I decided to set up all four of my folding tables in the garage, adjacent to my dye room. I soaked the fabric in soda ash solution and spun out the excess in the washing machine.  I mixed my dyes and thickener, thickened the dyes and began stamping. But the blue dye was too thin. The images ran, the dye dripped. So much for that fabric.

The next day I began again, this time insuring that the dyes were well thickened. It went well and this photo shows the result.

The custom order

But what to do with the first attempt? Most of the leaves were pretty and sharp. And I can’t waste fabric. No matter how “ugly” I think a piece is, there is something that will improve it and someone who will love it.

Sooooo…..

I got busy and over dyed it. With two pieces I used a parfait, low-water immersion technique to apply multiple colors:

Stamped and over dyed

I decided to try Arashi Shibori to two more pieces. I’ve been doing Arashi as an over dye on multi-color fabrics. It made me wonder how it would look with the leaves. I was pleased with the result:

Arashi and stamping

This could be a whole new direction! I will just think twice before I agree to the next custom request! Not really.

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 397

$18.00

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 396

$18.00

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 395

$18.00

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 394

$18.00

There has been a lot of talk on the QuiltArt Internet list about Arashi Shibori dyeing. (pole wrapping) It was sparked by Kay Sorenson taking a class from Jan Myers Newbury, a leader and teacher in this ancient Japanese art. I’ve always loved the quilts Jan makes with her fabrics. And her fabrics reflect the years of experimentation she has done.

I learned this technique years ago from Debra Lunn. It’s labor intensive and I like to do pieces with two colors. First I dye a single color and when it’s washed and dried, I pole wrap the fabric and dye with a second color. I have yet to try painting multiple colors on a pole wrapped fabric. But I have a few new pieces I made at the request of a client. I’d like to share some photos here. One day perhaps I’ll make a quilt from Arashi fabrics.

Green with Navy blue

Gray with burgandy

Rust with brown

Yellow with navy blue

One day I hope to study with Jan M.N. Until then, I’ll keep experimenting on my own. It is really fascinating to see how to create different patterns as well as seeing how various color combinations come out.

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 393

$18.00

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 392

$18.00

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 390

$18.00

The fabric was washed twice during the dye process, so it is preshrunk. Hand dyes should be washed again to test for colorfastness. Made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.

Item Number: 389

$18.00