Hippiewear

More scrunch dyeing

2011-12-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

I recently scrunch dyed a piece of muslin with the intention of overdyeing with black in a swirl... something I have been doing on shirts a lot lately. However, after doing the first dyebath with the colors, I decided to stop there and use the fabric for a whole cloth wall hanging. Here is the fabric before I began to highlight with stitching:

When I hung the fabric on my design wall, it looked like a Solar Eruption to me, so that's what I named it. Stitching has begun to highlight the design, and I will probably add some other embellishments such as beading before I'm done. Just wanted to share an example of what you can get from a simple scrunch!

Lightning Bolt tutorial

2011-07-26T05:43:00.001-07:00

I updated the tie-dye wiki yesterday with photos and a description of how to fold a double lightning bolt. Click here to see the tutorial.

New video

2011-07-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi, fellow dyers! At long last, I have a new video! It's a demo on scrunch dyeing, with a bonus segment on freeze dyeing, with a comparison of the two shirts dyed. You can view it on youtube, and there will be a link on the sidebar in a few moments. It's not my best work, but I hope it encourages you to try the techniques I am demonstrating... I have had good results from both versions. Happy dyeing!

Quick update

2011-06-24T05:36:00.001-07:00

Wow! How time flies when you're havin' fun... dyeing! I have been very busy this year doing lots of dyeing, and hope to have time in July to do those promised demos... one more show, then I get a rest until late August when I teach a dyeing class and participate in our community's annual Open Studios tour. Meanwhile, I have been experimenting in some loose accordion fold dyeing. Here are a couple of examples:

I really like the results I'm getting with this technique, and it's so easy! The garments above are both rayon, and they take the dye differently than cotton jersey does. I haven't tried this on cotton yet... maybe next month! Stay tuned, and happy dyeing!

Upcoming videos

2010-12-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

I'll bet you thought I fell into a vat of dye, never to be heard from again, right? I can't believe I haven't posted anything here since August! Not for lack of desire, just no time! But I did want to let you know I plan on at least 2 more demo videos soon, first will be scrunch dyeing with a variation where I freeze the shirt before dyeing;

second is a pattern I like a lot... a combination of a diagonal stripe and medallions tied with sinew.

Anyway, my plan is to try and get these done in the next month or so, weather permitting. And I say that because my experience is the dyes do better when the temps are warm, but if needbe, I'll do them in the laundry room instead of the garage.

Then what? Well, I have a full project board with lots of things I want to do, but what seems to be floating to the top right now is batik. I have dabbled in this area over the past few years:

Mostly, I've done autumn leaves, but now I want to branch out with stamped designs, as well as some more traditional batik designs on shirts. I'm busy gathering up the tools I will need, and ruminating over what to do first, next, etc... my brain just won't shut up! So I hope to have lots more to share with you in 2011! Hope you're trying some of the demos I have already done, and if you think of patterns you want to learn, let me know. If I already know how to do them, I'll try to set up a demo. If not, I'm always on the lookout to learn new patterns myself, so we can learn together!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great holiday!

The "Other" Rainbow Swirl shirt

2010-08-20T11:40:00.001-07:00

If you have watched my video demo on the Rainbow Swirl pattern, you might have wondered what I did with the shirt I started dyeing without first pre-soaking in Soda Ash solution... well, here it is:

I left it bound and let the yellow dye dry out; next I soda soaked it, squeezed out the excess soda ash solution and let it sit for a couple of days, then applied the dyes and batched as shown in the video. Just goes to show, goofs can be overcome!

Rainbow Swirl Demo

2010-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

I just added the demo for the Rainbow Swirl pattern on the right sidebar. Here is the shirt I dyed in the demo:

Hope you enjoy the video!

Rope Wrap Shibori Demo

2010-08-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

By popular demand, I have just uploaded a video demo on how to dye a shirt using the Rope Wrap Shibori technique! I hope you will find this useful, and hope you give it a try! You can find the demo on the right sidebar. And here are pictures of the shirt I dyed in the demo, so you can see the results:

New Tie-dye poll

2010-07-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, all. I just added a new poll to see what other patterns you might like to see demonstrated. The poll will be open until August 8th, so let me know!

Novas demo video

2010-07-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

At last! I finally got time to create a demo on how to do what I call the 'Novas' pattern, or concentric circles!

I will post pix later of the 2 shirts I dyed in the demo so you can see the actual results. One correction I need to make on my description of how I do a shirt with two dye baths: I indicated that I would rinse out the shirt after the first dye bath, but what I meant to say is I rinse and wash after removing the rubber bands, then I proceed with banding novas in different areas and then apply the second dye bath. That's what happens when you work without a script! At any rate, I hope you enjoy the show!

