Retreat/Eco-Dye

Our annual retreat was held at Bennet Springs State Park, MO where we rented duplex cabins, talked, ate, talked, dyed, talked and ate. All in all, a very enjoyable two nights. Following are pics of some of the more successful dyeing ventures. Pieces were either steamed in a vegetable steamer of boiled in a red onion, alum dye bath.

Drying on the clothes line.

Dianna Callahan's shirt

Lucy Silliman's shirt

Emmie Seaman's shirt

who's shirt?

Front of panties

Back of panties!

ECO DYEING AT OUR RETREAT

Each year, in the early fall, we meet someplace for a retreat for three days and two nights. Last year we went to Bennet Springs State Park and liked it so well that we returned for this year's retreat. We always try to plan a little something special like learn a new technique, share favorite tips, sing along with our two banjo players, or whatever. This year we did some Eco Dyeing using India Flint's book Eco Clour. Below are most of the samples people did using leave, flowers, vegetables, sticks, you name it. We were very pleased with ourselves when we shared the results at our latest meeting.

UT RETREAT 2014

Our annual retreat was at Bennet Springs State Park, Missouri this week for three days and two nights. It was glorious weather so that we could spend our time outside. This year's focus was on Eco-Dyeing via India Flint's book by the same title.

Participants working over their found plants and silk.

Red leaves and bark

Chrysanthemum, avocado skin and various leaves

An iron pot and a copper pot hold boiling water with our silk and foliage wrapped around sticks.

 Sitting beside the Niangua River which flows out of the spring.  Soooo peaceful.

We couldn't have had better weather, food, or fellowship. The results will be revealed at our next meeting.

NEW WORKS FOR JULY & AUGUST 2014

It's been a nice summer weather wise so maybe that has inspired folks to be creative.
Roberta Ranney has a new/first grandchild on the way so she is busy making baby quilts. Here is her first one. Such fun.

Donna Olson created a quilt for her son entitled "Paper Weights. It's Hugh and gorgeous!

Merrilee Tieche is working on a Quilt As You Go piece. Here are two photos of the work in progress. Hats off to Merrilee for working with triangles instead of the usual square or rectangle blocks.

The last but not least is Sally Robinson's Oriole, created from one of her photographs. Sally is our newest member, a photographer/emerging art quilter.

Cathy Jeffery

Cathy Jeffery has been a member of Uncommon Threads since we started 11 years ago. She says she enjoys working with strips of fabric in an abstract manner. "It's all about the colors side by side and manipulating the shapes. In addition to exhibiting in the group's exhibits she has shown at Waverly House Gallery in the juried shows.

A River Runs Through It

China Town

Cathy won the Mayor's choice award in Waverly's latest show, "Local Idenity." On this invitation to the exhibit, her piece is on the far left. It's title is:  Hodgson's Mill Bridge.

VIVIAN TERBEEK

Vivian loves embellishment. She works with commercial and hand dyed cloth, thread, yarns, and beads to express her emotions in vibrant color and organic forms. Working intuitively, she manipulates the fabrics as thoughts come to her.

Roberta Ranney

Roberta is the next member of Uncommon Threads that is featured. She is a retired social worker gone textile artist. The comments are by Roberta.

"Janice's Blue Horse"

It depicts one of the interesting things my sister had in her yard. It now lives in my back yard and is a pleasant memory of wonderful yesterdays with my sister.

"Suntiger"

It was part of an exhibit at Waverly House entitled "Untamed" The butterfly is thread painted.

"Snowy"

This is one of my owl works which I enjoy making. The owl and the pine needles are all thread painted. Thread work on my sewing machine is my favorite part of art quilting.

Dianna Callahan

We'll feature a few of our members for the next couple of posts. Meet Dianna Callahan, retired art instructor from Southwest Baptist University. Dianna excels in textile portraits and serendipitous or spontaneous fabric collages. She once demonstrated how she makes her collages and made it look so easy AND fun.

"Elvis" is in the current juried theme show "At The Movies" at Waverly House, Springfield, MO.

 He is one of a series of five rock star portraits which depict them singing to their audiences.  This is a mixed media work which starts with a Shiva oil stick painting on fabric, then has other fabrics appliqued around the face.

These two pieces, "Blossom Hill" and "Spring Beauties" are on consignment at Waverly House.  "Blossom Hill" is a contrived landscape while "Spring Beauties" is inspired by the Iris in my garden.  In addition to fabric, BoNash adhesive, misty fuse, foil and Angelina heat bonded fibers are used.

The Blue Horse

Roberta Ranney brought this charming piece to the most recent meeting of UT. She says  that she has a wooden horse that belonged to her sister sitting in the backyard. . She decided to honor the little horse by appliqueing him to a background fabric dyed by Ellen Anne Eddy with appliqued irises representing the ones planted by her husband. More of Roberta's work can be seen on her blog.

Spring Fling 12 x 12 Challenge

This is our last 12 x 12 challenge. Since only nine people participated it probably means that people have lost interest. Humpf! Oh well, these are fun and colorful. Frankly it's been a long, cold March and April here in Southwest Missouri and these look like we are more than ready for sunshine and warmth.

 Sunrise Sunset - Dianna Callahan

It's Tulip Time - Cathy Jeffery

 Daffodils In Spring - Donna Olson

 Spring Down the Rabbit Hole - Vivian Terbeek

Spring Green - Merrilee Tiesche

 Majestic Spring - Carol Bormann

 Poppy Time - Maureen Ashlock

 In Spring A Young Man's Fancy Turns To Love - Emmie Seaman

Can't Wait - Diane Steffen