The Rit Blog

Debra Quartermain created this bashful owl from wool felt that was dip-dyed in Rit Fuchsia dye, creating an ombreꞌ effect that resulted in shading from light to dark.  This easy-to-make project recently appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of Crafts ‘n Things, published by Amos Craft Publishing. http://www.craftsnthings.com/

Debra prewashed the wool felt and then mixed up the dye adding white vinegar to the dye bath to help achieve a more intense color.  To create the ombreꞌ shading, she dipped one-third of the felt into the dyebath for 10 minutes, then another third was dipped for 5 minutes and then the final third for a quick dip. After the wool is rinsed and dried, it’s cut into shapes and stitched together with the blanket stitch. Click here for the pattern.      

The owl’s feet are stuffed with pennies so he stands wherever he goes.  Perfect for gift-giving! Click here for the full tutorial.

Debra is a professional CHA designer member. Her designs have been featured in many craft and sewing publications. She has authored four books and two licensed quilt fabric lines based on her book Easy-to-Sew Playful Toys. Specializing in fabric and felt her work ranges from whimsical characters to stylish wearables. Visit www.debraquartermain.comfor more ideas.

This rich, jewel tone symbolizes luxury and enhances our sense of well-being. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is “to add more Emerald in your life,” Rit is here to help you!  We created custom color recipe #582 for mixing Lemon Yellow and Evening Blue to make a deep Emerald Green. You can find the recipe in the Rit Color Formula Guide on the Green 3 color palette. 

 Emerald Green was first spotted on the runways last year and made a strong fashion statement in everything from shoes to pants and evening gowns. As Color of the Year, this rich, universally appealing color translates easily into interiors as well as beauty products for the eyes and nails.

According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum. As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate.  Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world.” 

We found this pretty ruffled top on a sale rack and thought it would make a colorful wardrobe addition for the new year!  Click here for the full tutorial.

If you love the look of tie-dye, here’s a fun last- minute gift that’s so easy to make.  Cindi Bisson cut up a cotton T-shirt, tie-dyed two fabric squares, and made a fringed topper for a cookie jar and a Peace sign tree ornament.  Then she filled a clear jar with all the dry ingredients needed to make sugar cookies along with a printed recipe and a dangling Peace sign ornament.  What a great idea for wishing someone special a holiday full of “Peace and Goodwill.”  Click here for the full tutorial.

Cindi is a mixed-media artist and the Associate Producer for When Creativity Knocks, an online craft TV show.  She creates a weekly Simple Solutions project and writes a Product Review for the website.  To find out more about Cindi, visit her blog by clicking here.

Hand-made gift tags show how much you care and send a special message. Ann Butler designed these custom hand-dyed gift tags using shipping tags from a stationery supply store. She created the shimmery metallic effect by mixing small amounts of Rit liquid dye, metallic gold powder and hot water in a spray bottle. After preparing a bottle of Apple Green and one of Purple, Ann sprayed the dye mixture on both sides of the tags and lace; then let them dry overnight. Or, a heat gun can be used to speed up the drying process. To keep the dye from going everywhere, she did the spraying in a cardboard box. Clever idea. Then the fun begins! Gift tags can be personalized for holidays, birthdays or weddings with lace, buttons and special stamped messages. It’s easy and so much fun! Click here for the full tutorial.

Ann is a Freelance Mixed Media Artist, Designer and Instructor for the Creative Industries.  Ann works with a wide variety of mediums and loves to incorporate them in her design work.   She teaches online classes at Creative Workshops and you can visit her blog by clickig here.  Recently Ann launched a free online craft magazine called Bella Crafts.