10.01.2013

floral

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Can we just talk about this dye-job for a minute? I decided this fabric was so special that it deserves it's own dedicated post before I start hacking into it.  (Ouch. It hurts my heart just thinking about that!)

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This is just a smidgen over four yards of a light weight silk crepe de chine, dyed up in a pretty, autumnal palette of navy, dusty rose and gold (it may not feel like autumn here, but that doesn't mean I can't sneak some fall colors into my palette!)  Perhaps some of you spotted this post by the ever glorious Heather Lou? If you haven't, I highly suggest you give it a read, as it tells the beautiful story of two friends and ten yards of silk (shouldn't all great love stories begin and end with a crap-ton of silk??) 

Anyway - the short-short version goes something like this - Heather sent me ten yards of silk, half of which I dyed for her and shipped off to Canada (like a mother bird sending her young fledglings out of the nest: a bit teary, but bursting with pride) and the other half I kept for myself.  You see, I work for silk. Heather then commenced to make the most breathtaking dress ever imaginable with said silk, and I sat on my half, hemming-and-hawing as I am wont to do.


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So what does this silk have to do with Heather's silk? Well. Everything is a learning process with me. See, while I was working on Heather's silk (the interior dialogue of which sounded something like this: "Expletives expletives expletives.... omigod no.... cursing cursing cursing... I've f*cked it up!!! Okay... wait... maybe if I... alright... okay... that's better... yeah... okay... this might not be so bad... OMIGOD I LOVE THIS!!") I discovered through sheer accident that when you mix sodium alginate (used to thicken dyes to a more 'paint-like' consistency and reduce the 'bleed' effect) with your dyes that it also acts as a very subtle resist - meaning other dyes will not run right into it and muck up the color.  You can, of course, buy commercial resists, or use a wax resist (typical in batik fabrics) but I was interested in the fact that this would allow me to still do a one step dye job - no washing between layers - and, best of all, I already had all the necessary components!

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So I brewed up the idea of painting a floral(ish) motif and then painting by hand the negative space around it - allowing the thickened dyes (pink and yellow) to act as a resist, and thereby also preserving some of the white of my fabric.  In this way I was able to create the effect of a lighter design on top of a darker background color.  

But, still, it's always trial and error with my dyeing experiments! I thickened the pink dye more than the yellow, so there is some bleeding happening along the edges of the design. I actually don't mind this at all - I think it's a really lovely element to this fabric, but still, unplanned. Also, since the dark blue color was literally painted in by hand (with a much too small brush, might I add! I might need to remedy that soon...) it takes on a slightly mottled appearance - again, just a little quirk of the handmade!

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It's actually quite funny to see these fabrics in real life, because my hand changes as I work down the yardage - becoming more relaxed and maybe trying out a few different design ideas.  In the beginning I'm always over-thinking and over-working it! You can see this in the image above: on the right, you have what looks, to me, like a hydrangea cluster, and on the left you can see what it slowly morphed into... perhaps something one might see underneath a microscope?

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You can tell I love this silk very very much, because when I'm in love with a fabric I go all Pre-Raphaelite up in this shit! 

Now... the real question is - what to do with it? I had my heart set on an Anna, but after swanning about with it draped all over me I'm beginning to lose my resolve... Is this begging to be turned into something else? Does anyone else see this silk and immediately think it must be turned into a certain pattern? Or am I just, once again, over-thinking this? Inquiring minds want to know...

xx

69 comments:

  1. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.


    Ahem. Sorry about that.


    Jesus mary and joseph Sallie. This is incredible. I am speechless. The only speech I can muster is really long, drawn out swearwords. Way to take it to the next level!


    You're overthinking it. This is so clearly an Anna for so many reasons. It's nice and dark and opaque so you don't have to worry about lining. And you really need a long simple maxi to celebrate the glory that is this fabric. Plus, you know, full circle with our love affair presents right?

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  2. Btw,I think you could totally make serious side cash by handpainting silk, either custom or painting yardage and selling it on etsy. Just an idea. People would kill for this stuff. I would kill for it but that proved to be unnecessary.

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  3. Also, I think if you made an Anna, Elisalex's head would explode with joy.

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  4. ACKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!

    That is absurdly fabulous. I can't even deal with it. I can't WAIT to see what you decide on! A maxi dress of some kind seems fabulous (ooh, a strapless, draped maxi maybe?)! But really, any style would totally be elevated by this too-beautiful-for-words silk!

