Does Ironing Set the Dyes?

 

Hand (dye) painted fabric with thread sketched details

After hearing from a fellow quilter last week about the way she sets her dyes, I decided to do some experimenting. To set the Procion fibre reactive dyes that I use, I have always 'batched' the (soda soaked) fabric I paint on, between sheets of plastic for at least overnight at 70 degrees or more. Another dyer told me that before learning about batching, she would air dry her fabrics and then iron them. So... I am since I am always looking for the best way to keep the colours strong on my dye painted fabrics, I tested the method.

 

As you can see below, I painted 6 rectangles. They just happened to be on pink cloth but that has no significance to the experiment. After batching all of them overnight between plastic, I took two and rinsed them in cold water and then washed them in Dharma Tradings, Professional Textile Detergent. They were then rinsed twice in cold water.  The other 4 were air dried, and then ironed with a hot iron. They were then were washed as before. The colour results were all the same.

 

I tried the drying and ironing technique on other pieces too and results were the same as with just the batching. Therefore I have come to the conclusion that batching alone with a temperature of 70 degrees or more has the best results for setting the dyes. Click here for information from Dharma Trading on the subject.

 

Do you have another way for setting the fibre reactive dyes?



Six hand painted textile pieces ready for 'batching', placing between plastic sheeting for overnight at 70 degrees.

Not much dye rinsing out of the fabric after batching.

Washing the dyed fabric. The fabric was then rinsed twice in cold water, dried and pressed.

The experiment. Drying the dyed fabric in the sun. I ironed the left side of all the panels before rinsing. The colour was the same in those that were ironed and those that were not.

The results of 4 days of painting.

My Personal Favorite.

 I think that is because it was so unexpected that it turned out. I was near the end of my day when I painted it with dyes that were left over from the day.

 

I am planning to organize a tutorial page so readers can easily access information on painting with dyes. More to follow. I love to hear from you in the comments or by email egidman@kootenay.com

Lilacs in Textile

    

'Lilacs in Textile'

One of my textile cards available at the Fernie Art Station, in Fernie, BC. Myself and two other artists are just back from our Art Show opening. It was a lovely time in Fernie.

We have just finished hanging this wall. Lots of work selecting just the right painting for each space.

I am standing in front of two of my hand dye painted paintings and my textile cards.

 

Laura Leeder and Win Dinn the other two artists in the show posing in front of the Fernie Art Station

Food all ready for the opening

 

More yummy food.

 

A couple of hours of delightful looking and interacting at the 'On the Wall-Off the Wall' art show opening.

 Of course we visited other artist's galleries while in Fernie. Louise Hilliard was manning the shop at 'Everything Angela' http://everythingangela.com/  Louise is a seamstress who sews fabric with Angela Morgan's images on it into incising items. Lots goes into the work of an artisan and it was fun discussing the design of a new hand bag with Louise. Click  here to find more information about this talented seamstress.

We also went to visit the Eye of the Needle and Fernie Forge Studio and Gallery.



Flo Barrett, award winning costume designer and seamstress here at the Eye of the Needle Studio and Store is holding up a twig fronted corset that will be part of a series for a photo shoot.

We had a lot of fun visiting this studio and enjoyed looking at the work of many talented artisans.  I can highly recommend a visit to Fernie, BC. 

Fernie, BC Art Show

On the Wall - Off the Wall

 

The last days are always chaotic getting ready for a show. This week I've been thread sketching 30 textile cards to take to the show 'On the Wall-Off the Wall'. You may not know it but that is a lot. In Yoga last night I noticed my knee was sore probably from running the foot petal through those miles of thread! Who knew this could even happen?  

Here are my favorites. Do you have a favorite?

 

 

 

If you are near Fernie, BC, please come and check out the new show coming to Arts Station Gallery.

On the Wall - Off the Wall

works in Mixed Media, Textiles & Water Colours
by Win Dinn, Eileen Gidman & Laura Leeder

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 28 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Exhibit Continues Until: Tuesday, June 23

Win Dinn constantly experiment with techniques, following the 'What if's'. Her paintings are
colourful, rich with texture and layers, and range from the whimsical to the deep. She believes
that in mixed media, as in life, there are no mistakes; there are only opportunities to move in a
new direction. Find out more at http://windinnart.blogspot.ca/.

As a watercolour and textile artist who likes to paint from life, Eileen Gidman enjoys creating
vignettes that tell a story. She feels at peace in the natural environment and her art subjects
are often of that world, whether landscapes, botanicals or birds.
Her work is available on http://www.eileengidman.com/ or follow her
on http://eileengidman.blogspot.ca/.

Laura Leeder's paintings have become a way to celebrate the beauty of the Creston
Valley. By combining the local produce with vintage teacups, porcelain,
lace and local pottery she creates paintings that are both timeless and serene.
Her most recognizable paintings are of the teacup series. She painted many
of the pieces in this series for the Creston Museum annual fundraiser tea.
Find her work at: http://www.lauraleeder.blogspot.ca/
and http://www.lauraleeder.com/

As I am sure most of you won't be able to attend so I will try to remember my camera and I will try to remember to take some photos to post later. When I am in the spirit of a show opening, I find it hard to remember to do these things but I will try.

