I am diving in to the world of silk dyeing with both feet these days. I am a fan of bright colorful scarves no doubt about it, but when i ran across eco-dyeing, I was immediately intrigued. I am a huge fan of nature, and being to actually incorporate natural things like leaves, flowers, and other stuff into the process of creating….well, count me in!!
The floral scarf is the first attempt, and I gotta admit, I totally bombed on that one. I got in too much of a hurry and when I saw the end result, i was disheartened because I thought I’d ruined my scarf. Then it occurred to me that if it’s lost make it an experimental piece. I decided to paint with dye on the already once processed piece. For two reasons, i wanted to see how the natural color that did transfer would hold up to some wear, and how would the material hold a second layer of dye. The short answer is beautifully.
I posted the scarf on my Facebook page: Valerie Dowdy Art on The Custom Brush FB Page and it sold within an hour and received a lot of exciting reactions.
I’m currently processing the scarf you see on the stretcher (handmade by hubby) I added a light brown dye that actually looks pink in the photos and real life. I gotta admit I a bit nervous about the end result. If it turns out as i hope, i will share the end result!
Each step in my layered design requires 2 steam sets, and they each take two hours. Not including the dyeing/painting steps in the creative process of designing a scarf. Each one becomes a unique piece, no two will ever be the same.
It is art and it is fashion. I see no reason why you cannot wear your art, do you?
Valerie