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  5. I completely agree with Ginger - anything would look glorious made up in this - but a really drapey maxi would be fabulous!


    But I would also be terrified to cut into anything that beautiful....

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  6. Gorgeous! The way you dyed it still baffles me, maybe I should read your post again some other time when I'm not super tired and still at work.. I do think an Anna maxi would look super!

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  7. Holy macaroni, that's amazing! Really stupendously beautiful.



    On a practical note, I do think it would be a great maxi Anna. Can't wait to see & drool over the finished product!

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  8. Sallie! oooooomgosh!! I caught a glimpse of it through instagram but I still can't get over how gorgeous it is. My absolute favorite part is those different blues and the way it looks exactly like some deep and magnificent ocean.
    I definitely agree with the comments, this needs to be a maxi dress!

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  9. Sallie, oh my gosh. I think that all your skills and experience in sewing, painting, and drawing have culminated into this. Really, you're not just a seamstress but also an artist (watch out for a Portrait of a Seamstress post next week of a local fiber artist - it's right up your alley!). I know seamstresses are artists in their own right, but you're definition is completely different. This is magnificent. And I thought I was getting good with my alkanet. Pshht!


    Also, I'm totally jealous of your meet up in NYC!

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  10. Seconded! I would buy the shit out of this.

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  11. Omg, that's an AMAZING dye job. It reminds me of Japanese kimono silk with the colors and the slightly floral design.

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  12. This is incredibly beautiful! I wouldn't have thought to put those colors together - they're just stunning. I think this fabric would look incredible as a dress with gathers.

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  13. That fabric is STUNNING! You are insanely talented, and you've inspired me to try out fabric dyeing and painting. If I can achieve even a small fraction of your skill, I would be so thrilled! I agree with the others - this needs to be made into something long and draping.

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  14. Oh that is divine. I think it would make a gorgeous Anna, but what ever you do with it I know it will make your heart sing each time you wear it!

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  15. aaaaaaaaaaaa! insane! i'm crazy about your newest dying job! whatever you do make out of it, it's going to be perfection! and, if i had fabric so fabulous, i would make a kimono robe out of it, so i can lounge in it every single day, and look freaking awesome!

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  16. I am with Heather, only expletives seem to convey the proper amazement that is this piece of cloth! I would vote for a maxi Anna. Simple, classic pattern for over the top fabric, good combo...

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  17. I, too, would pay hard cash for this beauteousness...

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  18. Holy crap girl woah woah woah woah. I just don't really have the words needed to express how I feel about this fabric. Really. Shit dude. You rule.

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  19. That is so beautiful, it made me gasp!

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  20. Oh Sallie, you have done it again. Gorgeous. If you know how to drape, I would suggest an original. but if not, the Anna.

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  21. Oh wow! It is really stunning and I fourth the comments below about you selling your silks. I think an Anna would look great, although like Morgan, something with drape or gathers - and I'm loving the cloth draped over your arms...but that's just me..... Hell. it will look great as anything.

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  22. Thanks Kim!! Yeah, it's a bit hard to explain the process... Basically, I started with the white fabric and mixed a thickening agent into the yellow and pink dyes. The thickening agent also acted as a lightweight resist, so when I went back with the blue dye and painted around the previously dyed (pink & yellow) areas, the blue dye did not bleed into the yellow and pink because they had been thickened. Is that clearer - or did I just confuse you more? Haha!

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  23. Gorgeous. I would hang it on a wall and look at it every day. All day.
    Second option is an Anna Maxi Dress. My heart goes out to displaying it on a wall.

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  24. This is dreamy! I agree you should produce one-offs, they would be snapped up in an instant! A dress for sure.

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  25. Oh Sallie... I've been a long-time reader but it took a post with sodium alginate to get me to comment! After your first post about dying, I had a textile-artist friend show me, and I've had a few experiments that turned out OK. What ratio did you mix (or how would you describe the consistency?) of the algi-paint that you used?
    Also, are you mixing in the soda ash with your dye/alginate mixture, and then steam-setting once it's cured for a while?
    Regardless of your process, your dyed fabrics are gorgeous. Keep it up.

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  26. Oh oh, I love that last photo! This is a brilliant design. Gosh, I'd have a hard time cutting too. Love how you figured out how to keep the opacity between colors. And geesh, you painted that blue all the way around?! I'd really have a hard time cutting after that!

