July RAFA Meeting

For the day after a holiday, we had a really good sized group today which was lovely with even three new members so we are creeping up to our limit again.  We meet the first Thursday of every month year round at the First Baptist Church in Fairport, NY.

Show and Tell was a little lean this month but Donna never disappoints us!  Here she is holding up one of her several new scarves.  This one features her own hand dyed silks felted together to give a double sided scarf -- very cool.

Here she is holding a bag that she knitted with  yarn that had flowers felted into the yarn already!

This is the "nipple" scarf which she made using the shibori technique and floppy disks as her resist.  She refused to overdye!

This was another of the silk scarves.  She must be clamping nice and tight and using pre-moistened silk to get such nice crisp markings!  She also had several scarves that she had dyed, clamped and then discharged with Thiox.  Note that her t-shirt is one of this latter technique.

I just loved this quilt that Kathie Everett did.  Kathie is a new member and we hope we see lots more of her.  She was the winner of our 2011 GVQC Iron Quilter prize.  Loved the color and design of this quilt!  She just needs to get retired so she can do more!!

It was great to welcome Glynnis back into the group.  She has gotten a full time teaching job again so hasn't been at the meetings for awhile.  This is a sample from a class she is teaching.  She is another of our many hand dyers and this was made with her fabrics.

This was a piece of fabric that was created  Sue Donovan in  class taught by  our own Julie Brandon at her studio in Wayne County.  Julie is now doing digital printing with one of those large Epson digital printers and I am itching to get out there.   She can print on all sorts of fabrics.  Her website is Red Dog Enterprises and if you click on the link, it will take you there.  She is also offering her home/large studio right on the water as a retreat location and can sleep up to six people.

Julie is also offering a class where  you make a fused glass scarf holder in the morning and then do your own Procion MX dyed silk scarf in the afternoon (Val Schultz teaches this technique).  

Sarah offered a lesson on braiding with beads  using a Kumihimo disk and some of the results are just spectacular.  I stopped on my way home to get some bead thread and needles!


I should comment that I haven't posted in a week because I have taken the opportunity while my dear husband is away, to dye up a bunch of fabrics (101 yards so far in three days).  The ironing takes as long as the dyeing plus I like to make sure I have documented what I have done so I can show people what colors I have used and the results that I have gotten.  Hopefully all the ironing will be done soon.  My sister is coming next Tuesday as we have the Ricky Tims Seminar here in Rochester the following weekend.  It will be the largest event that Ricky Tims has had.  Gail and I will be the official photographers so will be busy with that as well as hopefully getting to at least one local bird sanctuary!  I have already arranged for a quilting day out at Marcia's with Priscilla!  I am also cleaning a bit too as I don't want to totally gross her out!!  (I think I can buy her silence with fabric though....)