Books--I Need More Books!

I started a book called Poison Pen because it claimed to be a "Forensic Handwriting Mystery." I only made it to p. 82 because the author, who claims to be a forensic handwriting expert, has junk science instead of REAL science. She says a handwriting expert, who she calls a "graphologist," can tell someone's personality from their handwriting. No scientific basis for this--it's Junk science! What a real expert can tell is if 2 samples are written by the same person; s/he can see hesitation marks; tracery; and compare samples to authenticate authorship. I really couldn't finish the book because it offended me so much. Having taught forensic science for 2 years & actually spent time talking to handwriting experts who do their work in labs & get paid for it, I know the author's claims simply aren't true. I'm sure the publishers jumped on this book to capitalize on the "CSI Effect" which means the eagerness of the public to have forensic evidence solve murder cases. This author has also written another book about the same character. Please avoid this series, as it paints a false picture of handwriting analysis experts.

More Mania

I just finished posting my 1st item on Etsy, and it was exhausting! I had to figure out how to resize the photos, come up with a shipping fee, and let's not forget changing my Paypal from buyer only to seller, too. I hope it gets easier from this point. I put up the scarf I pictured in the previous post; my only shibori one so far. Whew! I hope it's all worth the effort. More will be put on Etsy in the coming days.

Here's the link to my store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Chromaqueen

Manic Monday

Shibori Scarf

I tie-dyed 4 scarves today, plus I did another with the shibori technique. They all turned out really pretty, and I will order more on payday! The vinegar/microwave method is so quick; the longest part of it is the 15-20 minutes the scarves have to soak in vinegar. I fold them, pleat or swirl them, tie & apply the dyes, then microwave for 2 minutes. Then I rinse them out, let them dry & they're done! I do wait until I have several & wash them in the washer in hot water to set the dyes. I have a new product to wash them in, called Milsoft, from Dharma Trading Co. I haven't tried it yet, but it's supposed to make the washed items extremely soft after they're dried. Because I heat them in the microwave very little dye washes out when I rinse them. Surprisingly, yellow is the color I see most when I rinse the scarves. Dark colors stay mostly in the material, which is the opposite of what you'd expect. The red/blue scarf was dyed using the shibori technique. I like the wavy, ripple-like patterns left behind on the silk. This is my new obsession. I love color!

Sunday Art

I woke energized & got to work on dyeing scarves. I soaked 4 scarves in vinegar, then got busy dyeing them. I made a rainbow scarf, 2 with lots of green in them, and one black/fuschia scarf. I also did shibori for 1, plus a baby shirt & 2 onesies. I'll run out of scarves at this rate! I only ordered 1 dozen, so I've dyed more than half of them now. I do want more dyes, so after pay-day I'll order some dyes & maybe more scarves. I simply have to sell some of what I've been dyeing so I can continue to feed my addiction to color!

Chromaqueen Introduction

I'm new to this site, although not entirely new to blogging. My daughters got me interested in this site, and I'm finally getting started. Here goes with my first blog to the site!

I enjoy the art of tie-dyeing different fabrics, as well as marbling & shibori, a Japanese method of dyeing material. I started out with cotton items such as T-shirts, then moved to bib aprons, tote bags, infant onesies, socks, & jackets. Tonight I added 100% silk scarves. I work with a good friend, and we play with dyes, fabrics, & techniques. We also give workshops on our methods of dyeing fabrics. We sell our items at science conferences, and my daughters convinced me it's time to branch out to the internet.

My fingers are frequently various colors, and tonight they're fuschia, purple, & turquoise. I have gloves, but I usually forget them. I did manage to keep my t-shirt & pants dye-free tonight, which is rare. I used the shibori technique on 2 onesies, then microwave-dyed 2 silk scarves. I won't be able to tell how the shibori items look for 24 hours, but the scarves are instant-gratification, and look great! When they're washed & dried I'll share pictures of them. One is a mixture of my 2 favorite colors-pink & purple, done in a slanted stripe pattern. The fuschia & turquoise scarf is in the swirl pattern.

I buy my dyes & supplies from Dharma Trading Company and from Pro Chemical & Dye. I use different sizes of squeeze bottle, rubber bands, foam brushes, pipettes, shaving cream, and thickeners. My knowledge of chemistry comes in handy sometimes in my art, so I combine 2 interests in my products. I'll never get rich money-wise from this, but I enjoy it & it liberates my artistic side.