Travel Scarf 4

I didn't realize how cool this project was until it was too late to go back and take pictures of everything we took rubbings of. This end of my scarf has a rubbing from Florence that has the word "Firenze" on it as well as a fleur de lies, symbol of this city. It was just there in the sidewalk around the corner from our hotel. I had to pull a small weed that was growing on it and brush the dirt off, but that was a small price to pay for a free memento of a magical city.

The words on this end of the scarf are from the ship. How lucky we were that Royal Caribbean likes to use raised letters for their stateroom numbers!!!

Travel Scarf 3

Here is the tablet in Ephesus, written in Greek, that we took a rubbing from,

and here is how it appeared on the scarf.
The word "Dubrovnik" is from a man hole cover in our first port of call, which was of course, Dubrovnik, Croatia. We spent most of the day walking the walls of the old city looking for something that would make a good rubbing and a perfect memento. We did a grape leaf and found the word "Margit" for Peggy's scarf but that was it. When we finally got into the old town we found this manhole cover. It was so clean that it shone!!! We had no trouble adding it to our scarves as there is no vehicle traffic in the walled part of the city.

The pattern to the right of the Ephesus tablet is from the bathroom floor in the cabin of our cruise ship. Once you start looking you see patterns that will make great rubbings everywhere!

Travel Scarf 2

While on vacation this summer I took a rust dyed scarf and Shiva Paintstiks along to collect rubbings from different places. The Paintstiks were in silver, gold and copper or as I like refer to them, "Rust-Tex Co-ordinates".

This summer the USD to the Euro was not strong. I was glad to have a way to remember my trip without spending much money. It also got us out of the tourist areas and into the town looking for manhole covers with the name of the town on it. We must have seemed strange to the locals as we rubbed our hands over every thing to determine if it was raised up enough to make a good rubbing.

So the picture of the day is of the bedside table in our hotel on Florence,
and how the rubbing is on the scarf. In this picture you can also see we took Pigma pens in brown and black to label where the rubbings were from.

Playing with Paintstiks

Today I am posting pictures of a rust dyed scarf that had patterning I felt was weak. Because rust dyeing is so unpredictable that happens frequently. I set those scarves aside to turn them into Rust-Tex Plus Scarves.

This first picture shows the finished Rust-Tex Plus Scarf. You can see I used Shiva paint sticks in gold, silver and copper to decorate it.

In the other two pictures you will see what I used as my "rubbing plates".

Two pieces of pressed glass from the thrift shop.

Pretty cool huh?

My OTHER Studio Companion

I am back from a wonderful and productive week-end quilting retreat. Next time I will have to bring more projects as I went as far as I could on ALL the projects I brought.

The picture of the day is of my other studio companion. His name is Neekum, which is a Japanese term of endearment for a small male. He lives outside in a hutch but I bring him in the house and let him run in my sewing studio until he settles down into his cardboard box. When I work outside in the Rust-Tex Dye Studio, I put a harness on him attach that to a leash and steak him out where I can keep an eye on him while I work. He loves to dig and eat the roots of whatever he is digging up.

Quilting Retreat

I am going on a retreat this week-end to Fern Hill Retreat Center so I won't be posting until Monday. Here is a picture from the last time I was at Fern Hill.
With eating chocolate, reading trashy novels, and having time to sew without having the responsibilities of hearth and home you can understand why quilter's like to go on retreats.

Theresa's New Job

If you are a regular reader of Rust-Tex.Blogspot.Com you know my studio companion, Theresa. She usually earns her keep by modeling Rust-Tex scarves and clothing. Today she found another way to be useful in the studio. I don't know how I would have managed with out her!!!

An Icy Day for Voting

The weather today is in the single digits F, but that will not keep us from voting in the Wisconsin Primary.

Neither will an icy car!!!
Yesterday, my eldest daughter and I, spent about 30 minutes defrosting the car windows. Most of the car is still coated with ice.

Poor car, has to spend the winters outside as the picnic table, sink and my precious rusty items winter in the garage.

Wishing for Spring

Here is a picture of the Rust-Tex dye studio that I took today.

