Ice Dye Delight: Gelato Dresses and More

                    Here are the Gelato Dresses

What fun to see the results of Ice Dyeing!
The little girls are ready for Italy

                       


     Now that I have conquered the technique of Ice Dyeing (somewhat), it is time to begin more applications of the process.

     Reading the Dharma catalogue, I found cotton knit sun dresses in sizes for Winona and Delila, our granddaughters.  McKenna, our other granddaughter seems to prefer pants right now....so, later McKenna.  

     Following the steps for the ice dye procedure:  folding, tying and wrapping the dress on PCV tubes, placing fabric in bins on racks and then covering with ice. 

      I awaited the fun results using colors of turquoise, blue, and fuschia....MAGIC...........

                    Fun Making Gelato Dresses

     
     Why do I call them gelato dresses?  The name refers to their journey to Italy when they were a year younger and indicates their favorite thing about all of Italy....gelato....not David, the charming Tuscan ambience, or the spaghetti.....just gelato....

Winona and Delila in their Gelato Dresses
Visiting Lake Como in Italy

                                             A  Purple and Pink Passion Dress

      I could not wait to try another round of ice dyeing.  Finding some white cotton knit that I have had since the 70's and a purple and pink....inspired me to play some more.

      The bottom floral fabric is the white cotton transformed into pink flowers and variegated tones of pink and purple.
   

Fabric Options

Pink Passion Dress in Final Form

Purple Pink Dress in Action

     Now it is time to try some different colors and fabrics...the world is open to options.  Any ideas?



  

Fred Redmon Bridge, Gateway to Our Valley

Fred Redmon Bridge Quilt, Gateway to Our Valley

Our Quilt Interpretation of the Fred Redmond Bridge

VIEWS OF THE BRIDGE

 On a February Day

     Several years ago the seven fiber artists listed decided to undertake a rather challenging project -- create a quilt honoring the beautiful Fred Redmon Bridge.  We divided a small photo into seven wedges, enlarged our wedge to a common size,  used our own fabrics (except for one shared piece), struggled with joining the wedges, quilted and bound the edges.  MAGIC!   The quilt was created! 

     After showing it at the Juried Larson Gallery Exhibit, we found a great home for it at the Yakima Convention Center, where it now resides.  

Sharing it With Yakima City Council

Dedication Ceremony in Yakima Convention Center

 Unveiling by the Artists

5 of the 7 Artists:  Deborah Ann, Barbara Green, Anna Assink, Sally Fitch, Jeanne Strater



Describing the Process of the Quilt's Creation

Sally Fitch Showing the Bridge Photo That Inspired the Quilt

Barbara Green and Jeanne Strater ShareTheir Quilt Stories

Anna Assink Shows One of the Seven Wedges

Can You Detect the 7 Wedges Division
Made by the 7 Artists?

The Quilt project was a such a positive experience for the seven of us.  Can you imagine the difficulty of putting together such rigid lines that serve the structure of a bridge into soft fiber?  For several of us it was a new experience.  But the camaraderie and a new fiber experience was well worth the challenges we encountered.   

You are all invited to see the Fred Redmon Bridge Quilt in the Yakima Convention Center

ENJOY

Ice Dye Jacket

My Ice Dye Cropped Jacket

Back View of the Ice Dye Fabric Version

(Ice Dye Process is explained in earlier blog)

Back View of the Dupioni Silk Version

Ice Dye Version Front

Reversible Silk Version Front

The Process of Making the Reversible Ice Dye Jacket

Planning the Back Design

Selecting Fabrics and Embellishments

Cutting the Bias Strips for Embellishment

Getting Ready to Join the Two Jackets Together Reversible 

The Dupioni Jacket is Assembled

The Finished Dupioni Silk Look

A Close Up of the Stitching Detail

        The Ice Dye Reversible Jacket was challenging but provided lots of learning.  The two silks wanted to fight each other so fitting them together produced a few fitting challenges.  I do love the feel of this jacket and enjoy wearing it.  Any  questions about ice dye or making your creation reversible, contact me......nomadsally
     If you are interested, the basic pattern comes from Vogue 8398.  But, of course there are many many revisions and changes.  Have fun sewing or thinking about it....!

Ice Dyeing Adventure

Ice Dyeing Sounds Crazy

But

It Is Fun

First Experiment
White Silk Fabric Purchased in Egypt
Dharma Company Blue, Green, Yellow and Red

Silk
Red, Blue, Turqouise

 I think that it will be fun to experiment more with ice dyeing.  I would like to experiment more with the color relationships and also the various ways to manipulate the fabric to create more unique patterns....

