Finishing a cotton embossed 9 Lives top by machine

Next week I'm going to Fall Quilt Market, so my travel schedule is pushing me to finish final details—buttonholes, buttons, hems—on what will be packed in the suitcase. On this plum-colored cotton embossed Nine Lives top, the finishing steps are mostly done by machine.

Nine Lives top from The Sewing Workshop in cotton embossed fabric by Diamond Textiles.

Since the buttons I chose for this top had 4 holes (instead of two), I decided to use the X stitch to attach the buttons by machine. I just have to tie off the thread tails.

Machine sewn buttons and buttonholes.

With my experience making other tops with quilting cottons, I opted to omit interfacing on the front facings. It didn't seem to affect making the machine buttonholes. I'll monitor the success after several wears and washes, to see how it holds up.

Both the sleeve and bottom hems were completed on the machine—quick and easy. The only hand sewing on this top was on the collar seam at the neck on the inside.

Machine hems.

With the cooler weather and change of season, the color of my wardrobe has turned to an autumnal palette. Although this top is made from a lighter weight cotton, this plum colored cotton embossed fabric from Diamond Textiles reminds me of the colors of changing leaves and a fall harvest.

Experiments with natural dyes and quilting cottons

Donna Brown's "Can you Dig It" natural dye class was an eye-opener to putting nature's color palette on cloth.

Dobby weave cotton cloth hand dyed with logwood and osage orange.

I have some experience fabric dyeing with synthetic dyes, but the time had come to learn about pre-1856 colorants—natural dyes, extracts and pigments—for coloring textiles. So, for the class supplies, I gathered cuts of several quilting cottons that I generally use for sewing, garment making and quilting, along with a few rubber stamps, stencils and brushes, to learn about natural dyes and techniques for applying these colorants to cloth. Here are the results.

Immersion Dyeing
The class spent time weighing and mordanting the fabrics prior to the dye process. Dye pots were prepared and the coloring began.

Osage orange (yellow) overdyed with Logwood (purple) on
a white textured yarn-dyed cotton from Diamond Textiles.

Logwood (blue violet) took nicely to a printed batik from Majestic Batiks.
Notice the flower motifs of the batik design.

Pomegranate (yellow) overdyed with Logwood (purple) on a
pintuck cotton from Diamond Textiles.

Direct application of natural pigments
We learned about mixing natural dye extracts and pigments with tragacanth so the colors could be directly applied to textiles. Various tools can be used to create patterns and imagery to make complex art cloth.

Stencilling on Tweed Thicket, a yarn-dyed cotton from Diamond Textiles.

Rubber stamps and stencils on silk broadcloth.

Initially, the colors were from the pure pigments. However, with a room full of artists, painters and a few experienced dyers, the workshop participants quickly began creating and sharing elaborate and beautiful "custom color" dye mixtures.

Pigments mixed with tragacanth for direct application techniques.

Direct application of pigments with a foam brush
on embossed cotton (Diamond Textiles).

Stamping with a wood block on cotton knit from Art Gallery Fabrics.
The highlight colors applied to select leaves with pigment pastels.

First layer: monoprinting with a Gelli plate
on white cotton [ColorWorks from Northcott].

Silk screen (central motif) and stenciling on a batik from Majestic Batiks.

Silk screen, stamping and direct application on various quilting cottons.

Once cured (about a week for the direct applications), I'll be excited to begin working with these samples!

Natural dyes on quilting cottons. Photo credit: Yvonne Martin-Kitt

Not one "mean girl" in the bunch
Natural dyeing is a combination of history, chemistry, and art. I enjoyed all the ingredients and aspects of the recipe. Thank you to Donna Brown, a knowledgeable and generous instructor, for taking me on my maiden voyage with natural dyes, extracts and pigments! You made me and everyone successful in our creative textile endeavors.

Donna Brown (left) and I at Shakerag Workshops 2019.

And to the fellow artists who graciously shared in this learning experience with me, your talents, friendship and thoughtfulness are without limits. Thanks for a wonderful experience.

"Can You Dig It?" natural dye workshop. 2019 Shakerag Workshops.
Photo credit: Yvonne Martin-Kitt.