Will that pile of snow ever melt so I can start rust dyeing again?

This year in Madison, WI we broke the previous most snow for a season. We are at 83" and more is on the way!

The Travel Scarf 1

Here is a picture of one of my traveling companion working on our scarves somewhere on the city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia. At this spot we did a rubbing of a grape vine leaf. We did the leaf as we were hard pressed to find anything that looked like it might work. A few minutes later, around the next corner, we found a stone carved with the name of St Margit. One of our traveling companions was called Peggy so out came her scarf and we captured her name on her scarf.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I took along a silk satin scarf that I had already rust dyed, three colors of iridescence paint sticks, some paper towels, baby wipes and a Pigma pen. Using all those things I was able to collect textures and words from my travels. Hopefully I will post more about it soon.

I am going on a little vacation

I won't be post anything for the next two weeks as I am taking a much needed vacation. I will be back after October 10th. The rust dyeing season might be over by then. I hope not because I do need to rust up some more stuff for International Quilt Festival in Chicago in April of 2008. Not only am I teaching rust dyeing there but I will be a vendor. And I am giving my funniest lecture, "Tales From the UFO Club".

Check back here after October 10th or keep an eye open for me in Florence, Venice and cruising the Adriatic!!!

Quilt Expo in Madison, WI

If you are within 100 miles of Madison, WI be sure to come to Quilt Expo this week-end. (Actually The show is Thursday through Saturday, 9am-6pm daily). My booth number is 622. I will be selling Rust-Tex fabric. It is soooooooo much better in the cloth than over the internet. Hope you can make it.Just wanted you all to know why I am not posting this week. I am otherwise engaged!

http://www.nancysnotions.com/NNVia/CustomPages/nnquiltexpo.htm

Another Cookie Sheet Bites the Dust.

1:29 pm

about an hour later

The Rust-Tex Report for Today

The store at Rust-Tex.Com in now open!!!

http://rust-tex.com/store/catalog.php?all=yes

A Quick Apology

Just a quick post tonight. I am sorry. I spent many hours today working on photos for the Rust-Tex Store (which should be up and running this week-end.) instead of preparing my moonrise photos as I promised yesterday. But here is a preview of some things that will be in the store.

1.25oz bottle of Synthrapol

Iridescent Paintstiks in gold, silver and copper to match the colors you get from rust dyeing

Misty Fuse, the lightest weight fusible web available

Steel Stars, guaranteed to rust

Tannin, to make stormy skies fabrics

Eclipse

DH and I got up at 4:45 am to see the eclipse of the moon. After Photoshopping the picture I took I was surprised to see I had captured something!!!

Not having the correct equipment or skill can severally limit your ability to create an image. I am glad I don't have either of those problems in the Rust-Tex studio.

Two months ago this picture appeared in the local newspaper. It was taken by Mark Hertzberg of The Racine Journal Times. I was so intrigued by this image I tried to create it with rust dyeing.

Here is the results of my first attempt.

I had planned to show you later attempts which are much more like the original photo but my camera battery died so those images will have to wait until tomorrow.

Godiva Galaxy

I am getting tired of making sunbursts using the round bottomed liquor bottles I have. I felt it was time to add a different shape to my rust dyeing vocabulary, so my DH and I spent a long time in a BIG liquor store looking at and discussing the finer points of the shape of bottles, especially their bottoms. I chose the Godiva Chocolate and he choose a square tequila bottle. With my bottle I was able to create a galaxy!!! With his we made margaritas!!!

I am just wondering if I can write this off as a business expense.

No Rust Dyeing Today

I spent most of today working on the new Rust-Tex online store. Hopefully it will be up and running by Sept 1. The rest of today was spent tidying up the yard before it rains again. Read tomorrow's post to find out how rust dyeing can justify your buying Godiva Chocolate Liquor.

Iron Dye Pots

Here is a picture of the three cast iron pots I use to dye Rust-Tex t-shirts. As you can see the dye in each pot is a slightly different shade. They must be magic pots as I mixed all three dye baths exactly the same and the t-shirts came out very close in color.