There have been many changes here at Entwinements.  For one I have joined Earthues, a natural dye and color company.  This means some changes here at Entwinements; no more wholesale orders, fewer retail shows, maybe sales on a website.  Movable Type , that I use for this blog has a new version,4.0, out that I want to use but my current host has not updated; so I may need a new host. My OS needs updating...  Like I said many changes here.

Enjoy your holidays and I'll see you in the New Year. 

Posted by Karren at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I recieved these questions in an email.  A better way to ask a question is to post them as a comment.  But here are the questions and my answers:

My 1st question regards the type string vs. the type fabric to use on the poles. Do you have a favorite string you use consistently with many fabrics with good results? (good resist?). Or do you have different strings for different fabric types? I tried the arashi before (a few years back) with good results so I was expecting the same (good results) when I dyed fabrics last week (first time in four years) but was met with exceptionally poor results (no or very faint resist marks) on a couple of the fabrics. My main dissappointment was a piece of silk organza that I spent a LOT of time pleating up before I wrapped it. I was expecting it (the organza) to be tougher to resist (than the heavier silks), but I at least thought I would see lines....  I guess this question would extend itself to the stitched-resist techniques too?  Do you have a favorite thread you use on many different fabrics? Or do you use different stitching treads for different fabrics? (my other problem was my lack of notes on the thread types I used. I know to and took good notes for the dye, time, techniques, etc. but forgot to write down what type of thread I used on each pole!).

I use different strings for doing arashi because they give different effects, but all of them work.  Here are some I have in my studio today that I have used:

The one I used the most is the cotton rug warp, it is cheap and I use it for my production work.  I don't think that the string that you use has anything thing to do with the sucess of the resists.  The tension does and so does the type of cloth.  Organza is both a porous  and stiff cloth; these can make it hard to resist.  We dampen the organza to soften it before we push.

Stitched resists are very dependent on the fabric; I've never seen any effect of the thread.  I do want the thread to be strong and not break when I gather it up tightly.  I also want it to slip though the cloth easily but beeswax, Thread Heaven ot other  thread lubricant are helpful. 

Remember that all resists are created by compressing the cloth.  On the pole the string compresses the cloth against the pole; the tighter the tension as you wrap the more the compression.  It is easy to lose all the tension when you stop wrapping to push, you must keep the tension on the string while you are pushing and as you restart wrapping.  The thicker and spongeier the cloth the easier it is to compress.  Not all fabrics will work with all techniques.  In stitching the cloth presses against itself right around the thread.  A fabric that is dense, such as fuji broadcloth works well.  Alternatively a very long line of stitching compresses the cloth more than a a short line of stitches.

2. My second question has to do with the silicone spray you put on the poles. Is there any other product (other than spray silicone) that you might recommend for me to try that would have less fumes. My husband is extremely sensitive to the fumes (even though we applied it outside and later brought the poles inside to wrap). He thought he was going to have to go to the hospital he had such a bad reaction to the smell. So I tried to do the arashi this time without it (which turned out to be a LOT more difficult and I believe probably attributed to the faint/nonexistant resist lines - because I had to let off on the tension a little bit to be able to "scrunch" up the fabric). Can you think of anything that I could try that wouldn't affect the fabric/dye and still allow me to get the tension on the string I need without the fumes?

I use a silicone srpay for use with fabrics, no staining.  I spray outdoors, wait a minute wipe it off then bring it inside.  My pole have a nice layer built up and I don't need to spray everytime. Silicone also comes as a liquid, not in a spray dispenser.

I used to work without it.  The less you wrap the easier it is to push.  So if you normally wrap 6" before pushing, if you only wrap 4" and then push it will be much easier.  If you have issues with the silicone spray you will have to experiment with other lubricants to see what is acceptable to you.

Posted by Karren at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Posted by Karren at 04:58 AM | Permalink

unfurled: expressive cloth

An exhibit  at Robert Hillestad Textile Gallery, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1-23 November 2007. 

The exhibiting artists are:

Ilze Aviks
Laura Beehler
Claire Benn
Karren Brito
Jane Dunnewold
Catharine Ellis
Elin Noble
Sherri Smith
Katherine Sylvan
Els van Baarle .

 

These two pieces in the case above are two of my Honor Cloths. Here are some other pictures of these two Honor Cloths

This one is all silk; front, back, thread, ribbon. 

This is silk and lamb suede. The ideas behind these Honor Cloths are here.

Posted by Karren at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I have finished shows for 2007. I have two planned for Spring 2008:

PALM BEACH FINE CRAFT SHOW
29 Feburary, 1.2 March, 2008
West Palm Beach, FL

SMITHSONIAN CRAFT SHOW
10-13 April, 2008
Washington D.C.

If you need a scarf sooner, you can visit a shop or call me at the office, 937.767.8961, 9-5 (Eastern Time). We help a lot of customers on the telephone.

Posted by Karren at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Inspiration

 Maki-age Pine Cones

 Maki-age seems like the perfect technique.  I'm worried about the spaces between the bound shapes, if it is too small the dye won't penetrate and the design will loose its focus.  So a sample is in order, and I have plenty of scraps of the silk noil gauze  from making the jackets.  So I enlarge the design (the pine cone without the stem is about 8" high)and traced it onto the cloth:

I drew two pine cones; one with the purple dressmakers marker (Dritz Disappearing Ink Marking Pen) and this one with the pencils I use for tie-dye (EZ hot-iron transfer pencil).   Both gave me problems on the nubby, very absorbent surface of the silk noil.  I tried 3 different purple making pens and none of them put out enough ink to clearly mark the cloth; I had a faint lines with gaps.  The pencil, which I use to write on damp T-shirts when I'm preparing them for tie-dyeing wouldn't write on the dry noil, I had to dip the pencil in water to get it to write.

