Dye! Dye! Dye!

Another 'how to get random non-de-script colours' adventure...

+ Add one cap each of Dylon cold Nasturtium and Forget-Me-Not blue in a glass jar, add two tablespoons of cooking salt and dissolve in hottest tap water.

Add to bucket of cold water- only as much as I will cover the fabrics. (In this case I went half full- I'm starting to learn (the obvious fact) that the less water you put in, the more concentrated the dye and therefore the better the result.)

Let them soak for a couple of hours (I didn't stir them much, I like the dye to settle and leave blotches) and then wring them out and lay them aside overnight. Air-dry in overcast conditions (I had the addition of a warm wind) after being well rinsed-out in cold water.

(This one is a skirt- yes, I'm doing clothes!)

I've ended up with a washed-out muddy mauvey brown with subtle terracotta 'corruptions'. Some of the fabrics were re-dyes from the purple-grey-brown batch I showed you last time, but most were cream or white to begin with. I should also point out that these are all vintage fabrics; it's possible that invisible age marks and staining have helped the blotchy process. Oh, and these are all powdered dyes too- I've blended liquid dye before but it doesn't work quite the same way, you get a much smoother tonal finish- and who wants that!? ;)

Wrist cuffs are quickly becoming my most favourite thing to make- from dying the fabrics to assembling them (on the kitchen table, while the pasta over-cooks) to sewing them while watching BBC programs.

I still enjoy doing the paper collages, but I find myself avoiding the studio to work on cuffs instead. I'm also feeling ready to branch out into clothes which means going through my big box of pre-dyed vintage pretties (are their too many re-customed slips in the world? I'm thinking...no.) I'm also having plans for belts (did these a long time ago, but I was before my time and none sold!) and bags. Scarves and socks are on the list too but I need to learn how to knit first!