dyed silk drying on the porch |
I love dying silk. The colors can be so intense. The resulting fabric is sometimes so beautiful I often feel it should be framed as a finished piece. Instead, I use dyed silk as a jumping off point to create other more complex pieces of art
detail of silk gauze ,wool and embroidery |
I use a process called nuno felting.Silk gauze and wool are combined by forcing the wool fibers through the silk with a barbed needle.The process involves a lot of hot water, soap and friction too.
It results in a messy studio that smells like wet mittens.
layers of red silk gauze and dyed wool |
This vessel combines a dizzying array of techniques.I started by weaving a basket with dyed reed,then I created a nuno felted wool painting. I wove a tapestry using acid dyed silk gauze torn into strips. I used the resulting fabrics to cover the surface of the basket. I intend to add dimension with surface embroidery.Whew!
detail of tapestry woven with torn strips of hand dyed silk |
This week I changed direction. I dyed silk using a Japanese technique called shibori.I liked the fabrics and patterns so much I simply fused the layers together in compositions I liked. No felting, no weaving, no complicated embroidery...just dyed silk...
Shibori dyed silk on wooden support I liked the resulting compositions, but it was very difficult to make myself agree that they were indeed, finished works |
Shibori dyed silk on wooden support |