I absolutely love exploring the new technique I'm learning called eco-printing!  In a nutshell it means using leaves, bark, blooms and anything else you fancy from nature to make a print onto fabric.  No dyes are used, but by combining the leaves and water along with a mordant (binders or fixatives) and heat, the natural dyes in the leaves themselves will imprint onto the fabric.  The muted colors are my absolute favorite colors, with the fabric looking worn, weathered and antique-- completely natural and organic--this technique is absolutely my favorite!!

   A sampling of prints that will likely be turning into art quilts of some kind eventually.  To learn more about this technique, see India Flint's book HERE.

     I am enjoying my experimentation with the new Eco-printing techniques I am learning.  I am changing the variables, such as plant materials, fabrics, mordants, heating temperatures, and length of time involved, to name a few, and learning as I go.  So far, my favorite results are on Fuji silk broadcloth and silk noil, with some pleasing results on linen as well.  This is the most interesting turn in my work for a long time, and I am so enjoying the surprises along the way, in fact, each time I open a new bundle, I feel like it's Christmas morning!  I get so excited!  Here are some pictures of my latest pieces, with details of the eco-prints.

     A couple traveling from Hawaii purchased the art quilt, "Your Days of Sorrow Will End," for one of their friends back home, from the Valdese Heritage Art Center yesterday.  I am so happy for this piece to go to someone who is experiencing grief in their lives, and I hope that the scriptures will be a continued source of comfort and support for them.  I grow attached to my pieces when I am making them, but when I know someone else is going to be blessed by them, it's easy to let them go to their new homes, because that is the reason for which they are created.  May God bless them through this artwork.