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Monday, March 25, 2024

Dyeing with Safflower

This winter I have been playing with a basic method from wildcraftdyeing at youtube. I use scoured yarn (mine is handspun) and  then mordant by simmering with alum for an hour. 

Find some safflower at your local halal market for a pittance. I don't have any weights to recommend (weight of goods or "WOG") . 



 Put the safflower in a net and simmer a large glass container that is in a water bath...



Then,  simmer your yarn at a low simmer for an hour, this is wool. 
 


I was expecring a darker color...maybe orangey. But I am into yellow this year...

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Sewing with Handwoven.

About two years ago, I bought a used Kromski Harp loom. I rather like it, it's the widest one that they make. Keeping the shed open in the higher position is tricky at times, but I LOVE the warping board that is built in. This one came with a stand.

I decided to weave with some peachy silk yarn that my friend Janet spun and gave me; it's one of my favorite colors and one of the pastels that look good on me.  I made yardage in an 8 inch width in a spontaneous weaving style.




I love making clothes, and I love coming up with my own colors and shapes that are wearable for me.

I decided to make a top, and purchased some coordinating peach linen from Fabrics-Store.com. (I am also an advocate for natural fibers, a separate discussion is needed on how natural is a textile that has been power manufactured and artificially dyed...topic for another day). 

I used a base pattern from Fabrics-Store.com also, and cut it up to place the handwoven in front and back.