fiberhart

More Hand Dyes

Here's the rest of what I got done this weekend.  I can't think of a better way to spend a day than getting messy with the dyes!

This piece is a yard, done (more or less) according to one of Ann Johnston's recipes in Color by Accident.  You bunch up the fabric, hold it with several rubber bands, and pour on dark green dye.  Let it sit for a bit, then unbind it, re-bunch it up and put on the rubber bands again, then pour on dark red dye.  She adds the soda ash with the second dye color, I waited again and then added the soda ash.

I was sure this one would end up like mud.  The color in the container was definitely mud!  However, as you can see- the colors are glorious and definitely NOT muddy!  Here's a detail shot showing the patterning-

I can't wait to try this again with some different complementary colors-I'm thinking turquoise and rust for starters.

I did a couple of yards with the fabric laid out flat on plastic.  On one, I was going for a value gradation, and that one didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.  It will be fine with some patterning added, however.  With the second one, I was trying to use multiple colors and move them around the cloth.  I ended up with this rainbow which should make an interesting quilt back!

I also learned that I can't do this on my table in the wet studio.  I ended up with fuschia dye in one corner of the studio, and more on the dry wall.  If I want to do larger pieces this way, it will have to be in the yard or driveway on plastic- no chance for spills.

I roughly pleated two pieces of fabric, one yard each.  Then I rolled them up like a cinnamon roll, and stuck them in a lettuce container from Costco.  I poured yellow dye over one, and a paler value of lime green over the other.  After letting that sit for awhile, I poured dark green dye in the bottom of the container.  Here's one of those pieces--

Do those colors sing of spring or what!!

And finally, my spiral.  Here's another example of using all three primaries without getting mud.  

I probably won't be able to get back to dyeing until late in June- next weekend I have to get my June Interpret This! piece done.  Maybe I'll try some sox wax batik on the fuschia piece that needs more work, who knows.

Tomorrow, I'll try to post about my workshop with Laura Cater-Woods.