Sunday, July 31, 2011

More Funky dyeing

So... after I did the shirts shown in my last post, I took things a step further. First I dyed some shirts in the same fashion, but then I overdyed in black to create a neon-looking affect. Here is one of the first shirts:


This is a scrunch on top of a scrunch, and I got the beginnings of the look I was trying for. But I was inspired to take it a step further. I scrunch dyed a poncho and a sarong, both fringed rayon... first scrunched with the bright colors I used before. Then, after washing and re-soda soaking, I created a little more of a folded look. On the Poncho, I did a loose swirl, and on the sarong, I did an irregular zigzag accordion fold. Then, after putting them into a plastic bin, I applied the black dye by pouring over them from a measuring cup. Here they are:




Needless to say, I'm hooked... got 4 more in the washer now, and can't wait to see them and start the process all over again! I need to order lots more black dye! It takes 4 times as much black dye powder as the average dye in order to get a deep shade. But I definitely think it's worth it! I've always admired Carter Smith's work, but wanted to be able to get the same kind of dramatic look on cotton that he gets on silk. And I have tried discharge dyeing, where you start with black, create a fold design, apply bleach then overdye with color. I haven't been satisfied with the colors, and I'm concerned about the fabric being damaged by the bleach bath, even if I use a neutralizer afterward. So my current method is the best one I have found so far to achieve that "Glow in the dark" effect. I'll post pix of the next batch soon.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Funky dyeing

I've been trying to get some dyeing done for my Open Studios show next month, but haven't been real inspired with any particular designs, so my output has been slow. Today, I decided to scrunch up several shirts in a couple of bins, and just pour several colors over to see how they would look. I've done this kind of freeform dyeing before, and sometimes it works, sometimes the shirts end up looking "butt-ugly", you should pardon the vulgarity. Well, I did 5 shirts, and 3 came out just fine without any further tweaking:





The other two weren't quite as good, but I scrunched them up and overdyed with a nice strong black, and I like how they look! I'll take pix of them and post them tomorrow. Now I'm hot to do some more like these... don't know if I'm just getting lazy, or if I don't want to be as structured right now as I would need be to do some of the more ornate folded pieces. Anyway, we'll see how these sell... I may be on to something! Funky scrunches!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

One man's trash...

You know that saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure"? Well, I forgot to take pix of my "trash", but I'll show you my "treasure":



My friend Joyce and her hubby were cleaning out their garage, and decided they didn't need this shelving. I had this stuff crammed into a little shelving unit, under my desk, and on another shelf... now it's all neat & tidy and easy to get to!

They also had an old desk they didn't need anymore. The desk I was using is at least 11 years old, and it was a cheapy to start with. This one has a keyboard tray, 2 drawers (one I have a book on top of for my mouse!), and there is enough desk space for my external hard drive, postal scale, speakers and calculator with room to spare... woo-hoo!! I scored!


Oh, and did I mention the shelving she gave me for the garage? I had enough to store the bins where I keep my undyed clothing, and two more for odds and ends that I set up next to my work table. And there is another one waiting for me to collect for even more garage space! I think I owe Joyce lunch at the very least, don't you?

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Seasonal visitors

This time of year, we get a number of different migratory birds passing through. I was fortunate enough this afternoon to get this shot:

I tried to get a closer shot earlier when they were at one of the feeding stations, but the screen got in the way. I'm not sure what they are called... I call them Yellow-headed black birds. They fly in flocks, and the yellow is brilliant... like daffodils, sunflowers... a welcome summer sight!