Monday, October 18, 2010

Silk Purse, Sow's Ear Continues

What a crazy week last week! So fragmented, it seemed like I didn't get anything done. I think I actually got lots done, but it was little bits of different things - no big dedicated time on anything - which sometimes feels like wheel spinning.

One of the little things I did was a colour plan for an Amazing Matrix pillow that I will be making for a friend, and yesterday I found some time to get some dyeing done. This friend's family suffered a Christmas tree fire last year and however many months later, the construction is limping along - far behind schedule. They had hoped to be back in this Christmas, but it doesn't look as if that will happen. So the pillow will be a birthday-early-housewarming gift.

Here are a few pics of the dyeing I did - you'll see the "before" in both pictures. They were both "off the bolt" wools that I found in my favourite fabric store in Toronto. Although they were both classic "uglies", they were swans in the making. In the first one - that lime green herringbone wool was the last on a bolt for $9.99 a yard. And the oatmeal texture was a bit more - I think $14.99. But I could tell they would both dye beautifully, and I think they did.



Although the camera (and probably monitor too) colours are a bit off, the rusts are lovely and the teals too. 

Here are the other colours from my stash that I will be using in the pillow.


And here is the new gorgeous Oriental rug from which the colours were picked.


What an inspiration point!!! I think this pillow will be a joy to do and should be wonderful with the rug, don't you think?

5 comments:

Cathy G. said...

Wow! Those colors are spectacular! I can't wait to see them all hooked together! It is already a gift from the heart from the start! Isn't it amazing what magic happens with a little dye over an "ugly". Although I really liked that lime green! :-))

Cathy G

Wendie Scott Davis said...

Hi Cathy,

Thanks for the nice comment.

I hope to be able to use that lime green (which is really more like green popsicle green) in something "as is", but it's nice to know that it can become lots of other colours as well. A true chameleon.

Katrina said...

Great colours! I love your wools ~ the project will be wonderful :-D

sandy said...

Hi Wendy...I love reading your blog. Would you be willing to share the name and location of your favorite fabric store in Toront? Thanks so much, Sandy, a fellow Canadian

Wendie Scott Davis said...

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for coming and reading. The fabric store is King Textiles on Richmond, just west of Spadina. They have most of the sale wools at the back of the store on the left hand side (facing the back). Not a big score every time, but certainly worth the trip.

Good luck. Let me know how you make out.

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