Dyeing for Class
This weekend and next I am teaching nuno felt scarves. I had to dye silk for bases and wool so there would be a good variety to work with.
For the scarves I used the scrunch method in mason jars. To do this you use fiber reactive dyes. You have to pack you scarf blanks tightly into a container. Next use 2 colours, pouring one then the other over the silk so that it is covered. After 10 min to an hour you pour the sodium carbonate over the whole thing. Then leave it for at least an hour but really can leave it till tomorrow if you need to. When you rinse you get great mixed patterns. For complete instructions go to Paula Burch’s amazing dye site. http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/lowwaterimmersion.shtml
I also renewed dyed wool supply. I spent 2 days with a large pot dying in 100 gram lots. this is two thirds. of the wool I split one third off each ball and fluffed them out for the students to use.
There are a couple of colours that are from using up the dye left in the pot after doing a colour. I hope my student like the colours I picked.
16 thoughts on “Dyeing for Class”
I think the students will love the colors. Lots of variety and the scarves look scrumptious!
Thanks Ruth, I like dying it’s always interesting to see if you get the colour you are trying. to get.
That was a lot of work! They are lovely color combinations. I’m sure your students will enjoy them. Please post finished projects. Have fun!
Thank You Marilyn. I plan to take pictures.
Beautiful colours Ann. 🙂
Thanks Judith
The dyed scarves look wonderful and I’m sure they’ll love the colours. I hope they appreciate all your hard work!
Thanks Lyn, I am sure they will enjoy the colours.
Looks like you are well prepared for your workshop. Wish I would have been able to attend the O.H.S. conference and possibly meet you in person. However, I do have a piece entered in the juried show “Beyond the Fringe”. It is a cowl I made in the Spring 2012.. A real mix of techniques and titled “In The Round”.. I wish you a very successful class with enthusiastic students! Much fun and good memories too!
Thank you. I will have a look for your cowl. It would have been nice to meet you too.
I am sure that your class will love the colors on your scarves. Teaching a class takes a lot of preparation. But, the better you prepare as a teacher, the more your class will learn.
Thanks Judy, I really enjoy teaching I hope to keep doing it for a long time.
Gorgeous colors in the scarfs and fibre Ann, you’ll have to take pics of the class in action and the finished scarfs for us, have fun 🙂
Thanks Karen, I will try really hard to remember to take pictures
That’s an interesting technique and gets really nice results, Ann 🙂
Have you tried it with wool?
I hope your students enjoy your class and do the scarves justice 🙂
Thanks Zed. I am sure they will make wonderful scarves. I don’t know if it would work with acid dye. wool tends to self resist wen its twisted. you can get some interesting patterns if you use smaller amounts of water and add the die in spats and carefully mush them together. Its hard with roving not to felt it.