Textile Necklace using Hand Dyes

Hand Dyed Textile Necklace

Oh my gosh this textile necklace was fun to make and it feels light to wear.  I was inspired on a recent vacation by another traveler's hand created bead necklaces which were gorgeously unique. And since I 've been wanting to use some of my extra hand dyed fabrics, I put the two ideas together and decided to try making my own necklace today. What else to do with a Sunday afternoon when I should could be weeding the garden!



Completed Textile Necklace

Looking through my stash of hand-dyed light fabric, I found this piece of low immersion dyed 'lawn' fabric. It was 56" long.

I pressed it and ironed over 1 3/4". The seam allowance was a 1/4" leaving 1 1/2" X 2 for a 3" casing which became the necklace. Notice I didn't cut it off the large piece of material before I sewed it in order to avoid distortion of the material as it is a loose weave and stretches easily.

 

Note: When I make another necklace, I will shorten my stitch length and match my thread so as to not show any stitching when a large bead is inserted into the casing.

 The seam allowance was trimmed to a little over 1/8"

 I turned the piece with a large safety pin.

 I did not press it after turning.

Placing a bead in the end. It needed to be loose enough to move the bead down to the middle. The largest beads which I used in the middle three was a little over 1/2" in diameter.

 Then I tied an overhand knot.

 I added more beads and knots, alternating from side to side. These are the beads I recycled from an old necklace.

 I think it looked quite pretty just tied with a bow and then of course you could adjust the length to what you were wearing it with but I decided for a more sophisticated look and added a clasp.

It was a little tricky to get the tube of fabric through the small metal circle on the clasp but it went. The fabric was pulled through to what length I decided was appropriate for me (about 20"). I double knotted the end and clipped off the excess fabric. You could add a few stitches to ensure it doesn't unknot.

For the toggle end of the clasp, I tied one knot then moved down an inch and tied two knots together. The reason for this was that two knots up by the toggle made it difficult to slip the toggle through the ring of the other part of the clasp.

 

As you can see I had about 7" to spare so I guess for this length of necklace about a 50" piece would do. I used 19 beads and they got a little smaller in size as they went away from the center. 

The variation in colour of hand dyed fabrics creates an interesting gradation as you go along the necklace. I can't wait to dye up some specific fabric strips with some chosen colour schemes. What about red for the center with orange to gold leading out from each side. So much for just using up some of my current fabric scraps. Have any of you ever included textiles in your jewelry? 

Sketching on European River Cruise

The Wassau Valley is full of vineyards and historical architecture - a sketcher's dream.

Sketching is so rewarding for me and I remember so much more than when I snap a photo. Fellow travelers asked will I be painting from my sketches? Maybe yes and maybe no, but practice is always necessary for keeping eyes and hand working together.

Lamps: So many to styles.

Almost an hour waiting for a Bavarian Parade to start gives me time to lean against a building and sketch what crosses my visual field. What a lot of fun.

Last summer I included 3 horses in a painting and now I am fascinated with learning to sketch them.

Salzburg: Having some time on my own I was able to sketch beside a local artist selling her wares and then to talk with her. Our languages were different but with the similarities in our lives we had much to share. Of course I bought one of her hand painted cards which I will post later.

A few minutes of waiting on the bus gave me enough time to sketch two ladies waiting for their bus.

Sketching 'bits' while cruising on the ship.

Even a fifteen minute break gives you enough time to sketch something of interest from your tour.

Getting to know fellow travelers is always great as they have travel stories to share. Lynn and Don are a couple that inspired us with trips they have taken and they are 80. I was delighted when they sat in front of me so that I was able to capture them in a sketch.

"Yes, yes, I can sketch and listen too."

Sometimes it is difficult to find somewhere to sit with the view you want to sketch. Here I found a pylon to perch on while sketching this busy street scene in historical Budapest, Hungary. 

Clothesline Series in Watercolour: Next Painting?

Clothes on clotheslines always catch my attention as I have painted several. The idea was first conceived in Venice where the clothes were hanging from picturesque balconies. From there I continued with the painting of Canadian clotheslines and I have used the series to draw attention to energy conservation. Having moved from the country where I had a long, high clothesline to town where I didn't have any clothesline, has made me even more conscious of the need for awareness of this simple way to conserve many kilowatts of electricity.  

 

Here are a few photos of clotheslines am considering for my next clothesline painting. To see some of my watercolour paintings in this series, click here .

My husband's shirts.

Wonderful arrangement of panties on a clothesline.

More underwear and aren't those clothespins colourful.

I have the feeling clothes have been hung in this year for decades. Love it but I think I would ignore the scaffolding and truck when painting it.

I saw this Canadian flag strung up on a clothesline, in a forest, near where we were camping.

Another Maritime clothesline.

Do you have a favorite?