Category: Naturally dyed threads

Posted in "OPINIONATION", FybreSpace the shop, Madder, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, The Summer of Madder (Study)

sharing the bounty

Posted on by arlee

Though i could probably make several garments from the fabrics and threads created so far, during the Summer Madder Project, i’ve decided to add some to the shop.

All of these have been properly prepped, premordanted and dyed according to well researched practices, and historically accurate methods. NO BEETS< NO BLACK BEANS<NO FUGITIVE “DYES!!!!!!!!!!! I haven’t cut any corners just so i can make some coin, as i intend to use bits in my own work–and why short myself?! All of course, are natural fibres, in various weights of silk and cotton, as are the threads. All have been well rinsed after, and because they are done correctly to begin with, there should be no bleeding. Your methods of care may influence the colour, but not out of the ordinary. (Even synthetics can fade…) All natural dyes should be treated with care ie, minimal sun exposure (you can wear it once in awhile at a sunny festival, but not everyday), proper wash handling, which means hand washed with a NEUTRAL soap (Dawn Original dish soap, believe it or not, is perfect, and is what i use), and storage in a closed drawer, closet or box. This all being said, if you are adding it to your stash to use in art textiles, rather than wearables, well, most of that doesn’t apply, except for the sun exposure. Nobody hangs a painting where sun will hit it, and neither will you with your art, will you? 🙂

Posted in journal: lessons to learn, madder, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads

summer study

Posted on by arlee

I’ve decided since i am much a gadfly these past few months with everything but dyeing, that the summer is going to be devoted to studying madder.

Previous to October of last year, my results were weak, embarrassing forays into pale pinks and peaches, ordinary orange, and unenthusiastic brawny beiges when the pot gave out . (HA, that was supposed to be “browny” not “brawny, but some of them were rather beefy! 😉 ) Somehow the magic clicked on October 3 and i finally got RED, red in all its permutations. Though i previously kept notes, i’m not sure why it hadn’t worked until that magic day–heat? Amount/WOF? Improper mordanting? Dunno, don’t care, because whatever it is i’m doing now is working.

I’ve run out of my Maiwa kilo of madder, but managed to scrounge around the Dye Dungeon and found this:

An extremely fine powder, probably due to its age, i encased it in a nylon pantyhose foot. It’s not only a pain in the bazotski shaking powder out of threads and yarns, but it wastes the bits as well, which may still have some colour left.

Alas,  Wide World of Herbs Ltd was dissolved in 1985, long before the web was prevalent, so there’s NOTHING about them, their products or where this madder actually came from. I would like to have supported them, as they were based in Montreal, Quebec (yes, that is SO in Canada 🙂 ). Next best thing, THE best thing now is to buy from Maiwa. (Ordered this morning!)

(In one or two years, i can harvest roots from my own “home grown”.)

I do love red. Before i got into using natural dyes, ecoprinting and rust, which resulted in a lot of earthy neutrals and vintage-y colours, i used a LOT of red in my work. It was unconscious (subconscious?), because i always thought i loved orange. I still do, but in smaller slices and dibs! Red evokes so much to so many, everywhere in the world, politically, spiritually, emotionally, artistically.

Now this isn’t meaning that *i* am going to discover a New madder colour. Look at all of them! There are many more experienced dyers, researchers, scientists and hobbyists who get these results, than this one little personal Dye Dungeon. I however want to know what *i* will get, in my “conditions”–water, heat, the madder i use, the methods i use.

I’d rather be doing something, than the whole lot of nothing that has been going on!

Posted in FybreSpace the shop, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads

Naturally dyed thread sale, shop update

Posted on by arlee

Clearing out the naturally dyed threads! <—LINK.  SOLD OUT It seems most people are/were not as excited by them as i am, but those of you who are, can experience packs of different colours, great for your Boro or Kantha style stitching. Mother Nature provides a bounty of beautiful colours for us and what better way to add mindfulness to your work? EDIT April 27, only 3 packs left.

Above, 3 packs. EDIT: 2 1 available  ALL SOLD

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Below, all only 1 pack of each:

SOLD

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SOLD

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SOLD

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SOLD

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SOLD

 

As always, i will refund extra postage paid, and remember, my prices are in Canadian dollars, so use your currency converter

Posted in brazilwood, cochineal, embrilting, FybreSpace the shop, hollyhock, indigo, logwood, Moons, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, osage, potassium permanganate, privet, rhubarb root, sandalwood

a natural moon

Posted on by arlee

I’ve been slowly (and not so diligently, as other pursuits in the studio have “interfered”) working on this indigo moon, using my newly dyed naturally dyed threads. This is a lesson in itself, as the indigo i’m working on is strong enough to overshadow certain colours, necessitating some more neutral backgrounds for future plans/use.