There is not much to the process except for the soaking in soda ash, preparing the tubs and racks for the fabrics, purchasing the powder dyes from Dharma, getting a face mask, glasses, and gloves to deal with the toxic supplies.

The most important item of all is the ICE!

Try it.  It is a fun adventure.

My Pinkie Elephant Jacket

MY PINKIE ELEPHANT JACKET

Can you imagine why I call this my elephant jacket?

Just keep reading

              Now you know

Pinkie was the sweet elephant that I had the privilege to bath with in Nepal.  And then I made a batik of her as a sweet memory.

Then I decided to make a jacket to give home to the batik.

Views of her development follow

Back of Jacket

In Process

Sleeves and Label

Lining Choice

Views of Finished Pinkie

I Love My Pinkie

M

FINAL DAY IN NEPAL

  Final Day in Nepal

      Bhaktapur.....a romantic gentle world with beautiful gifts of art.  Much of the city is basically a wood carving museum with the finest bas relief work.

     Talking to our guide Uttum, he mentioned  the fact that he was very happy living here.  He said that he was very satisfied  with  his life   - everything that he needed was here- his family, his work, and friends....

     Biraj Lama, our waiter and  friend at Sunny Guest House,  is an amazing  27 year old from the countryside.   Several years ago he bought a small hotel here in Bhaktapur, sold  it, and opened a small wood carving shop  in the central district.   He is capable in English, most helpful in the restaurant as well  as providing information about the  area.

     We visited the museums today and were somewhat disappointed.   The cultural  museum displayed paintings of the Hindu and Buddhist deities.  Unfortunately, there was nothing relating to  Bhaktapur past or present.

        The wood carving museum did have some exquisite pieces of carved work. but were mostly of the deities and taken from temples.  Basically much of Bhaktapur is a wood, stone carving museum with fine bas relief.

TEMPLE CARVING, A MESSENGER DIETY 

VIEW FROM OUR ROOM

HOW I MISS YOU DEAR TEMPLE!

ANNAPURNA RANGE AND TEMPLE

     It is sad to say good-bye to you, Nepal and Bhaktapur.  

     You will always be the sweetest memory.

BHAKTAPUR II

ENTERING NARAYAN TEMPLE FOR PRAYER

Narayan Temple Prayers in Bakhtapur

    A beautiful spiritual experience.  We were surprised to find the Narayan Temple through a narrow non descript doorway near our Taumadhi Square.   It was hidden away behind several buildings.

    In spite of the fact that the temple is hidden in an untidy courtyard, it is an important place of pilgrimage and one of the oldest temples in the city.  An inscription states that the site  has been in use since 1080. It is dedicated to Narayan, a manifestation of Shiva.  Sitting on a high pedestal in front of the small temple is a statue of Garuda, a vehicle of Shiva.


    We were impressed  to observe a temple  worship service which included  men and women of the community.  About   5:30 the Hindu  priest began  speaking to older people of the community who  were seated on grass matts on the ground in front of him.  We were told that the priest was sharing stories from Hindu, Buddhist, and human morality.  I noted that there were many older men who were wearing the traditional topi hat and  women dressed in the  traditional Bhaktapuri  black sari with red borders.


    The next morning we attended the 6:30 am ceremony of worship there.  The older members of the community shared the traditions of honoring the sacred posts and the deity inside the temple.  The long ringing of the bell near the termination  of the service indicated the time for the priest to sprinkle  holy water, as a blessing, over all who attended.

    To see the residents be actively participating  in the religious  experience was  meaningful to me.   So often I see empty religious structures that  seem so far from the lives of the community!

NARAYAN TEMPLE ACTIVITIES

A  City Walk  With Uttam

     Our hotel waiter, Uttam fromm Sunny Guest House,  took us on a walking tour of Bhaktapur.               

Some of the views of sights we enjoyed with  Uttam:

                                                                                                                                                                        

 Ghat (cremation area) by the River Hanumante with many sculptures of Ganesh, Hanuman, Vishu and his life cycle.                        

                 

A private Secondary School.  Students  were most interested in knowing something about our world.

  

   The Buddhist Monastery - Munivihar -a gift from the Royal Family of Thailand .  Very clean and well  maintained

 A  Mosque

 A Daycare Center

 A Municipal Health Care Center - free services

 More Shiva statues and  the largest lingams of Nepal