exhausting the dye pot

never before such a successful dye extraction! rich and deep color with a big yield  of dyeing pigment.

there was still  a lot of dye that could not be  thrown away so i started looking for things to dye to use the remaining color.  the above is a piece of cotton from a recouped dress. it has some  leaves which were previously wrapped and dyed and a resulting ghost shibori. the outcome was mildly interesting, but needed color in a bad way to balance the dirty dish water browns. it doesn't look bad now. there will be some stitching also and i want to do something to highlight the snap on the top left .

there are still  more pieces in the pot . some felts from friend fabienne, yes the same one who yet has to set up her blog :) 

if you're at facebook check some  photos of her awesome work. she has influenced me with her dyeing.


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glow

have been working on this baby all winter long, layering paper and paints. it is centered around a piece of machine knit linen which served as a gauge sample. i also did some machine stitching which became too prominent and had to add layers to soften it.the hand stitching is a heavy silk floss that was dyed, woven,  dyed  again  and un woven giving me a variegated yarn. lots of gold and brass glow was added  highlighting some of the creases and the knit. 

the trick was how  to photograph all that glow. i have been experimenting  adding  gradients and like the results that i get. you add a gradient layer and select the merge mode which really depends on your image and the effect you want. usually soft light and linear dodge work well, but you could use difference or pin light adjusting the opacity to taste.

experiment until you get what you want or like. 

from all the gradient resources on line i have found these that work well with photos. the person has downloadable packs that include nature's beauty pack and tuscany skies, the one i find useful for showing all the glow. have fun!

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the reds

 

and lots of patience. patience to extract the dye, to age the mordanted cloth to dye slowly.to re dye and age. not mentioning the loom controlled shibori; the tieing, drawing tight the cloth, untieing. no one would pay for all the hours spent.that's why i do it for me.

 

some considerations: the cotton didn't shrink as much as intended so the cloth is pretty open, almost like a gauze. i'll have to line the garment if i don't want to overexpose myself.
i'm pleased with the color shifts a result from mordanting with alumn and then painting with iron in certain parts.


the pattern and the pleats. don't know whether to iron it flat or not. it will not hold the pleats forever and sewing will be impossible for me.


on the thyroid front i was prescribed eutyrox50. will be making merkel labs richer.i read that people on it put on weight. as if i hadn't put on enough. holding back until i get another opinion. looking for a doctor that listens and then prescribes. feel  like Diogenes with his lamp.



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