Dyeing Silk with Nathalia

VERMILLION! CRIMSON!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

February started with a bang of COLOUR! I joined the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners and took a work shop on dyeing SILK! Organized by the Nottawasaga Handweavers and Spinners this took place at the Gibson Centre in Alliston on the morning of Feb 6Th. What a fun day! I have spend a lot of time in my life playing with pigments but I had never yet mixed them with SHAVING CREAM! Now I have done that too!
This three hour long workshop was a very quick introduction to a liberating technique that yields random results. There is no tinkering with details when the pigment is added to a bag of shaving cream and slapped on a table with a spatula.
As you can see I opted for VERMILION ( my true love) and CRIMSON ( to turn it up a notch).
Later on I tossed in some FUCHSIA (for feverish high lights) and to anchor this medley I decided it needed a concoction... somewhat ...EGGPLANTISH, (OK; aubergine if it makes you happy). As a result I brought home three outstandingly flaming beauties; three silk scarfs so brilliantly luminous they most certainly glow in the dark! Variations of a theme.
Silk seems to be a very grateful recipient of dye, -it's thirsty and displays the colour with shameless self-confidence.
I am sure that this experience will lead me to look for other applications for pigmented shaving cream.
But...WHAT IS IN THESE DYES? I am baffled. They are potent and posses a tremendous staining power.
How can the fabric dye industry get away with this? The description on the label only states a common name of the colour ; orange, red, sky blue....? There no list of chemicals, no ratings for light fasteness or toxicity, no health warnings....? The fine art industry seems to have a lot stricter guidelines.
What to do if you accidentally happen to drink or inhale some orange dye? Just wait and see if your face turns orange? Listen up, dye dudes: I want to know what makes your orange orange!
And I SHALL find out! My investication continues.
If any of you, my readers, have some solid info on this matter, please pass it on!
G & S Dyes in Toronto seems to offer a wide variety of fabric dyes and related supplies.
You can access their catalogue by visiting http://www.gsdye.com/.
OHS, Ontario Handweavers & Spinners has an informative site @ http://www.ohs.on.ca/
and they seem to be organizing plenty of fun happenings. The website for Nottawasaga Handweavers and Spinners is http://www.nottguild.ca/. Last year I took another fantastic workshop they organized at the Gibson Centre: NUNO FELTING ,- also a highly rewarding experience. That day is a story of it's own and will be featured on a future blog.
If you are a doer and a maker...or want to BECOME one, check it out!
Add some more PLAY to your life!
And COLOUR !

Thanks to Nathalia, OHS and the girls,
I enjoyed the fun and the company,
sure hope there will be more to come!

Callooh!
Callay!

Out OF MY WAY,

It's ORANGE , I SAY!

Yours,

as always,

Outi, (The Frame Dame)