Friday, August 16, 2013

Ice Dyeing Through 16 Layers -Shicebori Maybe?


 I pushed the envelope with this group with some more successful than others.  My challenge was to see how many layers of fabric the dye would flow through and give some semblance of the same pattern.  I did two different foldings of fabric to test this.  Fold 1 was folding one yard in quarters accordion style across the width of the fabric and then in quarters again across the lengths, again accordion style not just folds.  Fold 2 was folding in eighths across the width again accordion style and then just folding it in half across the length.  Both give you 16 layers.  I used pfd print cloth for all but one which was Egyptian cotton.  I figured the weave of the fabric (the Egyptian cotton is higher thread count) would affect it which it didn't seem to do. 

This was probably my favorite of the bunch.  I utilized Black 604, Intense Blue and a little Blue/Violet.  This was a Fold 1 variation.  I tried to put the black along the edges which doesn't show up as much on this one as some others.
This had a lot of black in it and is nicer looking in person  It looks to me like 8 is about the maximum thicknesses where you get the same patterns.  If I cut this at the half yard mark, I would have two different looking pieces.  Of course, they will make awesome fat quarters!!


Another black, blue and purple that seemed to photograph better.

This was my favorite as it looked like there were circles and a center point.  You can see most clearly here the folds that resulted in 16 thicknesses.  Again, I put the black around the edge.  I didn't scrunch these very much if any either.

Another one that didn't photo well -- a lot of black but quite nice in person.

This was one of the ones that was folded in eighths and then in half (Fold 2).  Again, looks like I could cut down the middle and  have two different patterns.

Another of the folds across but instead of folding in half, I just sxcrunched it up tighter.  I like parts of this one more than other parts.  I have found that I like to restrict my colors rather than using the whole rainbow on one piece which I did with a couple here.

This was a Fold 2 example.  I liked the top half but too many colors as I think I  used them all but tried not to put complementary colors next to each other.  I might not have used quite enough dye as well for these colors that didn't go through the 16 layers as effectively.  

If I decide to get some more ice next week, I may try some with just 8 layers to see how that goes.  This is terribly addictive!!  I may have to give this a new name as new ideas keep coming!!  So "shicebori" it is for now.....

7 comments:

shilsenbeck said...

Pictures are gorgeous -- are you keeping these for yourself or selling?

Maybe Shibor-ice? Trips off the tongue.

Nienke said...

Wow! How specia ,love them all!

Jody said...

Gorgeous results!

Dianne Koppisch Hricko said...

These look great! Are you using dry powder on the ice or dye concentrate. If liquid dye is it 5%? Soda soaked ? Folded wet or dry. So many questions but your results are gorgeous. 😊

Beth Brandkamp said...

They are soda soaked and wet. I tried dry and the ice really acted as a resist when I did this. I am using dye powder as well. I have tried a 10% solution and that worked pretty well. 5% would give you pretty light colors. I now use a cloth underneath all the pieces that I am dyeing so that I get no marks from the grid they are sitting on. Those "drop" cloths have turned out beautifully. Even used one of my all cotton nightgowns as a drop cloth and it is now very brightly colored!!

carylhanc said...

Wow! Those are gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing! I do a fair amount of ice dyeing (and have my own "dedicated" margarita machine to grind the ice - you should have seen our accountant roll his eyes with that expense!). I never thought of doing shibori folding, and am amazed at the depth of color through so many layers. I use old photo processing trays, and the soft polyester screening, cut in sizes about 4 " larger all around than the tray; I use bulldog clips to anchor the screening across the tray - it is about as taut as I can get it. That way, I can do 2 layers, one sitting in the bottom of the tray, and the main one on the screen. Sometimes, I even do different color way (but harmonious), so when the top layer drips down, I don't get mud in the layers. And Scrooge that I am, I often save the runoff in the tray that has the soda ash in it, and use it again for acid dyeing on silk - works pretty well! Oh, and I made little dye powder "shakers" from plastic film canisters, and melted holes in the tops; I also put a few grains of dried rice in each canister to help keep the powders from clumping.

Karen said...

The rice is a wonderful idea. I use spice shackers but am going to add rice to them. Thanks for sharing.