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!