So... Let's make a shirt.

Having always liked the needle and thread it was only a matter of time before I decided to dye some fabric and make a shirt.

My search on the internet for double knit cotton led me once again to Dhrama Trading and when it arrived I was a little disappointed . The fabric was a bit hard and lumpy and was more of a winter weight of cotton not at all the light weight I was hoping for to wear on hot summer days here in Virginia. Anyway, after scouring it and preparing it for dyes, I began to accept the fabric and chose a rather repetitive large tjap for the design. Needing more than 2 colors, I decided to use the white as one color and a lavender for the second. The fabric was going to be more than a yard so I decided not to frame it up but just resist while it was on the table.

With cotton, one uses procion dyes and with this piece I planned on doing a vat dye bath after the wax was laid on the material. I submerged the fabric and let it sit in the dye for about 20 minutes then removed it and laid it on a rack in a plastic box where it was to stay until the next day or two.

At this point, the wax needed to be removed, but this time not with an iron. I filled up my big pot with hot water and some soap and set it on high on my outside burner. I carefully put the fabric in the pot and allowed it to get hot but not boil. After the wax melted from the cotton, the wax came to the surface and when cooled and could be pulled off to remove my ready for washing fabric.

It seems with cotton, one spends much more time with their washer and dryer than about anywhere else.

At this point, I needed to design a shirt pattern and sew it up. After taking my measurements I drew up my pattern and cut out the fabric. I chose a dirndl sleeve as those shirts require almost no sewing and they feel good without a set in sleeve. I think that the shirt turned out well, but the pattern of the fabric could have been a little smaller if I were to be a bit critical. Anyway, my first attempt and prototype batik shirt.

That about wraps this adventure up.

Glad you stopped by and give me a beep as you pass by.

Waves as she watches you leave down the long drive.

When the muses dance.

Elephants and palm trees

It is always nice when the muses decide to play their flutes in one’s life. I am sure there are muses of all things, but when they dance in your studio it can be fun.

 



Dragonflies - first attempt

  It was early into my silks that I started using wax as a resist and it grew into part of the process. I wanted a crisper edge without using a gutta type resist so after some searching I discovered TJAPS and knew immediately  that these tools  would fit right in. (I will talk about the history of Tjanps and Tjantlings in another blog.)

Tjaps I used in these pieces

That led to the research on batiks and yes, I am now dabbling in batik. Also included with batik are some shibori techniques that one might call advanced tie dye. It is a lot of fun—but some do require much preparation. Well, like I always say where am I going that I need to get there so fast? Smiles. It has taken some time as in all things to catch on to the technique needed to gain the result one is looking for.  I think my new work demonstrates a bit of achievement and I look forward to see where this leads me in my work.  I do believe it would be much easier if I started out with a round wheel, but for one reason or another I generally start with square and chip off the edges in many exercises to learn the new road. Perhaps that is the part I like best. Shrugs.

One black turtle

With this new toy also comes new fabrics to play with. Cotton and rayon will be included in the fabrics that I will use along with silks. That offers me an opportunity to dabble at the sewing machine and to make a few wearables. Along with these fabrics comes a new dye (Procion MX) that I will talk about in an upcoming blog. There are a lot of new steps, making it seem very much like old times in the glaze room.

Peonies and butterflies

Hope you enjoyed the short stay...

Waves and winks as she watches you drive by

and calls out-

Hope you had a good time- Stop by again.