My Final Major Project is almost at an end although there is still MUCH to do! I finished another length today and am very pleased with it as I used a tricky process. Having dyed some silk a beautiful shade of midnight blue using my own dye recipe from a range of direct dyes I started printing the geometric elements with a very dark navy. I then switched to discharge paste and selected some of the florals which would eventually become white. I wanted to stretch my printing skills so I opted to use basic dyes with discharge paste although these are very volatile dyes with unpredictable outcomes. After a LOT of colour testing with varying degrees of success I chose several colours from my colour story and selected the floral elements to create a colour "flow" around the design. I mixed a lime green, a turquoise and a bright firey orange. After an unbelievable amount of stencil cutting and screen washing the printing was finished last night. The length went into the steamer this morning and then during the washing out process the colours started to develop before my eyes. All the hard work and anxiety about the colour stability was worth it. I am delighted with the design! See the finished article at my Degree Show at Northbrook or at New Designers show in July.
