CWB- 2nd Experiment

Right, so unlike many I don't have a substantial stash of woven fabrics (knits are another matter entirely)

I tend to collect dye-able fabrics, usually white.

I've found that I am becoming more and more interested in exploring working with dyed fabrics and the weaving method, how they can be used without overwhelming the design.

So I'm putting some time in in the dye lab to come up with some fabrics to work with.

I've found that certain dye techniques read as textures rather than patterns, it makes them far more usable. Low water immersion dyes make a texture that can look like suede. To create these 3 blocks I created color/ombres that shift from blue to turquoise, purple to turquoise, and green to turquoise. Rather than lining them up directionally I chose to have the ombres cross each other perpendicularly. I think the effect is nice, rich and a bit dynamic.

No clear idea of what I will USE these for but I've basted them and will wait until I do know

Starting thoughts -CWB workshop

I've gotten started on the Contemporary Woven Boro workshop with jude.

Its been a rough month or 2, so its a late start.

I began with playing with a more involved weaving pattern, using 2 pieces of itajime. I like the way the regularity of the itajime becomes fractured and reforms into a new pattern.

As I was working on this I began thinking about new ways to use the tiedye. It is pretty "loud" partly because of the colors and another reason is that the eye doesnt find resting places with so much pattern dancing around. Got me thinking about ways to let the dyes sing out more quietly...

I will be stealing some moments in the dye lab for experiments to play with.

Sea life

Tonight I had to dye up some socks for the store.
Since I had the dyes out I over-dyed the white motif I'm thinking of using.
the white seemed stark to me, it needed some warmth.
Looks like a sea creature that washed up from the depths,
got me thinking about the nudibranch inspired fabric I dyed up a couple of weeks ago...

Another Layer

I dug out an old experiment, It seems to mesh with the woven piece

and I like the way it looks when light shines through

Hmmm

A seriously weird color combo, Teal green, navy shibori scraps and bits of one of Lar's old shirts, more work to be done on it....

Old and New

Mom's old bandana meets scraps from the Fire Haori in an experiment from c2c3. I kind of love this...

What happened next...

Right so when last we left the story I decided to dye the ends in 4 different colors. I experimented last spring with ombres and I thought that would be the way to go, just dunk the ends and let the color wick into the fabrics. I figured that it would react differently with all of the different fibers...

It did!

I didn't forsee it traveling as far as it did in some cases though!

Interesting how it kind of stuck to the straight and narrow path and didn't spread weftwise... or is it warpwise?

also interesting that it didn't disturb the root motif too much.

I kind of like the results,

I think.

Of course laundering the piece after dyeing it made the fraying edges really come apart, but again, it feels more root like and organic so I'm good with it.

I think.

and no, I have no idea what comes next, I will have to mess about a bit more, and see what happens.