Thursday, December 6, 2012

Silk dyeing for upcoming workshop

This is the later stages of my preparing for a workshop for my embroidery buds.  I'm leading them in a session of free form embroidery on silk.  I've taken habotai silk, handrolled squares, and hand dyed them with silk dyes, various techniques.  I did twenty, each an individual artwork, and probably there will be a couple of extras after enrollment is filled.  I showed a couple as a preview at the holiday party, and they went over well, so I hope this will be a good experience.  Click to see these better.



Many hours in the studio to do this!  after this I decide whether to use a fixative -- these pieces are for stitching and framing, not washing -- and I have to press all the pieces for best presentation. Then wave them about to release the static!  but great fun all the same.  And I have to wrap a bunch of hoops to protect the silk as the stitchers work on it.   And write the how to guide for seeing, deciding, choosing stitches, colors, areas to work in, and so on, for people most of whom don't have experience in the fine arts, but whose stitching skills are off the charts good.

Aside from the days I had to empty the studio in case the walls had to be cut into for the famous leak situation...but all is calm now.

This experience, of teaching a stitching group, is a real crossover for me, working in fine and applied art at the same time.  I already know the people, and they're very receptive, so it ought to work.

9 comments:

  1. I love that crossover, fine and applied arts! Lovely photos of lovely pieces. They're fortunate to have your workshop ahead of them. I suppose in truth I have your workshops ahead of me, too, as I've never had the pleasure... sigh... xo maj

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  2. lovely dyeing, it will be ahrd for your students to choose a piece as they are all so lovely. Have recently bought some acid dyes to dye some silk, I usually use silk paints and sponge it on but going to try something new sometime.

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  3. I like the pink and orange today but tomorrow it might be the cooler colors, polar opposites, thanks for sharing with SMWYG!

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  4. These are lovely - and it is great that they are all different.

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  5. Looking forward to seeing how your students finish the pieces.

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  6. I now have a mental picture of you 'de-static' waving your silken pieces, complete with exotic music and perhaps a handsome man offering you bon-bons.

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  7. When I showed a few samples to the embroiderers, someone commented that it looked like the dance of the seven veils!

    Alas, no handsome dude showed up in the studio...

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  8. I'm loving the colours on the silk. It will be interesting to see what everyone decides to do with them. I hope we will see a nice "show and tell" of the finished articles.

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  9. tous ces morceaux de soie ! toutes ces couleurs ! on a envie d'y plonger les mains. je sens presque le contact de la matière.

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Thank you so much for commenting! it means a lot to me to know you're out there and reading and enjoying.