Annie and Arissa hard at work

Arissa has joined me as an intern from the University of Washington’s School of Art this quarter along with my other intern, Annie. I’m taking this wealth of help to add to my dye sample book. On Friday we did gradation tests with nine steps each for ten sets of two colors. That adds up to 90 tiny dye baths. It’s so valuable to see all those steps in between colors but it’s not something  I can often take the time to do. I’ve been working on my dye book for over ten years and I don’t think it will ever be done.

While I had all that dye mixed up I dyed some yardage to donate to the Contemporary Quilt Art Association’s fundraiser at Stash Fest. The fabric turned out really beautifully and it made me think again about selling hand-dyed fabrics. It’s something I’ve thought about over the years but haven’t ever pursued. Now, with the new studio, my monthly expenses have tripled so much it’s got me thinking a little more about ways to increase cash flow. I casually mentioned the idea of selling my fabrics to friend at CQA and she knows of a great opportunity for me to try it out. More to come on that I hope!

Here are some images of the color tests. More of those to come, too.