Sunday, July 26, 2015

Another Mandala Dyeing Day!

I found a stash of extra wide fabric (110 inches) that I found could make 5 mandalas across in the size I had been making (22 x 22 inches).  I decided I really liked the ones that I had only folded in fours basically.  This one used purple and a lot of a very old  black which ended up being greener rather than black!  I think all the reds had disappeared from the mix!

 The next two are also the four folded ones.  I used a lot of yellows and brown in this one and also the next one.




I used a thinner fabric for this one and can't figure out how it looked so different from all the others.  It was also a four fold (although it may have had an additional fold to make it an 8 sided one).

This and the next four are all hexagonal folds.  I tried turquoise again and even though I let them sit for a day and even nuked them at the end, I got very poor coverage.  I think the turquoise just goes through the fabric without bonding at all as the ice washes it out.  I used "drop" cloths under all these pieces which I laid out flat.  Without the these drop cloths, there would have been patterning from the grid.  I am contemplating adding a top cloth as well so that any solid specks of dye won't spot the mandalas (although this hasn't really been a big problem).








 This was one of the pieces of the sateen (that I wasn't sure about) that I used as a "drop" cloth.  I am very happy with it!  Looks like one of my sunsets.  This and the next piece are about 36 inches x 44 inches.  I scrunch up these drop cloths so they kind of look like a bumpy cushion under the carefully folded fabrics.


This was a random piece of cotton I found.  I am pretty sure it is some of the Egyptian cotton that I used to get a Joanns but which they no longer carry (and I have used up all that I had, sigh).


Tomorrow I will report on all the "found" projects in my sewing room.  I have been ironing, finishing, basting, and binding like crazy!!  I have reorganized all my fabric so it looks like books on my shelves and for some reason it makes it a lot easier to find pieces to use for backs and you can fit more on the shelves as well!  I am also donating a lot to various charitable groups.  There is still a lot I can't give up though!