Textured wovens + garment sewing—a hot topic at Spring Quilt Market

Modern garments featuring textured wovens from
Diamond Textiles.  Photo credit: The Sewing Workshop

Plenty of excitement and enthusiasm for sewing and quilting with textured wovens and yarn-dyed cottons emerged from the Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City last weekend!

I assisted in the Diamond Textiles booth where Rohni Sandu, owner and President of Diamond Textiles, and her staff entertained a steady stream of quilt shop and fabric shop owners right up to the Market's closing bell! In addition to ordering yarn-dyed cottons, ikats and textured wovens to meet their shop’s demand for quilting, applique, stitching, embroidery, wool and needle punch projects and classes, the store owners were interested in fabrics for garment sewing!

Quilting cottons are doing
dual duty!

Diamond Textiles was right on trend sponsoring a pre-market educational Schoolhouse session with Linda Lee, a nationally known sewing instructor, author, pattern designer and owner of The Sewing Workshop.

Garment sewing is back and on the rise. The significant response to and attendance at the Schoolhouse session was evidence of this! Shop owners were looking for ideas, inspiration, tips and resources for classes and sewing projects and they wanted quilting fabrics that were also appropriate for garment sewing.  

MixIt top and Six Sense skirt.
Photo credit: The Sewing Workshop

The schoolhouse presentation focused on choosing fabrics and textured wovens for various garment types. Linda's trunk show showcased garments using patterns from The Sewing Workshop—tops, dresses, skirts, pants and jackets—and fabrics from Diamond Textiles—yarn-dyed solids, textured wovens, pintuck cottons and embossed cotton fabrics.

The array of garments reflected both classic and current styles and included fun details such as visible “big stitching” and improv piecing—techniques quite familiar to quilters. Linda discussed fabric and garment pattern pairings for today’s sewers and quilters and how fabrics found in quilts shops are not exclusive to just one discipline. 

Shown left is an ensemble using Diamond Textiles embossed cottons. The top is the MixIt Tee paired with the Six Sense wrap skirt with an assymetrical pocket.

Below are photos of the garment samples that found their way back to the Diamond Textiles booth after the schoolhouse session. 

The Cottage Shirt is shown in a yarn-dyed solid fabric from the Diamond Textiles Manchester collection. 

Cottage Shirt featuring a Manchester yarn-dyed solid.

Visible "big stitch" hand stitching accents a wide hem and the button holes up the front.

Hand stitching details on the Cottage Shirt.

The Six Sense asymmetrical skirt with a pocket is made with Diamond Textiles unique cotton embossed fabric. Also in a cotton embossed, is the MixIt top. The complementary color scheme of this ensemble is quite eye-catching.

This graphic, black-and-white top is the Hugo Top made with PT 3218, from the Diamond Textiles pintuck line. You can't have too many white shirts in your wardrobe, in my opinion!

Hugo Top with Pintuck cotton.

The Picasso Pants is a new pattern from The Sewing Workshop. It has the lantern style pant legs with front, side and back panels. This version was made with a popular textured woven from the Nikko Geo collection. Don't you love the contrast top stitching detail??

The Picasso pants made with Nikko Geo.

One of my favorite Sewing Workshop patterns is the Siena and Cortona which offers two styles of button down tops. Here is the Cortona top made with a textured woven (Nikko 3775) from one of the Nikko collections.

Cortona Top in Nikko 3775 textured yarn-dyed woven.

And this is my Siena Shirt using Tweed Thicket  a new yarn-dyed woven from Diamond Textiles (collar, sides, sleeves and back) and an Australian aboriginal print from M&S Textiles for the front panels.

Siena Shirt with Tweed Thicket.

I also got to wear my new Diamond Textiles patchwork jacket that was completed just in time for Market (nothing like a deadline, right?). It uses a variety of textured wovens from several Diamond Textiles collections. I love to mix and match the colors and textures from this company's fabric lines. This jacket is one of my #MakeNine projects.

Patchwork Jacket showcasing a variety of textured wovens from Diamond Textiles.

