I finally got up the nerve to dye my silk gauze . I played it safe and only used a few colors to give a simple backing for the colored roving . I used acid dyes and wasn't really sure what I was doing because I lost the directions . I assumed that it would be easy to find directions on-line but it seemed that some people used acid like vinegar and some used heat to set color . I figured I would cover my bases and do both . I soaked the fabric in a light water vinegar mix and twisted it to get a variegated look and then painted it with turquoise, olive and a blend of turquoise and peach to produce a light tan color . I was hoping for something earth looking that I could lay on my bright colored roving . After it was 90% covered, I smushed it together to bleed the colors into remaining wight sections to create lighter tones . The above picture shows that the color variations are very subtle . After all fabric was colored I wrapped it in paper and plastic and microwaved it for 18 min with 3 min resting time between 3 min microwave time . The fabric rinsed clear starting with warm water and moving to cold . The turquoise still bleeds a little so I may not have cooked it long enough and will try steaming it on oven for 45 min next time .
I did go for a very free form felting with this piece . I traditionally nuno felted it then threw it in the dryer and let it felt more and several areas felted to other wool areas . I like the effect, super textured and reminds me of an alien landscape but this is very risky as you can't control what felts to what but you can pull some areas free and reshape them after wards .
This is the back and below is another nuno felt that I really don't like . I tried to keep a more controlled pattern and it turned out very boring and not shaped well for a scarf . Not sure what I will end up doing with this but I never throw away anything, so perhaps will cut it up and use it for something besides a scarf . I have done two needle felts, some animal toys and three more pieces of wet felting that I will try and get pictures of tomorrow .
Happy felting and keep experimenting .
Wow.
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