Pages

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Dye Babies

I recently picked up some seaweed stuff to make marbled fabrics. It’s an interesting process and when I had the gallery I sold many silk scarves by a local woman who hand marbles fabrics. I’ve never actually seen it done in person and would really love a class. I know I don’t have the right dyes for it, mine were a bit on the thin side and just spread out too much to leave behind much vibrant color for the fabric to soak up. I’m pretty sure I’m doing some of the other stuff wrong as well but I enjoyed the process and have some interesting fabrics as a result. So no complaints here. Though I have a big marbling tray in my kitchen with three gallons of seaweed slime laced with dyes. And I have no idea what to do with it! Does this stuff kill grass? Should I just throw it outside? (And hope the dogs don’t get into it.) I don’t think hubby would approve of dumping it down the drain. Hmmm… decisions, decisions.
So here are some results. They aren’t marbled so much as just an exploration of what the dye did when it hit the surface of the seaweed, I found that far more interesting than the ones who are swirled in the traditional marbling way. It’s the Jackson Pollock in me I guess. Honestly though, there are a lot of experiments left in this process. I think I’ll keep exploring. Which ones do you like best? I can't decide.

8 comments:

  1. Carmen - I like the purple and green one in the top pic. I like that "blobby" look. Plus, the colors rock.
    Danny

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am with you....I like the ones that do not look like marbling more. It is too hard to pick a favorite. Beautiful and I love the color as it is.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh I forgot to mention I like your new blog header and the black background. Very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love them all. The fabrics with the high color contrast are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Barbara, my new website will look like this when I'm (if I am ever) done with it. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like them all. The color interactions are great and the "designs" are fun. They're all interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Maybe if it's seaweed stuff, then it's biodegradable??? I love all the clear and bright colors you achieved! The other fabric marbling I've seen (anda bought in tiny amounts) looks like paper that goes inside of old fashioned books and your stuff is wonderfully organic!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I thought on a program I watched that they just kept the base slime in the pan and covered it with saran wrap and then they used it over and over. Your fabric pulls all of the color out of it so it remains reusable doesn't it? Or don't you ever want to do this again?

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails