Friday 9 May 2008

Django in the dyes

I had intended to post about the fabrics I dyed last weekend, for a series of projects, the first of which is now on the way. The fabrics are cotton scrim (in twists on the top), cotton wadding (the tope folded fabric) and various fabrics. Have got hooked on the combination of wadding and scrim so am trying something somewhat bigger than a postcard. If it continues to work as well as it is doing so far I may well take my courage in my hands and try entering it for something which is why I am keeping it under wraps for the moment.

All dyed with Procion MX (except the cat who I banished - I've been very careful ever since the day I found him strutting proudly round the neighbourhood with bright blue paws).

The purples are dyed with Fuchsia (8B) and carmine (5B) and a series of blues including 4RD which is a sort of deep midnight/ reddish navy. I find I get good purples using these two reds whatever blues I use. Trying to dye purple with the yellower (postbox) reds produces a duller, brownish purple.

Django loves having his photograph taken and he was not going to budge easily off all that lovely soft fabric: he looked so contented I didn't have the heart to chuck him off (luckily I have a good supply of lint rollers).

As a result of working on this new piece (which could end up being a series of pieces) I am having to take a brief rest from postcards but they have already served their purpose of getting me working again.

A footnote on lethargy - it appears that I have an enlarged thyroid gland and may be hypothyroid (a lot of symproms fit, especially the one about feeling exhausted much of the time). Am currently awaiting the results of blood tests. Hopefully it is treatable - according to a friend with the same problem - and I may lose some weight and have thicker hair - wouldn't it be wonderful to look and feel twenty years younger again? Though maybe that's a bit over-optimistic, I can dream...

4 comments:

mzjohansen said...

Looks like he's been in the catnip too !
Great Django - great fabrics !|

Sherryl said...

The colors are gorgeous.Can you describe what wadding is for those on the other side of the pond? Thanks for the tip on the purples. My cat somehow managed to get into the soda ash solution so he got held under the tub faucet... that was not fun. I am much more careful about securing the lid now.

Sandra Wyman said...

Sorry I've been so long in getting back to you Sherryl. Sorry - I normally provide a translation, but slipped up here. Wadding is what we call batting: this is standard Warm & Natural which dyes pretty well on one side i.e. it ends up with a definite back and front - one side has some white fibres which seem to resist the dye. I will experiment with other brands at some stage.

Heather Pregger said...

Sandra, Django looks just like my cat Boomer! Down to the assymetric blaze on the face and the jagged streak on the tummy, though Boomer's streak is a little wider. Boomer is strictly a housecat -- when I found him at the SPCA he was 5 months old and had been hit by a car. No severe injuries, but he is very timid outside, so I keep him in. He's a fabric lover, too.