Creating Everyday Art
Hmmm .... I haven't yet decided whether or not this tie dye experiment was successful. They did turn out interesting and a little along the lines of what I was going for - I was looking for a kaleidoscope effect and while they are a little reminiscent of one, they're not all I'd hoped for. But sometimes after a few days go by, I've forgotten what I hoped to get and I end up liking my experiments!
In case you look at these with unbiased eyes and love them, here's how they went together:
1. See basic tie dye instructions here. I used Procion fiber reactive dye powder in Alpine Blue, Medium Blue, Terracotta, Yucca, Baby Pink, and Ice Blue.
2. I started by folding the T-shirt in half.
3. And then brought the bottom up until I had a square.
4. I then folded the top and the sleeves over the square.
5. Next I folded the shirt in half again to get a triangle.
6. And then folded it again to get a long triangle.
7. I drew lines with a washable marker to show where I wanted to put the rubber bands.
8. Put the rubber bands on tightly.
9. And began applying the dye - one color in each section.
10. Into the bags they went until the next day.
And voila ... sort of! One thing that may have helped would have been to put on more dye and to then squish the section around to make sure the dye was reaching all the fabric - that's why I have large white spots.
Back to the tie dye drawing board!
Happy Creating! Deborah
I've done a little bit with the Indonesian art of batik, but hadn't known until recently that Japan also has a wax resist dyeing tradition. Roketsozome traditionally used to dye kimono and obis and is today is nearly a lost art. Hisako Takaku learned roketsozome from her father, artist Kuboku and is one of the last practitioners. Last year, the San Diego Museum of Art hosted the first exhibition of the father/daughter pair's work outside of Japan, Dyeing Elegance - Asian Modernism and the Art of Kuboku and Hisako Takaku.
It's too late to go view these beautiful works in person, but the museum has an information page with videos available on it's website that are very interesting. The demonstration by Hisako is about an hour long, but don't let that put you off - it's fascinating! There are a lot of introductions and thank you's for the first 5 minutes, a background talk until about the 15 minute mark, and then the demonstration begins.
Looking at the kimono in close up really shows the fine detail and the shading they can achieve! Below is the Winter Kimono with Plum Blossoms and below that a close up detail:
Felt Cafe has a great photo demonstration of how roketsozome is practiced with indigo in Kyoto - definitely worth a look.
Summer is definitely not the time to be indigo dyeing outside in Phoenix, so I think I'll work out some designs and give this a try come fall!
Happy Creating! Deborah
I made one of those discoveries that changes the way one thinks! I (obviously) love the how the digital world makes it so easy to share my experiences and adventures with fiber art and share in the experiences of others - blogs, tutorials, e-books, websites, .... And being a fiber arts junkie, I love looking through books and magazines, dreaming about what I'll work on next. And I gather way, way too much printed material - it's hard to organize and keep track of. Enter Glossi.com, a new digital magazine website that is currently in its beta testing phase. What sets Glossi apart from other sites that enable you to read magazines and catalogs online is that Glossi allows you to create your own magazines as well. How cool!! Yes, yes, I know that one can upload your own creations on other sites, however you need to get the publishing software on your own and most of them also charge fairly high yearly fees. Right now, Glossi is free - you need an invitation to join (just request one and it arrives pretty quickly).
So I decided to make my own Glossi and test out just how easy it is. Results? It's amazingly easy! There are a ton of templates you can use or make your own custom page. I pretty much just used templates.
It's pretty intuitive to figure out how to use the tool bars - if you are used to working in Word, PowerPoint, or other similar programs you won't have a problem.
After a few hours of playing around, I had my own magazine finished! I know - it's a pretty tiny one!
I can see great possibilities for sharing everything from artwork to photography (think family events and holidays!) to portfolios, student projects, ..... if any of you make your own Glossi, link to it in the comments below. I'd love to see them!!
Happy Creating! Deborah
I've been having lots of fun dyeing kitchen towels in beautiful forest colors! These are my favorite waffle weave type cotton towels - great for drying with. I get them from Embroider This.
These towels are dyed with Procion golden brown, forest green, chamois, and wasabi green - luscious! If you're new to dyeing, see this past post for a tutorial.
Happy Creating! Deborah
