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tuesday, june 19, 2007
phase 2 | work in progress series
so we're into the 2nd
phase | cleaning up | mixing up |.... i clean up the area in which i dye and mix up the formulas.
 the cellar on the average day.... i have good space to dye with half of the floor surface between the house beams.
i can fit 9yards straight, flat and uncut down the cellar's length. width wise, i'm chopped at 2yards 16inches.
i've come up with certain dyeing styles because of this. if there isn't enough space width or length wise, i
can scrunch, fold, pleat, circle or wave the silk so that it fits the space..... this gives the finished fabric certain textures
and dimensions.
i use a brown craft paper 48inches in width and a 60lb weight on the roll. that's
the grade of a paper bag from the grocery store. heavy enough to soak up any extra dye that is not absorbed by the silk
yet light enough for me to pick up the roll and move it around!
  
the paper is first measured and cut. rolled out.... then straightened
up and smoothed out. if the silk is of a light hand [weight] any wobbles or wrinkles in the paper will be transferred
to the silk. [another good dyeing technique]
after cleaning up my sink, i'm ready to mix.
i mix the formulas with the
MX powder first. the chemical h2o takes longer to penetrate the powder than it does to absorb the Liquid H.
 right away, baking soda is added to the bottom of the cups. the soda helps stabilize colour. its mostly needed
when working with cottons but i like to have it in there just in case. if the total base dye amount adds up to 3tsp|1tbsp,
i add <1tsp soda.
i have a pretty large collection of liquid and powdered bases. i purchase solid basic colours and
mix these to make my custom colours.
the MX powder dye is levelled with a flat edge, unless of course the formula calls for a < or > measurement.
[<less than | >greater than] the powder transfers easily onto anything it touches. great messes to
cleanup! [the felines aren't allowed in the cellar during this part] =)
in this batch of formuals,
i have quite a few that call for both the powder and liquid dyes. MX powder has a more concentrated base, so a couple
drops of the Liquid H gives me just a small touch of that extra layer of a colour if need be. an example of a mixed
formula.... called Grandma's lilac [my little Grandma's favourite colour for her custom elayna dresses!]
3/4tspMX
scarlet + 1/2tspMX navy + 4drops Liquid H base brown + 1/8tsp baking soda + >2cups chemical h2o.
 
liquid dyes change along with their storage conditions as well as with their age.... guess it got a tad bit cold down
here this past winter. the turquoise seems to have turned from a liquid to a solid. opps. =) just
add water, recalulate and go.
i'll be looking like smurfette for a little while.....
check, recheck and double check the formulas. once the dye is in that cup, its hard to get it out!
though i have stumbled upon many a new colour from the little mistakes i've made when measuring formulas.
measure and add the chem h2o which is just a gallon of tap water mixed with urea, calgon and ludigal, a
substance that helps the colours process softly.
  
mixing..... mixing...... still mixing..... looks good.........
humm. i think it looks good... 
i sample and record each formula with all changes and additions in my work book under the number of the
piece dyed. a record to keep straight the colours for those little requests of a certain pink or coral they saw in a
dress from my silk.
meanwhile, out back, skies threaten between the sun's rays......
[memphis climbs up this screen]
what a lovely thunder|dayshower =|
maybe i'll dye tomorrow..... peace|elayna
=)
sunday, june 17, 2007
i've been a tad bit lax!
the other day, it was pointed out to me
that i had blogged about  showing a work in progress yet had not done so. oops. my bad! here goes........
this
is phase 1|setting up|..... figuring out what colours i'll use, which means either finding the formuals in one of my seven
wk|formula books or composing the colour recipe for scratch.
that is, figuring out how much brillant yellow or midnight black to use. the piece i'm going to dye
will be based in the hues of clear blue with gray lilac and sea green for balance and contrast. figuring out colours
takes alot of time. on the silk i'm using, shades of blues take on a clear shine. if, for example, a formula
has too much black mixed in, the result will be deep black, not blue black or silver grey black.... a drop more or less
than needed changes a hue completely.
i measure the silk twice................... and cut once. =]
 
since this piece
requires construction, i'll prewash to shrink it down. into the washer on cool|normal........
i use shaklee products for all my laundering needs. they're wonderfully condensed so a little goes and long way
and as per the shaklee way, they're earth friendly. yeah! =]
 
before the silk goes into the dryer, i use shaklee's softener. this loosens
the silk so the heat from the dryer doesn't harden the fibers. into the dryer on the fluff cycle. i'll
remove the silk when its slightly damp so any wrinkles are not fixed.
[i realize ya'll know what washers and dryers and such look like.... humm. i'm buying time... i've
already entered the dyeing stage so i'm playing catch up with this here. this piclog thingy takes more time then
i realized it would!!!]
[in hind sight i didn't need to
prewash because i decided to dye the silk before sewing any seams. within pieces where i envision the colours to flow
straight unchecked, that's where i'll put a seam in first.]
my space to dye after the constant rain showers... groan.
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