Sunday, November 29, 2009


I took advantage of the warm, sunny weather and dyed some cheesecloth on Friday. I spread the pieces on bushes and had a colorful display as they dried (photo below).




I used some Dylon dyes from England and I didn't get the vibrant colors that I wanted. I have been reading Judith Montano's new book Fibreart Montage, and she recommends Colorhue dyes. These dyes are for silk, so they would not have been much use with the cheesecloth. However, I have some silk to dye so I went to Ginny Eckley's website and bought a set 10 bottles of Colorhue and 10 pipettes. Amazingly, they arrived Saturday, but I haven't used them because I have been spending time with my son and his girlfriend, who are visiting for Thanksgiving (photo above).

I know that to get the colors I want, I am probably going to have to learn to use procion dyes and all the chemicals that go with them. I am dragging my feet because it sounds like so much trouble and expense. Sherrill Lewis of the Bead Ranch says I can come to her place to dye lace and fabrics, using the procion dyes, with friends Martha Green and De Crow. I think I will do that before I invest in procion dyes of my own. Maybe it's not as hard as I think.

We have had a wonderful family Thanksgiving. Barry's girlfriend is just delightful and I was was so happy to meet her. The photo doesn't show that she is smart, beautiful, and generally adorable.