June 15, 2018
Dear Everyone:
I have mentioned in the past that “Jeannie” and I typically go up to the
Martinez
Public Library about every other Saturday for a meeting of the “Needle
Arts” Group.
Technically, it counts as a “class” because “Marni” has an open
invitation to anyone who wants to come and learn how to
knit and/or
crochet.
Or embroider.
Or do
needlepoint. Or
bead.
But mostly, we just sit around with our needles and hooks and chat for a
couple of hours. And people
like “Jeannie” can ask just about anyone what she did wrong with her
current project.
A few weeks ago, one of our “regulars”, “Sheryl”, asked if anyone would
be interested in silk
dyeing.
Well, why not?
Of course, we couldn’t do it in the Library.
It’s a bit messier than
first-graders
learning
finger-painting. So we
all assembled at “Sheryl’s” place last weekend.
First, we needed a “trough” about four to five feet long and at least a
foot wide. Can’t find that
in the Library. “Sheryl” got
some aluminum
roasting pans and spliced them together with
good-old-duct-tape,
setting them up on a large utility table on her patio.
Of course, water would run right through the joins, so she placed
a large plastic drop cloth inside the “trough”.
Then she filled it partly full with many, many pans of water from the
kitchen. I’m not sure why
she couldn’t just use a garden hose, but it wasn’t my party, although I
did bring some of my world-famous-locally
potato salad.
Then something was added to the water to make the dyes float on the
surface. Next came the dyes
themselves. Lots and lots of
colors, plus we could mix colors like blue and red to get purple, just
like we learned in first-grade finger-painting.
“Sheryl” provided disposable
droppers and
small paper cups to mix dyes and drop them onto the treated water.
We could let the drops float at their own will, or we could use a
bamboo skewer, or a
large plastic comb like the kind you use to “lift” hair, to streak the
colors up, down and around.
Then it took two people to carefully lower a 48-inch silk scarf down
onto the surface. We let it
soak for a few minutes, then lifted the scarf and removed it to a drying
rack. Which is when we
discovered that there was a large vertical post in the middle of the
patio, holding up its end of the
pergola.
This was not the optimum time to realize that getting around the post
with two ends of a dripping scarf was not that easy.
From that time on, we made sure both people were on the same side
of the post before lowering another scarf into the trough.
Apparently, the dye floated on top of the water for a relatively short
period of time, then sank to the bottom of the “trough”, which meant
that the next scarf could start over with fresh colors.
At first, we were fairly conservative with color combinations;
but after a while, we got more and more adventurous.
Swirls of color to the right!
Swirls to the left!
One scarf looked like a cross between green-and-purple
amoebas reproducing
and a Mardi Gras
float. Others became
intricate
paisleys of riotous hues.
“Marci”, who is very fond of
dragons of every
kind, kept finding dragons in each consecutive masterpiece.
After the scarves had dried, we each took ours home.
After 48 hours, we rinsed them in cold water, then ironed them
dry to “set” the dye. My
scarf came out mostly
turquoise
and lavender,
with unexpected touches of red.
Very fetching. I can
even see the dragon at one end.
And good time was had by all.
Tomorrow, we will bring them back to the Library to compare the
finished products. And, no
doubt, to contemplate another dyeing party.
Love, as always,
Pete
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