Here are the photos of the watermark fabric which was originally green and blue but now overdyed to create a more subtle cloth. I’m pleased with this cloth.. Being a silk it drapes beautifully.

I always have a bit of trouble with silk. After dyeing with Fibre Reactive dyes (Drimerene K) it looses its handle and becomes hard. I’ve tried boiling it in soapy water to get rid of any residue before dyeing but its not alot better. I then read that the stiff feel after weaving silk is normal and a few minutes in a warm dyer or lots of handling will soften it up. This worked and the silk fabric now has a soft, silky feel.

I’m now busily dyeing up my next three projects which will produce 15 scarves and stoles with various techniques. Two different types of woven shibori combined with pre-painted warps and a ridged warp-wise fabric. I’m also keen to use cross-dyeing and over-dyeing again as it produces such exquisite results.I’m using a bit of tencil again to see how it shapes up in the designs. In one of the warps I used a blue rayon yarn every 4th warp. This should bring another dimension to the dyeing and look of the textile.

Also check out Becky’s Vavstuga for mini video tutorials on weaving. They are very effective and informative way of presenting weaving techniques.

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