Polka dots

I’m sort of into polka dots at the moment. I experimented with painting on canvas and used thickened dye to make the dots. I’m thinking it’ll look nice as a small little tote.

Another potato dextrin

For my first silk painting piece, I used gutta. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with gutta, but this one didn’t turn out too bad. I finished the orange edge with potato dexrin.

Sashiko pants

My husband had some holes on his jeans and asked me to patch them up. So I dyed some canvas indigo and stitched on the patches using sashiko, in traditional Japanese style.

Finished product (finally!)

The potato dextrin allows you to dye the fabric with a beautiful web of color. I just love the cracks that form - so beautiful.

You may remember that I did some shibori stitching on the corners and only applied the potato dextrin to the center of the scarf, leaving the ends light pink with shibori swirls.

Doesn’t look bad on either. :)

Steaming process

Now that the thickened dye is dry, you have to steam the fabric. The steaming process not only sets the color, but also loosens the potato dextrin from the fabric.

Bundle up the fabric in newspaper - making sure that it is not touching itself. You want it to be completely wrapped in newspaper before starting to bundle it up because you don’t want the dye to run. Place the bundle in a steamer pot (not one you use for food) and wrap the lid with a towel so that the bundle doesn’t get water dripped on it. (The bundle should be warm and slightly damp when you take it out, not wet.) If it does get wet, the dye might run and make a mess.

I placed a weight on top of the lid just to make sure the seal was nice and tight. Steam for 30 minutes.

When unwrapping the bundle, make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area. Wash the fabric in cold water first MAKING SURE NONE OF THE POTATO DEXTRIN GOES DOWN THE DRAIN. Use one of those mesh catchers in the sink and dispose of the potato dextrin in the trash. After rinsing in cold water to remove all the potato dextrin, wash the fabric in synthrapol. If it feels a bit stiff to the touch, soak it in vinegar water for a while and wash in synthrapol again. That should do the trick. Iron while damp for a crisp finish.

Remember this…

blog post? Well, I was finally able to get back to it!

Once the potato dextrin was (thoroughly) dry, I made some thickened paste and added the dye and soda ash (fixative) to it. I apply this mixture onto the potato dextrin with a sponge brush so I can really get in between the cracks.

Make sure to check if the dye is actually getting all the way through to the fabric and not just sitting on top of the potato dextrin by unpinning the fabric and checking the back.

Continue this process until you’ve covered all the potato dextrin with the thickened dye. After you’re finished you have to wait several days for the thickened dye to dry.

Color study

Deck the shawls

I have a very good friend in DC who is stunningly beautiful. Her color palette is cream, ecru, oatmeal, gold, and black. Simple, yet incredibly elegant. This year I’m giving her a silk organza shawl that is dyed first in bronze and then overdyed with black in a tortoise shell shibori pattern. It should go with virtually everything she has in the closet! :) I hope she can enjoy wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it. Merry Christmas!

All wrapped up and ready to go!

Startin’ to crack

The potato dextrin is starting to dry and crack. The areas where the dextrin was thicker, the cracks are more dramatic, while the areas where the dextrin was thinner, the cracks are finer. It’s still a bit soft to the touch, so I’ll wait another day and make the thickened dye and get started! Stay tuned.

Update: Just wanted to let you know that I decided to wait until Monday to make sure the potato dextrin is as dry as it is going to get.  See you then!

Pretty in pink

You may remember that I started this scarf a while back. I finished tying it today and dipped the corners in red dye. This is the final result.

It looks nice, but the entire middle of the scarf is just plain pink.

Kind of boring, although it looks nice on.

I decided to use Potato Dextrin in the center of the scarf, which is a resist I haven’t used for quite some time. It’s a paste-like substance that you spread onto your fabric and leave it to dry. As it’s drying, it starts to crack and create these spidery veins. When you apply thickened dye, the dye only penetrates through the cracks, leaving fine veins of color. It’s really beautiful. Here I am applying the potato dextrin:

You have to pin the fabric tightly onto a foam board and place a towel underneath the fabric to absorb any extra liquid.

It’s a time consuming process, but if you’re patient it’s well worth it. This will be out drying for a day or two, depending on how humid it is. When it’s ready, it’ll be completely dry and brittle and have cracked enough to look cool. I’ll then make the thickened dye in the same shade of red as the corners and apply it. Stay tuned.