March 09, 2013

a little diversion

A fun little diversion actually! Long ago I had decided that dyeing fabric was not really my MO and I enjoy many different other ways of putting color into my art. But every now and then I get the urge to dye something and that's exactly what happened the other day. I had loved looking at photos of other peoples snow-dyeing experiments and always wanted to try too. I didn't have time during the February snowstorms and had feared that I missed my chance this winter. Lucky me! We just had a March snow storm and this time I was ready!

The dyes I had from a few years back and hoped they were still good and fabrics too. I even found two pieces of white clothing that were just screaming for color. And had myself a little adventure:
silk chiffon, cotton T, tiny silk crepe scarf, PFD cotton
pine yarn, tiny silk scarf, cotton tank, silk satin pillow case
dyes sprinkled on (the blue, fuchsia, yellow experiment)

dyes sprinkled on (the greens experiment - forest, avocado and emerald)
Then the snow started melting and the dyes started blending and it looked like Italian ices, and then the reveal began! Yum!

The top row is after first rinse, the second row is after the machine rinse.
I have a really cute long sleeve T for St. Paddy's day next weekend and a fun tank for the summer.
I think the two tiny little scarves will work well together.
The silk chiffon is way too yellow for my taste, but with some lovely turquoise touches. I'll find a use for it someday.
The satin pillow case is just fab! I'd like to make a skirt out if it I think...
The pine yarn? Well it's lovely, but while drying it fell out of its mesh bag and became a horrible tangled mess... I might tackle it or just leave it.....sigh....

It was a fun, fun experiment! and now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

7 comments:

Cate Rose said...

GREAT dye jobs, Natalya! Wish (well, not really) we had now here where I live in California, just for dyeing. I suppose I could use ice, but I don't want to work that hard, snow would be much easier.

Karen L R said...

I will add this project to my "to do" list...someday. Such fun results!

Anonymous said...

What fun! Never heard of this method. Will try to be prepared for such an opportunity. Thank you for posting.

Regina B Dunn said...

They are all gorgeous. I especially love the yellow with the blue. I'm sure you will find a perfect spot for it. And I never heard of pine yarn... very interesting.

Kristin L said...

Well that looks like a fun diversion! I have also not heard of pine yarn, but even the tangled mess looks like something you could incorporate into your artwork.

Jeannie said...

Gorgeous results! I was ready this year, but Mom Nature didn't cooperate. We usually get a couple of feet of snow, this year, a few flakes. There is always the odd Easter snow, but now my mind is on spring and outdoor dyeing, not snow. :) If you want to alter the yellow bit, try needle felting some wool or silk roving into it. I made wool/silk scarves for Christmas gifts this year using dyed scarves as a base. They were huge hits and easy to do. (You really can't watch TV and needle felt. Trust me, my fingers have finally healed. LOL!) Wishing you a beautiful week.

Vivien Zepf said...

Glorious and gorgeous!!! Definitely a success!