Amid the quilts hanging in the Diamond Textiles booth were additional garments from patterns by Tina Givens, Wiksten and In the Folds. 

Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Market featured yarn-dyed textured wovens,
ikats and embossed cottons in quilts and garments.

Diamond Textiles ikats and textured wovens are fabulous for handbags, totes, home decor items and other accessories.

Box Bottom Slide Clasp Purse from Reets Rags to Stitches.

Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Quilt Market.

So next time you visit your local quilt shop, don't stop at using those beautiful fabrics for only quilts. Open up the possibilities to yarn-dyed wovens, textures cottons, embossed cotton and ikats for tops, skirts, jackets, pants and other garments.

Diamond Textiles has an extensive collection of weights, colors, textures, and solid fabrics in 44"/45" and wider. They pair perfectly with sewing patterns from The Sewing Workshop. Ask your local quilt shop for both!

Best 9 challenge: red and green

The owner of retail shop Flots & Jets [in New South Wales, Australia], Megan Ridgway, hosted a Red and Green Best Nine Challenge [#fjnine] on Instagram about a week ago. I whizzed through the photos on my iPad and stopped at anything red and/or green. Here are the nine images I posted at veronica.fiberantics on Instagram.

Best 9 Red and Green Challenge

Top Row (left to right):

• My Siena Shirt: pattern from The Sewing Workshop, fabrics are Fire Dreaming and Plum and Bush Banana from M&S Textiles Australia.
• A renegade holly sprout in the backyard path.
• Long sleeve knit top: self-drafted pattern, fabric is Vintage Florets Trinkets knit from Art Gallery Fabrics. 

Middle Row:

• Red and green scrappy 4-patch blocks.
• Appliqué and hand embroidery: fabrics are embossed cotton and yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles.
• Madonna and Child statue at the chapel at Bethlehem Woods retirement community, LaGrange Park, IL.

Bottom Row:

• Guitar Strings Improv: my improv patchwork quilt that was published in "The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters" book by Sherry Lynn Wood.
• Altgeld Hall in September on the campus of Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.
• Flower basket, pattern is Melba Flower Basket from The Textile Pantry, fabric is from Squared Elements from Art Gallery Fabrics and red yarn-dyed wovens from the Provence collection from Diamond Textiles.

Applique with Cotton Embossed fabrics: something a little different

Have you heard of cotton embossed fabrics? Until about a year I go, I was not familiar with them. These cotton embossed fabrics are from Diamond Textiles and they are both beautiful and unique. Here are just a few of the colors from the full color palette that is available. The Cotton Embossed collection also includes black, white and natural in several different patterns. 

Selection of Embossed Cottons from Diamond Textiles.

The colors and patterns on the embossed cotton fabrics are achieved through a batik resist dye process. The removal of the resist after the dye process creates the "embossed" or "debossed" areas (the dots in this example). Yes, you can actually feel the depression of the spots on the fabric. And, like the batiks that you're familiar with, the color is on both sides of the fabric.

With embossed cottons, the color is on both sides of the fabric.

I decided to give embossed cottons a try with appliqué. The pattern is a new one from Sew Cherished called, Glory Days. The scrappy patchwork blocks and the borders of this quilt are a lovely selection of yarn-dyed wovens from the Nikko collection—also from Diamond Textiles.

Glory Days pattern from Sew Cherished.

I'm using a fusible appliqué technique (not turned edge) for my project and taking advantage of the inherent characteristic of the embossed cottons. Because these fabrics are dyed and have color all the way through, this makes them perfect for fusible appliqué—no white edges!

Fusible appliqué with hand embroidery.

Since I'm enjoying hand stitching these days, I've chosen Eleganza from Wonderfil Threads—a #8 perle cotton that comes in a range of beautiful solids and variegated—to add hand embroidery and stitch embellishment to the appliqué. Here's the start of the stitching process. The background fabric is yarn-dyed woven [PRF-568] from the Primitive Collection by Diamond Textiles.

Hand embroidery with #8 perle cotton

This weekend ushered in Fall. I think I'll keep the colors of summer a little longer with this basket of flowers... brightly colored embossed cottons... and a bit of slow stitching.