Dyed threads with Inktense

I mentioned yesterday that I'd been playing about with my new set of Inktense paints. These are the skeins of white crochet cotton that I experimented with dyeing. I painted two skeins with a mix of yellow, red and orange, and a third with blues and green.

The results were mixed, but overall positive. As you can see, the colours aren't in-your-face vivid, but soft and rather pretty. I probably could achieve bolder colours with applying a second layer. How I'd dyed these was to use a water spray and mist the skeins first of all. Then I applied the Inktense and allowed the crochet cotton to dry out on top of the radiator. Then, as the Inktense needs a decent amount of heat for the dye to set, I carefully ironed the skeins. That worked with the orange-yellow skeins, but when I wrapped the blue-green skein around the plastic holder some dye did come off and stain my fingertips. Maybe I hadn't ironed that as much as I should've? Never-mind, it's good enough to use on my banner, the one I started on Wednesday at the Stitch Art workshop. Speaking of which ...

I'm making progress. I took this picture earlier on today, and since then I've used chain stitch to embroider 'Let Cities Grow' and am continuing to add more leaves and vegetation. I've been sewing while listening to podcasts, and I think I might start on 'The Archers' now as I've several episodes to catch up with. Yup, that's my idea of an enjoyable Friday evening. Stitching, relaxing, nibbling on a chocolate mini egg or two. Other people can go out clubbing till all hours. I'll stretch out on the sofa instead!

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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

HOW TO MAKE: these decorative birds

I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're ...

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