Sunday, September 25, 2011

Dyeing Tutorial Step Eight Silk Carrier Rods

Dampen the silk carrier rods with water. Using a paint brush, brush each side of the silk rod with dye, allowing the two colors to flow into each other. Again, rayon dyes in Olivine, Antique Gold were mixed with the silk dye Cinnabar. I wanted to dyed specific colors to be used for embellishing the clay cuff.  Microwave for one minute, allow to cool. The rod is a by-product of reeling the silk off of the cocoon. The rods are not de-gummed, so after dyeing, they may be a bit sticky. The luster is brilliant. Pull these pieces apart and they have a "feather-like" quality. Once they have dried after being dyed, they will dry into a curled, wrinkled shape.

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