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Poppy Scarf

10/13/2022

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Remember those halcyon pre-pandemic days, when a person could frivolously waste rubbing alcohol instead of using it to sanitize things?  Remember my scarf-dyeing and doodling project?  Well, it's time to get inspired by blank silk canvasses again! 

This project was done in three steps: draw, soak, and detail.  First I drew the flowers on a fold, then I soaked the whole scarf in alcohol to make the ink run and transfer from fold to fold (it didn't work very well), then I detailed the fuzzy outlines to make the whole, symmetrical picture. 
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More Silk Scarves

3/18/2020

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NOTE: This project involves non-medical use of isopropyl alcohol.  I did this in February, before the spread of Covid 19.  Now I have time to blog about it, but now I am also saving my alcohol for potentially vital uses!  May people be sensible and God be merciful--may we soon see a decline in Coronavirus cases worldwide!  Only then will I indulge in further play with alcohol as a solvent. 
After having so much fun dyeing and doodling on my silk habutai scarf (September of last year), I decided to make a bunch more, and see if they're salable. I had money in my business account from the custom sewing and alterations I did the last few years, so why not use it for prototypes?  I ordered  the following scarves from Dharma Trading Company:
          12 Silk Satin, 12 mm, 17"x17"
          12 Silk Charmeuse, 19.5 mm, 22"x22"
          12 Crepe de Chine, 12 mm, 25"x25"
          12 Flat Crepe, 8 mm, 22"x22"

How did I decide which ones to order?  I went for the ones that were discounted.  I figured why shell out when I don't yet know what I like?  I also got a quart of Synthrapol, a detergent that gets excess ink out of scarves after dyeing.  My total for this order was $271.12. 

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Dyeing a Silk Scarf

9/15/2019

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My kitchen smells... interesting... right now!  The pot on the stove has tea, turmeric, and vinegar in it!  But I should back up and explain how I got here. 

I bought a white habutai silk scarf at the Goodwill thrift store for a few bucks.  It's 34" x 35", with a hand-rolled hem.  Because it's clearly made for dyeing, I decide to dye it and see how I like dyeing.  I use two methods of dyeing: tea-dyeing, and Sharpie-marker/alcohol dyeing. 
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    Karen Roy

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