I finally got around to making up the indigo vat. At first I thought I'd screwed it up. Where was the bloom? What is it supposed to look like? I am a tentative explorer, and since I am mostly self-taught, I have to rely on sheer moxy. What the hell, I thought, if it doesn't have a "bloom", maybe it will still work. So I over-dyed a very blah April Cornell smock coat I found at Ragfinery, and then did the remaining yardage of a beautiful piece of bamboo/cotton I bought from Dharma Trading. Yes, ugly yellow green and then, viola!, dark dark dark indigo after about 10 minutes in the air. And I still have a question about dyes...just how clear does the rinse water have to run before you put it in the machine and wash the hell out of it? I never know, and by the rinse stage my back is usually screaming and I'm tired of being in the dank basement. But on the other hand, I won't have the luxury of a huge cement double sink to use when we sell this house and move to a smaller one. I love the result of dying cloth. Since I approach it with the same attitude I do travel, I have few expectations. Therefore, I am seldom disappointed. Fun fun fun. I will post photos.
Oh, and the "bloom"? It showed up as soon as I started moving the dye bath around...introducing oxygen into it. I get it, and I'm not quite as intimidated as I was when I started.
Day one:
 |
Formerly a blah beige April Cornell jacket
in a nicely worn linen. Some streaks, but
I kind of like that. |
 |
2 1/2 yards of bamboo/cotton. The dots are spots
of light from a disco ball in the garden. They
are not on the fabric. |
Day two:
 |
| Linen/cotton fabric tied with cotton twine. |
 |
| I began to untie the cotton twine. |
 |
3 yards of linen/cotton. The fabric is still
wet. After washing and drying, the
color is a softer blue. |
No comments:
Post a Comment