Grass Green

Here's that stack of fabric from my olive shibori batch -- the fabrics I hadn't liked -- after discharging and overdyeing.  Quite a color variation on the different fibers.  From the bottom, there's raw silk, muslin, an old linen napkin, a fairly loose woven cotton scarf...then a handwoven piece, made from cotton warp and crepe rayon weft, and last a silk and cotton handwoven scarf that I wore for a couple of years before deciding to throw it into the dyepot yesterday.  The color was kind of washed out -- an early dye job for me -- and the original arashi lines weren't very dark.  This scarf was my very first go at arashi. 

My plan is to tie, wrap and stitch these up again for another round of shibori, likely with black dye.

I had a major Aha this week, a solution to a mystery that had been plaguing me for a couple of months, that I really couldn't get my hands around until I rinsed out those two shibori batches.  Most of the fabric I use for dyeing is muslin -- because that's what I can afford.  I haven't been too bothered by the fact that muslin doesn't dye as brilliantly as the PFD fabrics, because I prefer muted colors for the most part.  But when I started doing all those dyeing experiments a couple months ago, my results were really disappointing.  I assumed it was the amount of dye I used in my various formulas and/or any number of other variables.  Well what I realized this week -- big DUH here -- is that the last couple of bolts of muslin I used were permanent press!  No wonder the fabric just wouldn't take the dye well.  Sheesh.  Well, lesson learned, mystery solved, new bolt of non-permanent press muslin purchased, and lots of fabric now in my stash for quilt backs!

So now the question is -- do I want to replicate those dye trials with the new fabric?  That remains to be seen...I've got so much on my plate right now, wish I had about eight more hours each day!

My Spring Celebration Sale -- it was going to end tomorrow -- has been extended throughout spring...yep, until June 20, the last day of spring.  Why not!  Twenty-five percent off everything on my Sales Blog and my Etsy Shop until June 20.  Don't miss out!