Owl Dye and Go to Heaven

I simply cannot believe it was last May when I embarked upon the quest to make an owl with every single color of hand-dyed thread I've dyed in the last two years, and I'm just now finishing the ultimate goal! But it's done! A throw and three pillows!


When I first began this project, I had 75 colors of hand-dyed thread. Most were solar-dyed. I let the colors set in recycled ice cream containers in the sun on my porch for up to a week.






Yes, I'm addicted to both dyeing and crocheting, but part of my quest was to create gradients, which are awesome when used for snowflakes.






Of course, gradients are fun for owls, too...






Next came the serious Photoshopping segment of the project. I photographed every single owl (trying to achieve the same light for each portrait) to combine in a quilt panel for Spoonflower. I actually came up with a couple of different designs, and I even made one into a greeting card and wrapping paper.


And then later, I made a tote and a throw on Zazzle.

Rhyming Owl Be There Tote

by Snowcatcher

Rhyming Owl Be There Fleece Lap Throw

Perhaps they are laughing because the throw is upside down...

My favorite project of the bunch, however, is my Spoonflower panel and the matching pillow blocks.


Spoonflower printed the panel for me in June, and I finished the quilt back on July 4 (because I had the day off!). I didn't finish the pillows, which were SO much easier and faster, until the week before Christmas (because I took a day off in the middle of the week). I'd been putting in tons of overtime almost every single day, and combined with all the other obligations, my work schedule left no time for sewing for nearly three whole months. Torture!


I used scrap batiks in my stash for the border and binding, and I used an old (clean) microfiber gray sheet for the backing. I was excited to have enough of the sheet remaining to back the pillows as well. So even the backing matches... ha ha!






Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

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