via www.flickr.com

I doubled the chemicals in the indigo vat: the same again of powdered pre-reduced indigo, soda ash (instead of lye) and thiourea dioxide (which really stinks). It seems to have cheered it right up. I cut up a bunch of new pieces of white and neutral fabric in many many textures and weights.

This piece is a standard shibori resist on plain cotton. I pulled the fabric tight over a penny, and rubber-banded it. The circle of the penny is barely visible, and but the rubber-band resisted the dye and kept the white line white.

A front seems to have gone through, and the weather is a little dryer. Easier to sleep, I hope!

via www.flickr.com

Indigo on silk – I love how silk glows! It has a sheen unmatched by anything else I've used.

I was experimenting with crossing lines of stitching. I also wanted to keep the intricacies of the resist dyed fabric visible.

via www.flickr.com

strips of indigo fabric, ripped, stitched in a woven pattern

via www.flickr.com

via www.flickr.com

For no reason I can discern, the indigo vat is working better today. I don't know if it is threatening to modify it or ignoring it because of the heat, or even the heat? But things dipped today are definitely a much deeper color, which is making me happy.

I experimented with a sashiko pattern but it is kind of lumpy. I should draw it out better, and possibly also look up some others.

So, tomorrow, before I try new fabric in the indigo vat I shall threaten to ignore it for longer…

via www.flickr.com

White thread on indigo makes me think of sashiko (not sashimi!) the Japanese mending and reinforcing stitch that has become an artform all its own. It is done by hand rather than machine, although I saw a dedicated machine last week that only emulates it.

I'm waiting on more indigo so I can rebalance the vat and get darker colors. In the meantime, I'm putting some different resists to see what among the easily available things in the house works.

via www.flickr.com

Walked w/Kate, sushi for lunch, HOTHOTHOT and hazy and dreadful, I am cowering in the air conditioning wishing I could make my room cooler. It will get better soon.

I tried to get more indigo at the art store but they were out and dubious about their ability to get more soon. So I ordered some stuff from Dharma Trading and it will be here on Tuesday because they really rock.

via www.flickr.com

indigo on silk really glows

migrainey and moderately miserable

via www.flickr.com

If there are two full moons in August, and this is the first, what color moon is it?

The indigo vat remains smelly and amusing.

via www.flickr.com

I started the indigo vat this afternoon. It is a lumpy, smelly chemical process even with a kit full of pre-measured and ready-mixed chemicals. I'm not entirely sure I'm doing it correctly, but some things have come out blue, so that is a good start.

This heart was unplanned serendipity, so I started here.