    What about a robe? Or maybe something vintage... like this? Or this? Definitely something grecian drapey statuesque! Or just swan about in your fabric just as is. Nothing wrong with that, either!

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  27. Hey Tiffany! Thanks for commenting!! I love hearing from fellow dye enthusiasts!
    So I mix up a 'chemical water' first that has my soda ash in it. I make a big batch, then just scoop out smaller amounts for each color. I add the dye, and usually some urea to keep the fabric moist (about 1tbsp for 1 cup of dye) then sprinkle in the sodium alginate. I'd say that pink color - which definitely acted as a resist better than the yellow - had the consistency of runny jelly! Haha! Next time I will measure how much sodium alginate I used so I can be more specific. I do not steam set! I know you can achieve deeper/more true colors with steam setting on silk, but I'm impatient and lacking in space/finances/materials to make that happen. So I just wrap my silk up in plastic and let it cure overnight, then rinse it cold water, then run it through the washing machine on hot and with a little detergent (I just use blue Dawn). Then hang dry. I should also note that I'm using procion dyes NOT acid dyes! Hope that helps!!

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  28. oh man, i really think we need to do a workshop at workroom social. i would be all over that!

    as for patterns i could see a really gathered maxi skirt (paired with a leather moto jacket) or what about the new saltspring pattern by sewaholic? you cant go wrong. its so amazing.

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  29. (can't comment because I just drooled all over my keyboard)

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  30. ...drooling because you're amazing, not because there's something wrong with my face haha! I think the anna would be gorgeous, but I'm also thinking you look lovely covered in so much fold-y, drape-y goodness! Maybe a pattern that's more fold-y and drape-y?

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  31. beautiful colors! I see it as a kimono robe, but that hardly seems imaginative. You have plenty of yardage for a drapey blouse and a maxi dress. Can't wait to see what you decide on.

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  32. Stella job Sallie, it's expletively gorgeous!!!!! I wonder if this interests you for it. http://www.cottonandcurls.com/?s=kimono

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  33. Amazing! I have no words... I can see this fabric transform into an unstructured jacket and a skirt.

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  34. Aaagh! Totally stunning!!! I can't wait to see what you make of this gorgeousness!

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  35. Oh my gosh, I'm so scared about cutting into my silk, and it's no where near as beautiful! But I am planning an Anna, just because of its length and vast fabricness haha make sense?

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  36. Beautiful, beautiful fabric! Amazing what you've taught yourself over the years. It's extraordinary! I hesitate to venture a suggestion because I'm such a sewing ignoramus but you loved the jumpsuit you made so much but found it inconvenient in the bodily function category... Could you make the flowing pants part but not attach it to the top? Like beautiful drapery lounge palazzo whatever pants. With a simple fitted top it could be pretty, no? Ok I'll stop...What's an Anna?

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  37. It's beautiful! I see nothing wrong with just toga-ing it up for forever

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  38. I can't believe you dyed that yourself!! It's gorgeous!! Wanna make some for me, since I have no creative talent of my own? ;-) And yes, I think the Anna maxi--thigh slit and all!--would be PERFECT for this dress. I can't wait to see it!!

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  39. My first thought was "Anna" so I guess it's nothing wrong with that ;-) Naturally the maxi version with the slit... And I am so excited about your fabrics every time. Everything you posted is just so fab! And Heather's silk was oh so pretty too...

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  40. i am just speechless. there are no words to describe how beautiful this print is..... but i think it screams to be made into something flowy, drapey and that can catch in the wind and flutter.... oh.

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  41. Soooooo amazing! Oh my gosh, its just so beautiful! I truly can not wait to see what you make out of it. I have to throw in - make a quilted silk jacket! OK! Ha! I'm on a jacket kick this year and found a quilted silk rebecca taylor jacket for a steal. Its amazing and I love it and oh it would be superb this in fabric. Whatever you make, it will be beautiful!

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  42. to echo previous comments: OMGBEAUTIFULSTUNINGLOVEWANTNEEDNOWPLEASEWOWBEAUTIFULBREATHTAKINGGORGEOUSAWESOMENESS!!!!

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  43. WHAT??? This is the holy grail of silk dyeing...I would be selfish on this one & make a kimono gown for my eyes only!

