MADELEINE'S HEP HERD

microwave dyed chiffon scarves Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . Well the last bunch of posts have been a bit of a catch up but what of the future? This picture shows my latest dabblings in scarf making. Silk chiffon dyed in colours and patterns inspired by tropical reef dwellers. I've also done a batch in silk pongee but the chiffon works better. The dyeing is done on one or two scarves at a time, in a small bowl with little or no waste to pour away.  The base colour is applied all over and fixed. The damp scarf is folded in to a small bundle or tied in a knot. Contrasting spots are applied with a dropper. During the second microwaving the dyes interact and some chromatography take place as the colour spreads along the fibres.  The resulting variations are a controlled chaos of fierce blends of colour. To see them "in the flesh", come along to Open Studios at Coburg House over the first weekend in August. As well as these scarves I'll be showing a new c

The house wine Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . June was mostly occupied by moving Mike's shop, Transreal Fiction up a hill! To celebrate we got some special wine but not until it was all installed in the new premises and open for business!

stitch lounge inspace 058 Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . In May I took part in Edinburgh's first pop-up Stitch Lounge - a drop-in sewing workshop for all ages and skills. There are some great photos  in this Flickr set and the main page is The Stitch Lounge on facebook . I took along a felt jacket I'd started in 2005 or thereabouts and finally finished it. Also made some good contacts and had a lot of fun (which was the main thing). I'm really looking forward to the next one in September. Sign up for the next Stitch Lounge via this facebook event page .