Ice Dyeing and felting, and some future judging!

Ice dyed rayon jacket

Soooo, I've slowly backed away from the sequins (all sorted, new ones added!) and delved into the freezer to do some ice dyeing!! My Etsy shop is now looking lively with some very colourful new additions, with more to follow.

Ice dyed silk scarves

Acid dyed silk/wool scarves

I left my camera charger cord in NZ, hence the delay, and hence the phone photos today. Although ice dyeing is somewhat uncontrollable and serendipitous, there is still a certain amount of skill in getting a good result, and it's taking quite a bit of practice. After some research, I did a couple of test scarves today, making sure I used colours which would split, and shifting from block ice to crushed, and doing some simple folding techniques for patterning. I also used silk instead of rayon, foolishly changing too many variables in one go! I am pleased with the results, and feel my understanding of the techniques is growing. The light scarf in the centre was an old habutai one, so doesn't have much of a sheen, but I don't know why it's so much lighter than the others. Groovy pattern, though! Disheartened during the week by some of my efforts, I did some good old acid dyeing on some silk/wool blend scarves, which pleased me greatly with the brightness, and lovely blending of pink, purple and orange!

Ice dyed rayon kaftan

Felted wrap with lace

This kaftan from my second batch of garments has some lovely soft colours and patterns - some of them have been turning out very 60's tie-dyed and bright, whereas I want some more gentle blends. Bless Youtube and bloggers who so willingly share so much information!
I also had a crack at some felting, as I try to get through some of my stash. (I seem to be in a mad spring cleaning fever - you should see the house this week!) It's not my favourite piece, but it's growing on me! I had some lace pieces that didn't felt in too well, so I have spent a lot of time hand stitching them in, which kind of defeats the purpose of the felting!

Simple layout

'Crunkle'!

Finally, I made a simple felted wrap today with a beautiful piece of turquoise dyed silk from my stash. I didn't want to detract from the lovely patterning of the silk, so just stuck to a basic curvy grid pattern to make sure it 'crunkled' up well.
It's hard to tell from these photos - not the best of conditions!

It's a wrap!

Caaaakes!!

It's hard to believe that a week ago was my birthday weekend - look at the gorgeous wee cakes my mumma made for me! It's also strange to think that this time next week, I'll be in Adelaide, having a little Svenja time by myself before my final appearance at the Craft & Quilt Fair. It's been a great year, I've really enjoyed the opportunity to travel around, show my work and explain it, meet people, and see new places in this fabulous country. Already one fabulous outcome is that I have been invited to be a judge at the Common Threads Wearable Art competition in Mandurah, WA. This is a great quality event which offers participants many benefits, and is going from strength to strength, becoming a strong presence on the textile art scene here in Australia, and extending internationally! I really enjoyed my visit to Perth, and look forward to returning. However, that's not until March 2016, next stop - Radelaide!!