Karamatsu and Mokume experiment

Well, now that the last bag has been sewn, and the thick layer of fur vacuumed up, I am back to my shibori experiments. I received the book I ordered on shibori, read through it and found good written and visual instructions on a number of techniques. So I am back to trying them out on scraps of old t-shirt. Here is the latest:

The pattern on the left is mokume, a series of parallel running stitches. On the right is karamatsu, created by folding the fabric and using a running continuous stitch to form concentric circles. Hard to describe, and I will post pictures of the process as I go along. Right now I am using these stitches to create a design on a t-shirt, so I will post pictures of the various steps.

It's good to be back dyeing again! Of all the creative techniques I have learned and used over the years, I think dyeing is the one I enjoy the most. It's messy, and at times frustrating, but I love the many different ways I can use it in my art... and it satisfies my constant craving for color more than any other medium!