I stitched each little motif for maki-age.  The stem I did last and did in a open satin stitch that gathers the stem.  Then I gathered and tied off each section (required band-aids for blisters):

Now I bound each section, I dampened the cloth with a spray bottle so that the cloth compresses well.  Since the poofs were already formed I sort of use the kanoko binding technique; forming a half-hitch over my fingers, transferring it to the poof and then pull it tight.  I put 2-3 half-hitches on each poof, all 17 of them.

The poofs were small and I was concerned about getting them effectively bound but each was hard after I got it bound.  I soaked it then dyed it in a dark brown Lanaset dye bath.

Obviously the Lanaset does NOT dye cotton string, the color contrast makes of easier removal of the binding string.  A seam ripper helps get out the stitching thread.

Well I may have bound it too much, I'd like a little more patterning inside each motif.  Next time I'll just put one half-hitch on each poof and I might be a bit more brown dye in the white areas.  This still wet and although  I don't usually wash the Lanaset dyes until they dry, I washed this one to get rid of the marking lines.

 I washed it with Orvus, NADA.  I tried Synthrapol. I tried all the laundry stain removers I have; nada, NADA. 

Ok, this bright pink is there forever, can I tone it down?  I mixed a bit of green dye into some print paste and painted it on the pine cone  several times and then heat set it.   The white turned chartruse and the pink may be a little duller but it still dominates the design.  Finished design:

Thank god it is only a sample!  I hate pink at this moment.

I have used these pencils on cotton T-shirts for years and they disappear, never had this happen before. Silk takes dye sooo much easier than cotton.  Usually when I soak the T's before dyeing the red line disappear.  Didn't when I soaked the silk.  Then the dyebath was acid and heated where the cotton dyes are alkaline and not heated.  I now see that it says

"The heat melts the design into fabric and becomes permanent."

I'm looking for soft graphite pencils.  On to the next mistake. 

Posted by Karren at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I found this image, labelled Hiroshi Murase.  It is quite intriguing.  It has a lot of texture, both visual and physical.  This is probably what I would think of as the back of the cloth.  I see flowers, centers are kanko dots and the petals maki-age!  The vines or leaves appear to be ori-nui, i.e., running stitch on a fold.

The visual texture between the motifs was caused by gathers, these gathers were not moved during the dyeing process or the color would be more even.  Reminds me of willow pattern or flying geese pattern.  What is not clear to me is how these gathers were immobilized; in both willow and flying geese patterns the gathered cloth is tied to a rope.  No string lines here.

Challenge reminder

The challenge finishes at midnight 31 October at which time I will close the Flickr group, so up load your photos before that (EDT). I suspect some of the dates that the photos were taken are default settings on the camera, please check yours for accuracy.

We are having more exciting photos added to the pool!  It seems to me that everyone is learning something.

Posted by Karren at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Leaving for the Westchester Craft Show  

I'm heading out today for White Plains New York and my only craft show this fall.  Set up tomorrow, open Fri., Sat.and Sun.  I'm doing some business on my way back and won't be back until late next week.  

I'm packing.  Have the booth in the car, stock ready to add.  Pack my suitcase and then attache case.  Here is the case ready and waiting.

What is all that fuzz by the left zipper pull?  Looking closer I see that is already full of Pepe.  Her slightly larger brother says that he fits too.

Posted by Karren at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Need dots to go with your Maki-age?

Neki, over at Movable Feast, has posted a tutorial on how to make the tiny dots, kanoko in Japanese.  These dots occur in all tie-dye that I have seen: Japanese. Chinese, Indian, Ancient Andean, African.

Posted by Karren at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Multicolored ground

It doesn't take long for an artist applying color with a brush, even a sponge brush, to start using more colors. So here is a ground I painted for the samples for the hygragena jackets.

Using this as The starting point; I stitched and bound the motifs and dyed the cloth the lavender grey I've been using.

These look different from the pink ones.  But the process can be complicated even more by discharging before dying the grey.  The grey covers the colors well, you can't see the mulicolored ground under the grey so why bother.  Discharge halos !  Discharge always penetrates farther than the dye does leaving little bands with no added color where you can see the discharge color---HALOS. The motif I chose as the icon for this challenge was discharged and has distinct halos making the pattern within the motif even more mysterious.

 Maki-age is very similar to capped motifs, where the motif is covered with plastic instead of bound, and I tried both in this test. The  three-step process (we haven't gotten to the 12-step one yet)  as follows:

Stitch and bind the motifs on the mutlicolored ground. Soak. Discharge.

Then dye.

Then carefully remove all the threads. My favorite tool for this is a seam ripper.

Here is another piece from Pat Freiert that shows a three-step process.

The challenge

I'm just thrilled with the work and learning that is going on among the 15 participants in the challenge and visible at the  Maki-age Shibori Challenge Flickr group. There is still time to join us.  Just try a piece this month and upload a picture before Halloween is over.

Posted by Karren at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)