de-nubby-ing and de-gnarly-ing completed....check

when steph and i decided to start creating shibori/tie dye scarves last year we were so excited....we had no idea of just how much work there was, especially on a large scale.

i have to say though, that even though there is a ton of work, it is all worth it when you see how different methods of resist and color combinations work out and become beautiful creations...and every once in awhile....ewwww bad.

once our fabric is cut to size it must be washed to remove any of the sizing or chemicals so that the dye will take.  we then either dye the piece a base color and then begin to band, tie, stitch, or use resist to create a design, or just dive right in to banding and stitching.  this year we have been trying new things and finding out what is a no-no and what is a go.  

the piece may be dyed and then over dyed 2 or 3 times.  next it is set out on a table outdoors to spend a day , or two drying in the sun while it is still banded and stitched.  then the rinsing process begins.  we rinse each piece while still banded and stitched until the water runs clear.  depending on the color and the amount of time we let a piece soak it can take up to 30 minutes or more for the water to run clear.  by doing this it helps keep the piece from looking muddy. 

now let the un-banding and un-stitching begin......this takes longer than the banding and stitching  since you need to make sure you do not snip the fabric.   this can take an hour on average for each piece. 

another rinsing to remove any extra dye trapped in the layers of fabric while it was still banded and stitched. 

next the piece is washed in a solution to help set the dye, then it is washed in laundry soap and oxy clean and dried.

now we are at the de-nubby-ing and de-gnarly-ing.  all of that soaking, rinsing, and washing causes some of the threads to become a little unruly since we leave our edges unfinished.

this is just a tiny bit of the trimmed threads.   i could so easily be a hoarder.  the threads are so pretty it is hard to throw them away, but since i have no idea what i would do with them....in the trash they go.   i so do not want to turn into the lady whose dead cat was found squished under a pile-o-crap.   and yes, i probably will find some really cool neato thing to do with threads such as these next week...but i have saved a cats life by not keeping the threads,  this time!


next, i removed the one selvage edge of the fabric....this treasure i kept as it is now a bunch of pretty ribbon that can be used in a multitude of projects. 

we love a bit of wrinkle and crinkle to our scarves, so just the most wrinkly-est and crinkly-est of the edges get a bit of ironing.  good thing i don't need to iron all 10 feet of each scarf, as i am allergic to ironing. 

the ironing will be saved until the night before i do the photo shoot, and since it is suppose to rain through saturday, possible sunday i will be banding and stitching about another 15 - 20 scarves for a second batch, and good thing that i get to sit down to do most of the banding and stitching as the change in weather and my ear infection are causing the beast to behave most badly. 

i do have to say, though, that the new found coolness in the temperatures we have experienced this week is so wonderful.  i love having air conditioning, but it begins to make me feel like i am caged in after awhile, so having the windows open and feeling the breeze and hearing all of the sounds has been heaven....and now, at this moment hearing the patter of rain and smelling the cool, wet, earth is soooo wonderful. 

i think that is about all for now.  i hope you enjoy your day, and weekend.  mwah!

and tomorrow is another day....

what was planned for today will have to wait until tomorrow......

we have 1 sick hubby, 25 or so years ago had his stomach stapled and every once in awhile he eats something the tummy does not like.

child number 2 has either allergies or a cold, and being of the male variety is feigning death....thank goodness that child will never have to experience childbirth....sheesh. 

the beast, and if you are new to either this 'new' blog or my old, is the Meneire's disease induced vertigo and benign positional vertigo, has been kicking this girls butt big time today. 

this morning the hubby and boys took a 4 hour trip to meet someone to deliver a hatch from our old, tired, pos suburban.  on the way back they stopped at a garage sale.  we have not been able to garage/estate/flea market sale for quite sometime, and i look forward to the day that we can again.  the people were having to sell what appeared to be the majority of their belongings, which breaks my heart.

  the hubby walked in the door with a box full of silverware.  he knew i was wanting to do some arty stuff with the silverware.  some of these pieces are too too beautiful to do anything with, and i have some more research to do on these pieces.....oh..oh..oh....are they beautiful.....eeeeeeee!

ohhhh....i forgot to take photos....hold on be right back, or brb as the daughter says.

okey dokey....wahlaaaa....pictures.

i have been looking for these boxes, the brass and glass ones.  use to be you could find them at any dime store type store, dollar store.  i went looking for them a few months back and could not find a one.  this one has etching on the top, but i will find a way to fix that....somehow.

little old medicine bottles....one can never have enough of them.

old crusty boxes....squeeeeee.....neato.  and one of them is marked with my age....at least the age on my birth certificate.  i sure don't feel anywhere near that number...maybe half that. 

a couple of old brooches i can use in my jewelry making, and this adorable box of teaspoons...and tucked inside.....

this sweet little note......

and now the box of treasure......

just look at the patterns on some of these pieces!!!   i have more research to do to determine the actual age, the back is stamped Rogers 1847.  some pieces list the individual brothers names as well. 

some of these will be used in with art, some of them. 


so, that is all i've got for now.....oh...except for this......

 i worked on this one above....and below..... to introduce our scarves.  not sure if we will use one, or all of them or any of them.  since i was stuck in bed most of the day i played a bit.  the vertigo makes it hard to concentrated and focus....but i hate doing nothing. 

this is one steph did.  steph is more of a plain and simple, classic kinda girl.  she must get that from her grandmother.  i love both of our styles.  lots.  that is what makes it so hard. 

you would, however, think that we would have learned not to work on any collaborative project when we both have some monster pms.  eeeek.  we both are a wee bit over sensitive, and a teeny bit on edge. 

ok, so that is all i have for now.   i am off to schmere poison plant and critter cream on the hubby's face, which is starting to look like something out of a horror film,  and see if my quarter coffee has cooled off enough to drink. 

lots of love to ya....mwah.