One, Two, Three Snow Dyes

Snow Dye One
Beth and I had a snow dye play date.  Hers turned out nice.  My three were horrible.  Too little dye used on the snow and the dye color was too light.  Results = almost nothing.  I didn't even take a picture.

Snow Dye Two
As soon as I got home I set up a snow dye screen and redyed the worst of the three.  I strengthened the dye mixtures and used lots of it on the snow.  Here are my results.

What happened? I forgot the soda ash.  Therefore the dye didn't give a first strike on the fabric that leaves lovely patterns.  Instead the melting snow just kept washing the dye out of the fabric.  I didn't iron the fabric because the little dye left in the fabric was not set and I was afraid some of it would come out on my ironing board.

Snow Dye Three
So at 9 pm I was outside digging through the ice on top of the snow trying to get some snow to try dyeing the SAME fabric for a third time.  Here is what it looked like before I went to bed.

When the ice had melted it looked like mud but I rinsed it and washed it.

Here it is washed out, dried, and ironed.

If it really looked this good in person I would have been excited. Why is it that the camera either doesn't pick up the colors or it enhances them making the fabric look better.  Anyway, it has gone into my re-do pile.

Friday Favorites

Drawing Class Update:  Second week in my drawing class.  This week we have drawn examples of positive and negative space in a composition and one and two point perspective.  I am not the best in the class but am not the worse either.  I can live with that. Did I tell you that the instructor is Emily Wolf Walker? She is a fiber artist which is exciting for me since I consider myself to be a fiber artist.  Here is a link to her portfolio.

Friday's Favorites
Gloria Hansen had an adventure in snow dyeing. She shows lots of pictures and even better, links you to the directions so you can have your own adventure.  I love her idea of soaking up her spills with the watercolor paper. That will be very nice for other projects. Anyway, if you need snow, let me know.  I have extra I can send.

Have you checked out the ArtCloth Network?  It is a group of 30 fiber artist who love transforming plain white cloth into works of art. The art is the cloth itself and not the garment or quilt created using the cloth. The Network has room for a couple more fiber artists who are willing to commit to their high requirements for membership.  Me, I think membership would certainly be a wonderful opportunity to increase my surface design skills.  Take a look at the site and the application.  Due date for applications is March 15th so you have time to ponder the commitment before leaping.

Lisa Kerpoe is a very talented artist and has great ideas for silkscreening.  Her blog does not give lots of details (she teaches classes, you know) but the pictures tell their own story and really inspire me to try new things.

Melanie Testa is in need of some warm, soft hats to keep her noggin warm for the next few months.  For more information please read the post written by her friend, Leslie Tucker Jenison.  Maybe I will send her one with a doodle made with the folded ruling pen she introduced me to.

Wen Redmond shares a new technique for surface design using Elmer's glue.  I have not tried it yet.  I have checked out her free videos on her website and have found a couple of other techniques to try too.  If you are in the area you might also want to go see her "collaborative solo exhibit" in the Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth NH, February 4-25.  The link gives you more information about the show.

Constance Rose has started the tradition of Surface Design Tuesdays and shows us her results on Wednesday. This week she discharged black fabric with thiox paste.  Lovely results. I definitely think the "And Then We Set It On Fire" group needs to spend a month on discharging!

"Falling in love again, what's a girl to do? something something something. Can't help it." Again, I have fallen in love with one of Jane LaFazio's pieces, Dreaming of Venice.  I bet Emily Wolf Walker would love this piece too.  Take a look at her pictures, including some very nice close-ups, then follow her link to the tutorial for making it.

New Addiction

Beverly told me that I would get addicted to snow dyeing but I assured her that I was not so easily won.  Then I uncovered the material I left in the snow yesterday.  I immediately soaked more fabric in soda ash, shoveled more snow in the rain, and squirted the snow with dye like a snow cone.  I am addicted.  Here is my first snow dyed experimental piece.  What do you think?