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.