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  44. I have two ideas - both completely different from each other. The first is something that would probably get a lot of use is a dress length grainline archer. On the Uniqlo site there is a range of shirt dresses from the fabric designer Celia Birtwell that lead me to this. The other is Vogue 1240. Such a beautiful print that I am sure whatever you go with, will be stunning.

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  45. Fabric that awesome has to be draped and swooshed around the house before anything else is done with it... I know I've done it more than once LOL. Can't wait to see what it becomes! :)

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  46. Wow this is so so beautiful, you have really out-done yourself. I just love the colors. Something very drapy would be nice but an long Anna would be perfect too.

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  47. Fanfuckingtastic is what I call it! Once i actually get my backside in gear and try some procion dyeing that's the kind of effect I'd love to achieve!


    Yes an Anna would be lovely, but a Cascade skirt would also be great with enough left over for perhaps a shirt of some kind?

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  48. Freakin stunning. I actually love even more that it bleeds and mixes in together... adds to the beauty I think. Seriously - have you considered starting up an Etsy shop and selling your hand dyed deliciousness? I would oh so very happily pay for the privilege. Although like you - I'd be getting a little anxious at the thought of cutting into this silk... and I'm going to be no use in pattern suggestions either. It looks great just draped on you ;)

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  49. Sallie, this fabric is so beautiful. So so beautiful! I would be terrified to cut into it too. I would go maxi dress or skirt to get the full effect of the fabric. Not sure about Anna, though. Something about the kimono sleeves is telling me no with your Sallie-dyed silk. Though I can't exactly say why. I'm sure whatever you make will be just perfect, Anna or no Anna.

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  50. This is truly, jaw-droppingly, beautiful. I love the mottled blue with hints of pink(?). It's really so pretty. I can totally see this as a high-low shirt dress or even a drapey jumpsuit, a la your previous creation.

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  51. Haha!! Thanks Melanie! I'm definitely giving it some serious thought after this post - thanks for the nudge!

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  52. I don't know how you're going to decide what you make this into, but whatever it is will be wonderful. This fabric is AMAZING. Seriously, it's the fabric that otherwise only exists in dreams.

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  53. Your hand painted silk: Absolutely fabulous!! Garment of choice: definitely a BHL Anna Dress - Maxi version, V-necked, thigh high split. Any leftover fabric, convert into a Colette patterns Jasmine blouse.
    As mentioned previously in other posts, your Etsy selling spot is waiting for your to occupy it!!!

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  54. Beeaauutiful! I've done some very small scale silk painting experiments (nothing this awesome! just a few scarves for fun) and I found the best brushes were the sumi-e brushes I had. I used the traditional sumi brushes for detail but the best brush was the big hake brush for large areas. I love that paint brush! I bought some sodium alginate but I haven't tried yet with procion dyes. So far I've just used those jacquard dye-na-flow paints. I think the Anna dress is a great idea. Anything long and simple. You need to show off that gorgeous work!

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  55. Uughhh, it is so gorgeous I can't even handle it. I have no pattern suggestions, but something BIG and BOLD. Use every last ounce.

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  56. it's so beautiful!

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  57. Thanks for the brush recommendation Liza Jane!! I think I might definitely have to invest in a few more serious brushes - I used to have a whole bunch but I think they got lost between moves...

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  58. definitely a maxi, so an anna could work if you want. but mostly, it's just gorgeous. :-)

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  59. It's so lovely! I imagine it as a kimono... but I think that is just because of the way you have it draped over you. Just thought you might be interested, I'm starting up a new initiative that provides free advertising to sewing bloggers via a simply rotation banner and I'd love it if you would sign up: http://www.etsyaddict.sky-song.org/exchange/

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  60. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeousness! How about a Victory Satsuki but extend to make a full length maxi dress? It would be a shame to cut that beautiful silk in to so many panels for an Anna...

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  61. This is absolutely GORGEOUS! I would make it into something I would wear almost every single day so that I could maximize the enjoyment of a masterpiece of fabric. I am a devoted caftan wearer, so that's what I would make. BUT, what do you wear religiously? That's what it should be. Don't make something that you will hang in the closet for most of the year. This is too pretty to be a special occasion garment.

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  62. We want Sallie Silk. We want Sallie Silk! :P

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  63. gorgeous fabric. I've been wanting to dye silk charmeuse in a similar manner and wasn't sure how to get it done. Thanks for the tips.


    Seriously LOVE the Anna dress you created with this fabric.

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  64. My good god. This is amazing. You are so incredibly talented.

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