Update: Here are the pix of the shirts I dyed in the video earlier today:

This is the first one I dyed, with yellow, fuchsia and turquoise. I used a little more yellow than I would have liked, so most of the shirt is green, but if you look at the nova on the top left side of the photo, you will see where the blue and fuchsia blended, and there is some fuchsia overdyeing the yellow on the nova in the middle to the right of the photo.

This is the overdyed shirt that you saw when it was turquoise with white novas. Now the white novas are faint mauve tones and the novas I created today stayed turquoise when I overdyed with lapis.

Here is another multiple dyed sample I did a few years back which better demonstrates the layered technique:

You can see both rust colored and green novas on this piece... that's what I aim for when I do the multiple dye bath version.

Rope Wrap Shibori

2010-07-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

Last year, I did a lot of experimenting with 'pole wrap shibori', with mixed results. I finally tried it on a 5 gallon bucket, and was able to get good results, but it's a lot of work and uses a lot of sinew. And it never really gave me the design I was hoping for, which is a 'water' design. Well, recently I bought a dyers book, 'Fabric Dyer's Dictionary' by Linda Johansen, which mostly focuses on dye recipes, but in the back she has instructions on how to create several patterns, including 'Rolling on a Rope'... guess what? It creates water textures! Here is a shirt I did using this technique:

I used a four foot section of 3/4" nylon rope to roll the shirt around, then loosely rubber banded the ends and middle, and scrunched the shirt together. Then I poured over the dyes, let it sit for an hour, added soda ash solution and batched for another hour, then rinsed/laundered. I will be using this technique a lot more, and may need to get some more rope! Fun and very simple!

Update: I am adding a photo of a coverup currently batching that I rolled and dyed the same as the shirt above. Hopefully, this will help you to visualize the process a little better. See comments below.

Process Pledge

2010-07-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

I just took the "Process Pledge" (see sidebar), which means I plan to do a better job of posting about how I create some of the tie-dye designs I have posted photos of in the past. I created my first demo video awhile back, showing how to create the "Bamboo" pattern, and promise to get back to creating more demos soon. As I mentioned in my first video, the reason I want to do this is when I started to tie-dye, the only instruction I could find was in books with black and white photos... hard to translate into color! And seeing someone actually tie and dye is much easier for someone like me who is very visual in how I process data, so I'm hoping to get back to the list of patterns soon and crank out some more instruction! Hold me to it, and let me know if you have a design you want to learn. Next up is "Novas", then I'm open to suggestion!

Bamboo Pattern Video is here!

2010-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Well... it's not Hollywood, by any stretch of the imagination! I did it on the fly, and I'm the writer/director/cameraman/demonstrator... Bottom line, I'm hoping you can get the gist of how I tie and dye the pattern, and please let me know what you think if you have the time to watch it! I will post a link here and on the sidebar.

Enjoy!

Video progress report

2010-05-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hah! I just finished filming the first segment of my instructional video on the bamboo pattern! And I should have the rest done and uploaded to the blog by the end of this week! Of course, it's very home-movie... the first segment is filmed in my kitchen, where I do my tying or scrunching, and the dye segment will be in my laundry room where I do all my dyeing, so what better place?
I hope you enjoy it, and of course if you try the pattern, I would love to hear feedback on how the instructions work for you! Stay tuned...

Tie-dye Poll

2010-03-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

I just added a Poll on the right column... if you could see a tie-dye pattern demonstrated via video, which would you rather see? The choices are:

Rainbow Swirl,

Scrunch,

Bamboo,

Diagonal Stripe with Medallions,

Novas,

or Other.

If you choose Other, drop me a comment and let me know the pattern you would like to see demonstrated... if I know how to do it, I will add it to the list. I'm planning to start creating videos soon, and would like to do the most requested patterns first. The poll will be up until the end of the day Wednesday, March 31. I will post the results April 1st. I will demonstrate the way to create the pattern, and also how I apply the dyes.

Bamboo, at Last!

2010-03-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to learn how to make the 'Bamboo' pattern I saw in a photo a few months ago... I've posted pix of my previous attempts. But I was never satisfied with how the design came out. Today I had a breakthrough, and I have Glennis Dolce to thank for it! I'm taking an on-line class from her on Shibori techniques, and even though we are working in silk, using Colorhue dyes which are designed to use on silk, and the technique she was demonstrating is 'makiage', which is a stitched/wrapped shape such as a circle or square, I could see what I was doing wrong on the Bamboo pattern. Today I dyed a shirt using the new version of the way I applied the dye, and voila! I think I got it!

