Saturday, April 2, 2011

Dye Candy Velvet

Look what came in the mail yesterday...


Easter candy!! It's hand-dyed velvet from Chris Daly. Her store name is Dye Candy and candy is right!!

I know I've talked about Chris before but I am absolutely in love with the vibrance and joy of her hand-dyed velvet. She carries lots of other fabrics too...but for crazy quilting, I am always on the hunt for a nice quality silk/rayon velvet. It's not easy to find, and when you do, trying to find desirable colors is even harder...


Not only is it hard to find but it can be challenging to sew since it has a tendency to shift around and it's not easily press-able -- embroidering on it can be challenging too since many stitches sink into the nap and are "lost". Having said all that, once you learn the tricks to managing this beautiful fiber, you can't beat it for adding interest, texture and lusciousness to your work.

One of our classes at the Adventure is focusing exclusively on the challenges and beauty of working with velvet. Betty Pillsbury will be teaching Velvet: Taming the Beast and I knew that the class would likely create a renewed love for velvet from those attending.

Enter Chris Daly and her gorgeous work. I used Chris' velvet in the mushrooms for my Alice block and loved it! I even tested swatches of her velvets for bleeding and found none. (Note: I test every hand-dyed fiber before using it just in case.)

I plan to use a bit of Chris' velvet when piecing some blocks for my upcoming classes as soon as I'm finished my flowers...

I'm almost ready for their leaves...I'll try to come up for air again soon...

13 comments:

Radka said...

Wow, this should keep you busy for a while:))

flyingbeader said...

Those look so delicious!

Shirlee Fassell said...

The velvet looks lusious.. I just might (ha ha) have to get me some!!
P.S. The mail man just came and I got my MOO CARDS... They came out great. I ordered them on the 28th and in 5 days I got them.... See you next week at the Adventure!!

gracie said...

magnificent colors!

MeganH said...

What a colour BLAST!!!

Chris Daly said...

Good luck finishing all you need to do before you travel! Thanks for your kind words about my velvets. :) Chris

Karla Hartzog said...

I do love me some velvet, pile pain that it is. I will have to check out Chris's store. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Oh what a delightful rainbow of colours - they are beautiful.

Mosaic Magpie said...

Yummy delicious colors and mmmmm velvet. What a combo!
Deb

Elizabeth said...

OH MY these are glorious!!!! I can't wait to see what you all do with these at The Adventure!!!

Judy S. said...

What yummy colors! I'll be thinking of you next weekend. Have a wonderful time.

Anna said...

Such delicious eye candy! I will be checking out her shop. Velvet and silk are my favorite fabrics - so regal. Thanks for sharing!

Ingrid Mida said...

Hi Susan,
I love your new header. The colours of this velvet are glorious. I look forward to seeing what you'll create with it. Have fun!

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