Friday 5 December 2008

What I'm reading and doing.

About a week ago Averyclaire tagged me for a Bookworm Award, where one has to nominate the book closest to you and quote from page 56, then pass the award on to five other people. While I thank her for thinking of me, I'm afraid I'm not going to play and pass it on, but am happy to mention one book I have been reading in recent times.

The Surface Designer's Handbook - Dyeing, Printing, Painting and Creating Resists on Fabric by Holly Brackman, is a fairly technical and academic book about colouring fabrics in many ways, as well as embellishment with foils, embroidery and beads, heaps of recipes, instructions, tips and tricks. Page 56 features this photograph of a scarf made from black rayon yarn with a discharged woven shibori resist and then dyed. Not sure what that means or how one does it, and don't particularly like the colours.......

Why this book? Well a few weeks ago I purchased about 20 Procion and Landscape dyes at a local market, some were unopened jars and others had been used, but they were exceedingly cheap for what I paid. Yesterday I had my very first attempt at dyeing fabrics, both PFD cotton and a couple of bits from an Op shop woollen blanket, plus some threads and these are the results.


I was quite pleased with these, and can understand how people become hooked on dyeing stuff. I love the mottled woollen fabric, and can imagine something stitched in the matching woollen yarn. No doubt with practice one learns the way dyes react with each other, and with careful discipline and record keeping can predict and replicate colours. For me at present it is definitely hit or miss, and I fear today's efforts may be less appealing - the fabric is still soaking and looks a bit sludgy!

5 comments:

Doreen G said...

I know what you mean by hit and miss--I find dyeing very frustrating but no matter what I can always use coloured fabric somewhere.

Anonymous said...

What a marvelous book and what beautiful hand dyed things you have created!! Lovely work.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful - that's the best first attempt at dyeing I've ever seen! It took me several tries (alright, many tries) to get anything as good as that! It is a good idea to keep a notebook to record what worked best, very handy if you only dye things occasionally.

Jude said...

wow, that is amazing, well done! They look fabulous.
Please let us know what the next batch looks like.

Anonymous said...

oohhh - nice colours. I havent tried dyeing anything yet - it strikes my as one of those big messy jobs you cant be disturbed during - and i never seem to have enough child free time to start it.