January 15, 2011

Robert Kaufman what are you doing to me?

Oh my goodness, Robert Kaufman. Why do you make such beautiful, juicy kona cotton? And why must you have 221 incredible colors to choose from? And why did you tempt me into using them by donating charm packs for everyone in my quilt guild? Did you realize what this would do to me? Don't you realize that it takes me eight whole hours to make just a fraction of these by hand?  Probably not. Are you even a real person, Robert Kaufman?


I'm totally having an existential crisis over this. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just pick fabrics out of a stack and not have to go through all the labor of making my own? It would make the whole process so much faster if I could skip the dyeing step. I wouldn't really say I'm losing sleep over this (it takes a lot for me to lose sleep over something) but I have been chewing on this issue since Thursday. I realized today that what it comes down to is I love dyeing fabric. It is my favorite part of making a quilt. I love making different color combinations, weighing the fabric, figuring out the equations, mixing stock solutions, adding small amounts of dye to a dyebath with a tiny syringe. It's all fun and interesting and always a different challenge. So, yes. It would be much easier to buy these incredible Kona cottons. But it wouldn't be as satisfying, and I wouldn't be in control of the colors, they would always be someone else's.

 

But seriously, y'all. All I could do Thursday night was fondle my charm pack and flip through all 43 little 5" squares, constantly trying to find my favorite in the bunch. These kona cottons are so beautiful and the people at Robert Kaufman are so generous.

5 comments:

  1. Although the konas are quite lovely, I'm sure they're nothing compared to your hand-dyes!

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  2. your dyeing process is what makes your quilts so gorgeous! i'd love to see them in person.

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  3. I know you're teaching at Arrowmont, but do you ever teach any courses for quilters, non-art students, here in the midwest?

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  4. Thanks guys!
    Patty - I'm working on teaching a dye workshop for the KC Modern Quilt Guild. I also taught a workshop in Columbia, MO in October. Other than that, I don't teach many workshop in the midwest, but I'm thinking about starting some out of my studio. What kinds of things would you be interested in?

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  5. so awesome color combination.To get more design in weaveron textile click on this link....:http://www.weaveron.com/

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