Dyeing with Onion Skins

Cover Onion Skins, half pounds worth if you can get them, with water.

Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes and then allow to sit overnight - doing this allows the dye molecules to leach from the onion skins.

Next day bring to a simmer and let simmer for about an hour before adding pre-mordant fabrics, fibers, etc.

Allow the fibers to simmer for an hour do NOT bring to a boil as this will bring out the browns in the dye molecules and you don't want that.

Shut off the heat leaving the fabircs in the dye bath.

Allow the dyebath and fabric to sit overnight.

This has yeilded the best color to date that has been quite lightfast.

Dyeing with Onion Skins

I take my skins cover with water bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes and then allow to sit overnight. Next day I bring to a simmer and let simmer for about an hour before adding my fabrics, fibers, etc. I allow the fibers to simmer for an hour, shut off the heat and allow the dyebath and fabric to sit overnight. This has yeilded me the best color to date that has been quite lightfast.

Define Success

Still working my way through "I'd Rather be in the Studio" and am pondering some of the things I'm reading in Action 1 => Define Success for Yourself. Sounds simple doesn't it???

After much thought, and still being stuck I took a different approach after reading Lisa Call's blog for a bit, and came at the question from the back door --- I started with a list of what I had accomplished already and what I did and did not like about what I had accomplished. In doing so I can see where I got off track some seven years ago... More later.

Announcement Time Change

I am changing the announcement time to
1:00 pm Central Time
this will give folks more time to leave a comment




I'm really pushing the clock here and I have one more yard sale to go to - I hear there's tons of fabric and vintage goodies!!! IF you don't see your comment don't fret all comments are moderated and it WILL be posted before the announcement!

Today's Yard Sale Score


There were gobs of bits of vintage lace, doilies, linen fabrics etc., all carefully folded INSIDE of tacky polyester fabrics.

This is just a hint of what I picked up, all at one sale, for fifteen dollars. The only downside is I'm going to have to put this stuff in a closet with my ozone machine - it smells like dryer sheets to which I'm very allergic. Most of the items like the millenary pieces are very fragile, still very usable for collage, and would probably not survive being washed.


This woman was an ace garage sale preparer!!! Very sly if you ask me, as I was taking items out of the bags all sorts of treasures started to appear. It's like she knew that these would be chosen ONLY by the right person. As I was looking around for more goodies, I had just grabbed a bag of millenary supplies, she asked me if I had looked at the other bags of fabric on the far table simply stating that everyone had passed them by. I took one peek and grinned from ear to ear and each bag was a mere 50 cents! Mother Lode!!!

May's Fibery Giveaway

May's fibery giveaway (found out it wasn't spelled give away) consists of natural dyed cotton and silk fabrics, acid dyed silk carrier rods, the hot pink carrier rod fibers were dyed with cochineal, and hand dyed yarn bundle and cotton pearl cotton threads. What you don't see are some extra goodies I'm tucking in with this bundle, in the same color palette of course.

What you have to do is post a comment AND you MUST have an email addy so that I can contact you! No I won't use your email addy for anything other than this giveaway! You can sign in as anonymous but please leave your addy in your comment ~

Names will be drawn out of a hat, I'll have John do that part, and tomorrow I will announce the winner and contact the winner via email at Noon Central Time (gives you time to comment and me time to go to garage sales).

Garden Update

The potato patch has been mulched, I beat the rain this time. One of the upsides to checking the potatoes was I found something was munching on the leaves so tomorrow it's off to the gardening store for some organic bug stuff to kill off the buggies. Otherwise hubby is threatening to use Sevin on everything and that is the last resort around here.

State of Affairs


What my wet studio looks like at the moment! The pile on my screenprinting table is some what reduced now, see previous post. My plan is to work late into the night tonight and get this mess cleaned up for tomorrow's big reveal. It'll happen I'll probably be sore but it'll happen! ;-)
Everything that is stacked on the table WAS stacked against the far wall, BON, or I should say stacked up against the old cabinet and chest of drawers. I'll post improvement photos tomorrow.

Wet Studio Clean Up

In the boxes Printing blocks, old printers letters, inks, stencils, and fabric paints. Sinew and rawhide for basketry and other 3D fiber projects on top of the shelf.

Collage items on the wooden shelf.

Basketry materials, fibers for dyeing and pfd fabrics for dyeing and painting! And the obligatory surface design supplies: rollers, stamps, sponges, squeegies, etc.


Wire cages/boxes I'm not really sure what they are called they are really convient for corralling lots of little things. I'm hoping by tomorrow I'll be able to stand on the far side of my studio and see across the room! Right now it's looking pretty bad.