Thursday, October 9, 2014

It Doesn't Really "Madder..."

....or does it? With the onset of such beautiful weather, (and the unavailability of my indoor studio because of our massive first floor re-do,)  I've spent a few days in the outdoor dye studio mixing up some glorious colors and playing with resist.


Along with the usual vat of indigo and glass jars of procion, I tried my hand at madder dyeing with some lovely results.

 Chopping up and then heating dried madder root for over an hour in two vessels - a stainless steel pot and a cast iron pot, I threw in scrim, cheese cloth, silk, cotton , gauze and noille.  The results - for a first shot at it - were pretty good.  Nice pinks achieved in the stainless pot and a really nice burnt orange in the cast iron. I did not pre-mordant.  Next time, I will.


Also had a brass cauldron of chestnuts cooking all day into which I submerged more of the same fabrics.  Those, are still batching. Love my little brass cauldron.

A few blue super moons came out of the indigo vat, too.  Fall fodder for hand stitching.



1 comment:

jude said...

your circles came out great. madder is very tricky. it still fools me

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