 

The moon is worked with cotton, silk, silk/wool blend and wool threads in cochineal, osage, logwood, and privet berries, with the brown of the seeds coming from potassium permanganate (actually an inorganic compound). I found a walnut bath i had stored several years ago, when i was setting up in the basement, and shall test to see if it’s still “live”, for some of my browns in future, though i do love all the permutations the PP gave on the skein of cotton. On the background surround, in cotton, silk, wool and silk/wool, the colours i used are privet berry, cochineal, brazilwood, rhubarb root, hollyhock (and that’s where the “oh-oh” happened, as some of the colours are so soft, they are barely discernible), osage, logwood, and sandalwood. Using pre-mordanting (VERY important), and post modifying methods, changes the colours to a wide range. (Ha, just realized i used none of the wonderful madder results!)

I have two other moons still in the finishing stages, and hope to get them done soon too! All will be in the shop.

 

 

Posted in logwood, madder, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, osage, potassium permanganate, Probably talking to just myself

abracafabric!

Posted on by arlee

I SWEAR that i looked everywhere for the fabric i wanted to use for a new big work. Potassium permanganate dyed, it was a substantial piece of yardage, and i could not for the life of me figure out where the damn thing went, and finally surmised i must have cut it up. I had scoured bins, boxes, bags of fails, scrap debris in the dye dungeon and the usual odd places where something goes to be “kept safe”.

Yesterday i was going through a stack in the studio, pulling out chunks to be redyed, admiring or not in new separate piles 🙂 , refolding, and hanging larger pieces over the back of the chairs, and

WHAT????!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had just refolded the piece i was looking for all along.

So, i redyed it in the PP vat, as the original bath it had at the summer res was weak and old, resulting in a negligible beige blandness, and have now a warm deep milk-chocolate-verging-on-dark-chocolate chunk. I’m going to introduce it to both logwood cloth (cotton and silk) and madder, osage and logwood (cotton) threads.

See how much darker the silk is? Technically this is why protein and cellulose fibres shouldn’t be in the same pot, as proteins uptake faster and deeper. (I should have divided the bath and done separate soaks.)  The logwood threads were done by themselves in the first new pot, and the colour uptake was phenomenal. (The silks and cotton fabrics were done in subsequent soaks in the same pot, in two sessions.) Of course, that’s because i accidentally dumped in what was left in the jar, instead of actually measuring!

I am perfectly happy with the results though, even if the cottons are quite mottled (due to sitting in a pot all day while i was at the DayJob and unable to stir once in awhile), and will use it all anyways. I still however have to do a post mordant/modify with iron, so expect these to become somewhat darker. Again, going with the flow, and happy the work is working!

And there’s still some dye left in the bath, so am scrounging up some more protein fibres: a lone piece of linen, maybe some wool threads and a bit more silk. I expect they will be not as deep a shade, but can always build on them in other dyes, such as cochineal, madder or the old stand by, indigo.

HOWEVER, since i have been lazy/uninspired/busy for at least a month and a half, i am keeping all my notes in the 2018 file. I have 3 small moons to finish, and will not allow myself to start major new work, while dibbly bits are still hanging around waiting for their turn. I WILL get to new work before the end of the year, but the luxury of starting will be only when the UFO’s are gone!

Posted in cochineal, FybreSpace the shop, madder, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, sandalwood

more boring thread results, shop update

Posted on by arlee

I say “boring” as in not many are truly interested in the subject! I however ❤ these 🙂 Madder, madder with cochineal and madder with sandalwood:

All on cotton, some of which will stay in my stash, and some into the shop (limited quantities!). There are also a few others listed, and these will be the last listings for awhile.

 

While i *am* working on Samara’s wings and my small all naturally dyed moon, i’ve plans for lots of potassium permanganate dyed pieces as well. I’ve been taking my sketchbook to work, as it’s been rather quiet lately, and am ruminating on where to start. Big work again, and frames will have to be built for some because of the size and orientation.

I’ve had my dyeing “binge”, the way i do everything really, and am ready to get back to stitching. My stash is nicely built, and it’s time to get serious with studio time.

Posted in FybreSpace the shop, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads

The Magic Bug Collection— EDIT: listing now active

Posted on by arlee

Cochineal in all its permutations–who knew one dye could have so many variables?

Various mordants and modifiers, and brief visits for some of these skeins with other dyes, i was trying to figure out a fair way to offer these, as some skein lengths are not exactly what it says on the card! Because of this, all of them are going to be 5 bucks each (CANADIAN, so check your currency exchange rates), with no individual length on the double cards being less than 8 yards each. The single threads will be no less than a generous 17.5 yard length. That’s quite  a deal on hand dyed, naturally dyed threads, so please bear that in mind 🙂  Most are cottons, with a few wools thrown in, as is the deepest colour in the left top corner. As always too, any extra postage paid will be refunded.

Work today will be figuring out the tension on my niddynoddy so that future offerings WILL be in 10 or 20 yard lengths. I *might* adjust prices up a WEE bit then, but not shockingly so.

There are limited quantities on these, with some being “one off’s” or a pair. All are washed and have been properly prepped, mordanted and dyed, according to Real Science, no Kitchen Scrap Nonesense here 🙂 Listing will commence later today. NOW ACTIVE.

Momma needs a new office chair—this morning mine fell apart literally as i was to have my first coffee, NOT a pretty sight!!!