It is almost the end of August and I need to get my 8th journal quilt done for the 2014 Contemporary Quilt Group challenge. Where can I go for inspiration?
Got it, that very expensive marbling set I bought at the Festival of Quilts! So when I packed my bags for our long weekend in France, I packed some alum solution, some recycled cotton pillowcases (does anyone have a recipe for removing spider poo?), some metal baking trays and the marbling kit. Luckily, the tumble dryer condenser was full, so I had plenty of soft water. I had also picked up a book on marbling from London Quilters library.
I diluted the paints from the kit as instructed, made up the floater solution (yes, I know you can use cheap shaving foam, but I've already bought the kit). I then made a serious mistake - the book said add a little surfactant to the paints, but I think that's already included in the ones supplied in the kit. I took the opportunity to mix some colours as I particularly wanted to try with peacock feather colouring.
Anyway, after leaving everything overnight, I was up bright and early to have a go. The first piece was a disaster - only half took the colour - but the next couple worked well. However, after a while, I think the thickened water got too coated in surfactant.
A couple of pieces turned out quite well:
... and still plenty left to cut up for my journal quilt.
I should be able piece it today for quilting back in London and get it submitted on time.
