NIGHT TRAFFIC, another construction quilt mounted on stretcher bars. I dyed much of this fabric in dark, rich colors so I could discharge the color from each piece to create a pattern. I used diluted bleach as a discharge agent on the cotton and soaked each piece in anti-chlor (to neutralize the bleach) when the fabric had discharged to my desired color.
There are at least three different black fabrics in this piece. Each one discharges to a different color – gold, salmon or brown. The difference is due to the hue of the dyes used to make the black. Some blacks are more red, some more purple and, in this particular case, more brown. I also discharged some lighter fabrics to create the swirl patterns in the middle.
The three “sputniks” toward the top of the quilt were printed on fabric from a photo image of one of my paintings. This is a very small section of that painting, but it served my design purpose well. In putting the quilt together, I focused on the night sky and all the communications that travel through the darkness. The large circular quilting moves through the piece in an orderly fashion while the discharged swirls are those communications that somehow get lost or just messed up. Haven’t we all had one of those? Where did it go???
…from the studio
studio 18 art 
Beautiful – love the rich dark colours, and the way the discharged areas add depth and ‘texture’ … =D
Thanks! I love to work with dark colors and the discharge technique can add movement to a rather somber design. I have some other fabrics that I’ve discharged to some beautiful colors. They are just waiting for the right piece. Sue
This is just lovely! I love the tonality and technique.
Thank you! The discharge technique not only provides great results, but is very quick. It’s fun to see the results within minutes.
I’m an instant gratification person so I’ll have to give it a try.