mandala

Tie dyed Flour Sack towels in spring colors

Just finished up some fresh Flour Sack Towels tie-dyed in spring colors!

This batch differs from the other Shibori dyed Tea Towels that I have made/and sold for months. In the past, had sourced some pre-hemmed towels of good, consistant quality that I could dye “as-is” – that is, without having to sew up cotton towels myself. But then I found a new source and these were offered at a REALLY good price online. When they arrived at my studio I found out why they were so much cheaper than the ones I have been getting. These new, cheap “Flour Sack” weight cotton towels are much lighter in weight than the “Tea Towel” weight ones. Ruh-roh.

Truth be told, they are actually great quality for what they are – they just aren’t what I thought they would be. Some bargains come with a cost, it seems.

So I learned a little lesson in frugality, but I learned a little more about Shibori tie-dye craft as well. You see, the different weights of cotton fold differently and soak up dye differently. The lighter weight of the “Flour Sack” style allowed for easier folding of the Spiral pattern and the Mandala pattern than the heavier – and stiffer – Tea Towel weight. However, the sturdier “Tea Towel” weight lends itself much better to the more structured Diamond and Web folds, the finished product has a much crisper line than those of the “Flour Sack” weight.

Ah well! Always happy to add to the vault of crafty knowledge!

By the way, the batch of “Flour Sack” Tie-Dyed Tea Towels is headed to Minnesota for the St Paul Art Crawl, April 27th – 29th 2018. My work (the tie-dyed Towels, Baby Onesies and other hand-dyed accessories) appear as part of a collective showing at the Crawl @ Carleton Artist Lofts. If you need a little art and/inspiration in your life (who doesn’t??!) and you live near the Twin Cities, do the Crawl!

I’ve turned my humble studio into something of a fabric dying lab this week, as I’ve been consumed by testing shibori fabric folding techniques. I’ve found some styles I really dig and will continue to use in future projects.

But I’ve found some others that I am just not sure how to use in my work.

For example, the Triangle fold:

Shibori Experiment 1, folding technique test – Triangle fold, March 2017

I do like the pattern, it’s really neat. But I hadn’t expected for the pattern to be so very wide and there is so much white space. I’m not sure how I would use this medium weight cotton dyed like this. I typically sew little clutches and pouches, and the pattern is too “large” to translate to those projects. Maybe I could make a shoe bag or a little pillow cover?

Shibori Experiment 2, folding technique test – Triangle fold, March 2017

Same with the second test. It’s so pretty, but not a good fit for the kind of smaller projects I like to sew. In future, I’ll 1) dye the white cotton a light base color and 2) make the folds smaller to create a pattern with a tighter repeat that would work for my pouches and clutches.

Now here’s the start of something I really like:

Shibori Experiment 3, folding technique test – Mandala fold, March 2017

I was a little hestitant about how and where to put the dye on this style, but it seems that the fold really does most of the work. I can see how it would be possible to make smaller versions and use them in little bags, or make larger mandalas for wall hangings, pillow covers, even bedspreads. This is one of those experiments that was a delightful surprise. It was really gratifying to see colors dance like a prism in this technique. I forsee using this style a lot – just for the fun of seeing how it turns out.

And finally, here is one I have plans for:

Shibori Experiment 4, Pole Wrapping technique, March 2017

The way I attempted to get this look was really annoying to do – I used a million rubber bands around a cheap vase, which was easier going on than coming off. I ended up very wet and dye splattered, which was not my favorite. However, I totally dig the end result and I know how I’ll do it more easily next time. (Just use twine like the Shibori professionals do, dummy!) I plan to use this technique as a base for applique or for stamping/painting words and images. I kept the palette simple so that an image painted on top will really pop. We shall see…perhaps as soon as the next blog post!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

The Scarlet Darter

Art + Craft + Quest

The cost of frugality

Shibori experiments