Waiting for the Microrganisms

Horror Scope for today- watch out, Sandy! "Suddenly your routine life is going to be rocked -- new things are starting today."

OK, I'm waiting...

This morning on the Quilt Art list, I noticed that there are a few more posts about commercial vs. hand dyed fabrics. It's already been said by someone, sorry-I can't remember who right now, maybe Pam, that she feels like hand dyed or painted fabric is already 'complete' and doesn't ask to be cut up into something else. This kinda turned a lightbulb on in my head because I recognized the thought pattern- why cut into a really nicely designed piece of hand dyed or painted fabric when there can be other uses that show it off better! How true. I have seen others have this reluctance to cut up inot tiny pieces too so much hand dyed and painted fabric is used in wearables or other things that allow large pieces of cloth to remain uncut. But my other self remembers back to all the classes I taught where somebody 'couldn't cut' a hunk of fabric because it was 'too good to use'. It drove me nuts. "Oh, I couldn't possibly eat that pie because it's TOO GOOD TO EAT!" huh? Why would anyone have fabric, either hand dyed or commercial that are too good to use?

Now, commercial fabrics are less problematic because you can hike on back to the store and get more or go to that rummage sale and find something better- there is *always* something better and if you just give in to the fates and stop looking specifically, it will appear.

I think that the basic problem here is that hand dyed fabrics do not mix too well with commercial material- there is a softness to the colors, a diffused quality that even old and worn commercial fabrics don't have. I have also found that many less experienced hand dyers stick solely to the dye colors they buy, maybe mix two once in awhile so the pallette is limited (this is a generality so don't go typing madly away just yet)- they are sorely in need of a color theory class. In short, hand dyes do not quite float my boat, though I have seen some beauties. That said, after a class at Pro Chemical years ago, much experimentation and angst, as well as the 'unfortunate magenta incident', I had a booth selling my own hand dyes- and I didn't even much care for those! I had a little book from Debra Lunn from the 80's and followed every colorwheel recipe she had- georgous colors. But what I *really* liked was arranging them on the table and playing with color combinations to display them, and truthfully I could have done that with a set of paint chips from the hardware store. (Note: I really miss Lunn Fabrics too!)

Now, commercial fabrics: Back when I bought fabric, and before I simply *had* fabric, I would go to a home dec store and buy up all their samples or the bolt ends or even the cuttings from the box under the table. Truly I rarely went into quilting stores because I didn't care much for designers 'lines' of fabric, each design in several colorways, matchy matchy. (With apologies to all the fabric designers out there...and to quilt shops while I'm at it.) It bothered me that I was 'dating' a quilt by using fabrics strictly from that particular narrow time (OK, more apologies to the quilt archivists- I am out to make your life hell in a hundred years!). When I was scavenging I would hit Goodwill for clothing to cut up. And I also received large boxes from several friends I cultivated in the garment industry (as well as Brunsweig et Fil and Scalamandre! Verrrrry niccccceee
discontinued stuff!) who would send me the samples from the past seasons several times a year- stuff they would normally toss out. So, why in hell wouldn't I love commercial fabrics?

I would get inspirations as I was sticking it in my shelves and I swear every time a box arrived a quilt was made within days. I loved the accidental color juxtapositions, the changes in texture and 'hand' and fabric finishes. The most exciting thing for me with working with commercial fabrics is having to make substitutes or rethink a portion where I ran out of something- those decisions I found were always what made a quilt finally work.

And, finally a confession and an about face: now I am mostly working with my photographs and printing them on fabric for quilts... BUT I find that they also have a similar 'softness' of focus and color that seems to call for hand dyed fabrics as filler. What's a gal to do...