Been in a rotten mood lately--not sure if it was due to the weather, a boring job that drains the life out of me, or what...I have been sewing, making, dyeing and all that, just haven't bothered to post anything here.
Saturday and Sunday I spent batiking, these are some of the fabric pieces I ended up with:
I use beeswax and parafin, melted together in my electric frying pan, and the high-tech stretching method of push pins on a cardboard box. Egg cartons are some of my favorites to use for patterns, I save them, and always look on the bottom of the carton to see if there is a different design that I haven't used yet.
This pattern is from the egg carton shown above.
I also used a pool noodle, which melted a bit by the time I was done. Luckily I can get them at the Dollar Store and cut off a couple of inches as I need them. Cookie cutters also work great--but the heat from the wax transfers quickly on the metal cutters, so pliers are definitely needed to hold them.
After waxing, I put the pieces on some plastic, and pour on some dyes mixed with soda ash. Then they get covered and stay in the sun for about 2-3 hours.
The pieces then have to be boiled to remove the wax, and sometimes I over-dye to get a secondary color.
The blue/green piece above was made with a pool noodle, the middle piece with the flowers was with a cookie cutter, and on the orange piece the polka dots were made with a carrot.
It was a great weekend!
I hope you get some energy and excitment back in your life!
ReplyDeleteI really like the circle pattern...how creative!
ReplyDeleteLove your new fabric. I've never tried to batik my own, but your beautiful results are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteDo you find the beeswax and paraffin wash out fairly easily? I've only used soy wax and thought it very difficult. However, I also used lumiere paints at the same time and it could have been that the two didn't mix well.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! I love what you have done here :)
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