carlyn-clark-shibori-dyed-tissue-box-cover

Arashi Shibori Dyed Tissue Box Cover

February 26, 2018

I've been away from my blog for months now as I set up my new workroom. My dye shack is still to come, so in the meantime, I've been trying to use up all my scraps and bits. I found this wooden tissue box cover and had a scrap of arashi (aka pole wrapped) shibori cotton so I used some Modge Podge and attached the fabric to the box. I've made a commitment to work through my art supplies and fabrics before I buy anything new. This got rid of three things, the box, the fabric, and some clumpy old Midge Podge. And it looks pretty great on my countertop on top of my navy blue cabinets.

If you're looking to try this yourself, Amazon has unfinished wooden tissue box covers. I gave this one a coat of gesso so the wood wouldn't bleed through. White primer would work just as well, but I had the gesso handy so I used it. I gave it a light sanding after the gesso and sanded between coats of Modge Podge. I did 4 coats of Gloss Mod Podge and a final coat of Matte ModPodge. I find that more than one coat of Matte Modge Podge looks milky and obscures the shibori

Handwoven cotton by Ginny Mateen dipped in the indigo vat by Carlyn Clark

Indigo Dye Services Available

April 25, 2017

One of my fellow teachers at Quilt 'n Things, Ginny Mateen, had tried weaving a few pieces in the style of Catharine Ellis's Woven Shibori. She hadn't had access to an indigo vat and I was happy to toss her work in with mine. She used Perle Cotton, which took the color very nicely. After dyeing I let them oxidize completely while they were still drawn up, then did an acid wash (to balance the ph after the iron vat) and let them dry, still drawn up. After they were completely dry I pulled out the binding threads and found that the puckers and pleats added an interesting texture. I pressed the square on the lower left, but left the others for Ginny to decide how she wanted to finish them.

Do you have something you wish was indigo, but don't have access to a vat? Let me know, I'd be happy to provide a quote to dye your project. There are many possibilities. Let's talk!