I'm Not Afraid of Dyeing... Scarves, that is!

Ta daaaa! New Spring Line! Literally.

So this week, I have gone a little nutty with the scarves.

I dont really know if it was a mistake after this week's dyeing fiesta, but I washed a bunch of scarves a long time ago that were cream with black trim, and the trim ran (better to find out early!). What was the result? Dishrags! I washed them a few times. Light coloured dishrags. I tried to tell myself they were ivory. They certainly weren't looking cream. I got them to a point where I thought they weren't so bad, but the truth is, of that particular bunch, I haven't sold one.

Doesn't this look like an octopus stew? Note to self. Don't glue the evil eyes on until you are happy with the colour. One side effect of re-dying these is that I now have to replace all the evil eyes.

It's worth it for the new colours, though!

So I decided to dye them, because as we dwindle out of the other colours, we still had a mountain of these black and "ivory" scarves. In the spirit of spring and the fact that we have a major show coming up at Make It! Vancouver, I decided wanted burnt orange. I like missions. Off I went on my burnt orange mission.

New Cherry Red.

I drove my scooter to the sewing store, run by two sweet little old ladies who like to chat. I told them what I was doing. They showed me to the small selection of dye. Hmmm. No burnt orange. I'd try tangerine with a hint or bordeaux, mix it up. While I was at it, I could re-dye those other scarves that have the purple trim I wasn't crazy about.

I went home, borrowed a large stewing pot off the neighbour (It was in her garage sale pile) and I started cooking scarves. I don't know if you've ever moved home and lived with your parents and started dying things on your mother's shmancy stove. I wouldn't recommend it. Thank you mom, for being a good sport. I didn't dye anything any colour it wasn't supposed to be. Promise.

Tangerine and bordeaux!

I rinsed them out with cold water and hung them on the line to dry. I couldn't really tell what colour they were, because I put them out there at night. In the morning, I woke up to spring colours on my mother's clothes line. Ooooh! Like Easter eggs!

The new olive green and a mix of the hot shades.

So then I scootered the fourteen km to the next town and went back to the little sewing store. The old ladies were pretty intrigued when I bought "Old Gold" "Cherry Red" and "Olive Green." I got home and had most the scarves cooked before Mom and Dad came back from eating Chinese food. Phew!

Printed!

This morning, I did so much ironing, I felt like someone's wife. Or someone's maid. Good thing no one was home because I just turned up the music and sang while I did it. The dog didn't seem to mind.

Scarf tentacles.

Anyway, I have twenty dishrags left. They were supposed to be burnt orange but I forgot them on the counter. But it's okay, because I have decided I need more blue. It's a bit chilly for scooting today so I'll leave that project till tomorrow though I am really impatient when I get something in my head.

Scooters. In honour of my trek to the Sewing Store!

I think the old ladies will have the just colour I need!

XXMelanie