Fiber Art in Motion

To start we have added a girl to the family – Olivia – 7lbs 10 oz, 19.25 inches born on Wed. March 11.    10 minutes old.

But I spent a wonderful 2 days with Ana Lisa in a shibori workshop.  There were 13 of us in the class – weavers, quilters, and garment makers.  Level from beginning to intermediate.  We used Procion mx dyes and acid dyes.  We pole wrapped, stitched, clamped and used a smocking pleater.  Fabrics were cotton, silks, raw silk, bamboo with spandex and rayon.  Ana Lisa’s knowledge is great and she shares the history of the Japanese art and the masters who do the work.

The fabric on the pole is cotton and has been wrapped and twisted as it was compresses then painted with the thicken Procion dye – it was washed and dried then rewrapped in the other direction to be re-painted with the thickened dye.

The scarf to the right is 8mm silk that has been folded from the right side to the center them basted – this was repeated on the left side.  It was then wrapped on the pole and twisted – painted with the thickened dye.  All the pieces that were done with the thickened dye were wrapped in plastic and cured overnight (24 hours is better) we then washed and dried them – then pressed them.  By pleating the scarf  then pole wrapping you get the chevron design.

The next group that we worked with was the stitching and clamping.  We took the raw silk, cotton, bamboo and stitched designs on the fabric then pull the thread up as tight as you could without breaking it then tied it in a knot tight to the fabric.  The silk fabrics were then simmered in a pot of acid dye for an hour or so.

The pattern above is the bamboo and spandex – folded and stitched and pulled up tight – that was dyed in the Procion dye in a cool pot.  The piece to the right is on raw silk and was folded and stitched then pulled up forming a starburst.  This one was simmered in the acid dye on the stove.

The work below was done on the smocking pleater – the fabric is raw silk gauze and had been fed through the pleater on the diagonal.  After the fabric was rolled out of the pleater we pulled the threads up and tied off.  This was  also done in the acid dye.

The last piece I am putting up to share is silk broadcloth that had been dyed yellow.  It was folded in accordion folds then a threefold accordion fold then stitched on the sewing machine.  Then dyed.  What a fun-filled 2 days.

I have been cutting out some garments and working on a quilt.  While picking a lining I came across silk pieces that I had dyed and thought I would put them on here for you to see.  They are complex cloth and are china silk and silk crepe.  I used procion dye, dyed and overdyed, metallic paints, stamping and silk screening.  They are all 2 plus yards and do make great linings.

     China Silk

      Silk Crepe    China Silk