2004 Journal Quilts

June 2004

June has been a month filled with DellaJane Hand Dyes "stuff". We did two shows - the Omaha Quilters Guild Show and the Lincoln Quilters Guild Show. Both were disappointing financially. Can we already be at a saturation point of the local market? In Lincoln, I heard "oh look - tie dyed fabric" so many times I wanted to scream. I felt like Don Quixote tilting at windmills after explaining the difference between TIE dyed and HAND dyed so often.

I felt like I should put flowers in my hair, wear frayed bell bottom hip huggers and show off my best illegal smile. I finally started ignoring the comments - they were made by lookers, not buyers!

HAND DYED: the process of dyeing to achieve colors and textures, usually done on high quality white cotton fabric. Both single color and multi-color fabrics can be hand dyed. Base colors can be mixed to create a "new" color or combined on the fabric so that all three colors appear. Texture is created by folding and/or scrunching the fabric during the dyeing process, as well as by manipulation of the fabric after the dye is applied. Most hand dyed fabric has little or no un-dyed (white) areas.

TIE DYED: the process of bunching and tying before dyeing to create a pattern of color, usually done on t-shirts. Multi-colored starbursts or spirals are typical patterns. Tie-dyed shirts often have white space where the dye was not allowed to reach.