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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 30, 2014 14:24:40 GMT
Dying is not in my repertoire but Pandagirl, I give you credit for persisting with the process and experimenting with different dyes, fibers and fabrics. The colors are fabulous!
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 16:37:03 GMT
Thanks Luvswool. Dyeing wasn't in the plan, but I often couldn't find the colors I wanted so I began experimenting. Now I do it a couple times a year or if I'm in the mood to experiment. Having a drum carder has eliminated some of the need since I can blend some colors on that. But I do like the challenge. :-)
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 30, 2014 16:45:29 GMT
You have a drum carder? Please see my new post on Animal Fibers (I think I have two boxes of raw wool!)
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 16:57:08 GMT
I just commented on it. I'm new to the carder. I just use for blending fibers and making art batts.
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Post by MTRuth on Jan 30, 2014 17:39:27 GMT
I'm not sure what they use to make eyelash yarn. Obviously, it is not a natural fiber You could always over dye the scarf if you don't like so much white in the middle.
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 23:41:45 GMT
Ruth, you're right, I'm beginning to think it's an alien fiber in the sari eyelash yarn. :-) I like the color of the green in the scarf. I thought about either cutting out the middle or cutting it up to make a felted wall hanging or possibly just embellishing that section. I'll figure it out. :-) Here is last of the pics from my marathon dyeing project. There were five color baths -- from left to right -- moss green (cotton scrim, a cotton batt from a medicine bottle, llama/wool yarn and silk hankies) and yellow yarn at the top (dyed with Jacquard green silk dye), teal (a cotton/linen piece and silk hankies), black silk hankies, then on the right purple (scrim and silk hankies) and red silk hankies and llama/wool yarn). The yellow turned out great. It was interesting that the Moss green items all dyed differently although they were all in the same ziploc bag. It was also surprising that the silk hankies all had white spots even though I manipulated the bags every couple hours. I'm not concerned about the yarn since I'll probably use it in things that wont be washed. I really just wanted to try it and see what happened. I put away my dyeing supplies today and focused on the Pollack Challenge. I hope to have it finished this weekend.
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Post by MTRuth on Jan 30, 2014 23:43:51 GMT
Now you have lots of wonderfully colored things to play with. Looking forward to the challenge piece.
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 23:59:49 GMT
Halay, I tried the cocoon experiment. Here are my results: I first used the degummed cocoons. Since they had already had the sericin removed I soaked them in warm water. At first I used an 8 x 8" frame. The cocoons just weren't stretching that far. It was a mess. So, I used a 6 x 6 " frame and put about 15 cocoons on that. It worked much easier -- or maybe I was just getting the hang of it. The problem with the degummed cocoons is that they are attached to each other so there are a lot of loose ends. Yesterday, I soaked 3 regular cocoons in hot water with a little synthropol and soda ash. As long as I didn't let them sit too long I was able to easily stretch them on the 6 x 6" frame. The first pic is the wet cocoons on the frames showing the degummed cocoons in the bag. The second is the dried hankies. The top is the 3 cocoons dried. They are smaller than commercial hankies but that allows a variety of sizes.
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Post by halay on Jan 31, 2014 7:26:32 GMT
Pandagirl, wonderful! I think you've saved others some trouble trying this experiment first and making mistakes. My husband paints and has a lot of canvases so I'll try those as frames. So, the lesson is: smaller square shaped frames and raw cocoons should be used. Also, I like the results of your marathon dyeing. Now you have a nice array of colours and materials ready . I think dyeing projects need to be done twice a year or so just to create a stock of different materials to be used when needed. At the moment I have lots of raw silk, some old silk scarves which I just tear into pieces for texture and embellishments, still gathering information (and courage) to experiment with dyeing. Your experience is invaluable.
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Post by zed on Jan 31, 2014 10:40:20 GMT
Well done, Marilyn! How cool is that?!
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 31, 2014 14:21:17 GMT
Thanks Halay and Zed! It's always fun to experiment.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 31, 2014 14:36:51 GMT
Although I am light years away from dying and cocooning, it's fascinating to hear (and see) about the process. What is "cotton batt from a medicine bottle?"
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Post by Shepherdess on Jan 31, 2014 15:34:02 GMT
great fun. I saw a video of a man making the silk caps. He was working so fast and made it look so easy. Having mad the hankies I know it isn't. It is fun trying these things, great job.
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 31, 2014 15:48:02 GMT
Luvswool, I didn't know what else to call it, it wasn't a ball it was just a wad of what I thought was cotton stuffed in a vitamin bottle to keep them from being noisy I guess.
Ann, the videos always make thing look easier. :-) but it is fun to try new things.
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