a combination of tumeric and dry mustard. The dark red is a combination of paprika, chili pepper and other red spices. All the leaves have been machined stitched prior to being placed on the background which was created by spritzing a bleach and water solution over a maple leaf stencil. Sue has achieved her dimensional piece by also using her heat tool to melt the organza and dryer sheets.
Sue Anne dyed her family memory quilt with tea and coffee. By letting the coffee-dyed crotcheted dry in a warm place, she was able to get a very dark color. The background is an old huck towel with its own stains plus some that Sue Anne added by spritzing with coffee and tea. The floral applique is from old drapes. A piece of mica covers the photo in the center. Trims and threads used for embellishment have also been dyed with coffee and tea.
Susan combined two Tart techniques in this piece. After quilting the striped background, she added two used dryer sheets: one dyed with black cherry Kool-aid and the other with paprika. The two-toned circles have been cut from her painted and embossed bamboo batting. Bead embellishment highlights the entire piece.
