On the work table

I’ve always enjoyed working with cotton velveteen. So this week, I started some experiments using katazome techniques.

crushed velveteen

Intending to make crushed velveteen from a smooth piece of cotton velveteen, I dipped a piece in left-over soybean milk sizing, squeezed it out, carefully crushing it, and then hung it on the line to dry. When the experiment is complete hopefully I can restore the velveteen to a soft hand while maintaining the crushed look.

Owl pasted on crushed velveteen

Then I pasted my owl stencil. The paste took well even though there are thick and thin places due to the surface texture.

ready to stretch

I soy sized another length of velveteen using the jizomebake per the usual procedure, but brushing soy sizing on both sides of the fabric, thinking that, because of the nap on the top side, it might help give the dyes a better lock on the fibers. I was surprised by the smooth feel of the velveteen after sizing – barely noticeable really, and this piece took the paste well too. I stitched the crushed velvet to the smooth piece so that I could stretch both pieces as one length on the shinshi.

And on the other side of my studio….

reclaimed linen from damask tablecloth

Above is a detail from a length of a reclaimed linen damask tablecloth, which will become two runners. The pattern in the cloth looks like dahlias or mums.

Meadow Rue stencil, newly re-lacquered/repaired

I pasted my  Meadow Rue leaf pattern onto the damask, arranging it so I can cut two runners from the one length.

Pasted Meadow Rue leaf pattern