Just goes to show, if at first you don't succeed, just keep on dyein'! ☺

Spotlight on Constance Rose

2010-02-27T05:12:00.000-08:00

I know I said I was going to convert this blog to strictly tie-dye information, but I have a 'blog' friend who is incredibly talented, and she has a blog where she is offering hand-dyed fabrics, art quilts, beaded jewelry, woven scarves, etc. It is well worth a visit to see her work, and maybe part with a little money to own some of her gorgeous creations! Click here to visit her blog. I'm also going to add her to my side bar for future reference.

Another new site

2010-02-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

I am posting another link to a very talented shibori artist, Glennis Dolce. If you are interested in learning techniques for tying, dyeing, etc., do check her out at http://shiborigirl.wordpress.com/. Her blog is full of great information, videos, and she also teaches at joggles.com! Score!

New link for shibori information

2010-02-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

I just added a link to 'Entwinements', Karren Brito's blog, on my sidebar under 'tie-dye How to Information'. Karen specializes in Shibori dyeing, and has a book out on the subject, "Shibori: Creating Color and Texture on Silk". I posted this because of the great information she has on her blog regarding how to tie, stitch, fold, etc... in addition to dyeing methods. Since tie-dye is an offshoot of shibori, the information can be helpful to anyone interested in learning the various resist methods.

More Bamboo pattern

2010-02-03T16:03:00.000-08:00

I dyed another shirt using the 'Bamboo' pattern, and I think I'm getting closer to what I want. This shirt is a lot thinner than the tank I tried originally:

I have some more 'batching' that I dyed today, and I have made some alterations to the way I wrapped the sinew. In addition, I used direct application to dye this shirt, presoaking in soda ash solution. The original attempt was done using low water immersion dyeing, and then applying the soda ash solution after. I think this is a case where direct application gives a better result, due to the tightly wrapped garment. Pre-soaking allows the solution to be absorbed better, which allows the dye to bond to the fabric more completely. More to come...

"Bamboo" pattern

2010-01-15T16:00:00.001-08:00

I just tried a new (for me) pattern today, and thought I would share it with you:

I dampened a women's tank top and vertically accordion folded it. Then I bound it with sinew

Next, I placed it in a plastic bin and poured dye over it

I let it sit in the dye for an hour, then poured over soda ash solution, continuing to let it sit for another hour. Then I untied and laundered in Synthrapol. Here is the result:

I plan to work on my technique some... I want less undyed area and a more distinct marking from the binding. I'll post more pictures as I go along.

Video!

2010-01-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

I have decided to create a series of short instructional video clips for how to create various tie-dye patterns, and how to apply the dye in a couple of different ways. Good thing my hubby knows how to operate the video camera! Stay tuned... this might be hilarious!

New link added

2009-12-21T06:05:00.001-08:00

Hi! For all of you tie-dye or shibori fans, I came across a new blog you should check out:
http://kaizenjourney.blogspot.com. She has some tutorials posted there on some tie-dye or shibori methods... worth a look! I will post this on the sidebar as well.

More info on dyeing

2009-12-11T04:57:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post another forum I have come across which has a section for questions on dyeing:

www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=327.0. There are probably other threads at this site that deal with dyeing, but I saw several topics listed here that were intriguing. I would also like to mention that a search on youtube for tie-dye will result in a lot of video on techniques! Technology has opened up a whole new world of information that is readily available to us for learning new (to us) ways of folding and dyeing, discharging, etc. It's worth spending a little time to see what is out there.

New links

2009-11-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

I have added a new link category on the right of the screen called Tie-dye 'How to' information, along with links to 2 forums and a tie-dye 'wiki' which all have great information on how to create tie-dye patterns. I hope you will browse them, and if you are interested in learning how to tie-dye, become a member of the forums where you can ask questions and read posts on various subjects pertaining to the dyeing process. Have fun!

Change is coming...

2009-10-31T06:48:00.000-07:00

This blog was originally created to showcase the work of members of the 'Stuck in the 60's Guild of artfire.com. Recently, artfire added a blog feature for its vendors, so each vendor is now able to blog directly on their own storefront blog.

I have decided to convert this blog site to one that focuses on tie-dye, since most of my visitors come here looking for information about tie-dye patterns. My hope is to create some 'how to' videos that I can post links to here, and I also plan to add links to other tie-dye sites, forums, etc., to create a clearing house of information on the tie-dye processes I have come to use over the years. I would also love to hear from other dyers as to what they are looking for in the way of information on tie-dye. Based on the kind of traffic I have had here this year, I know there is much interest in tie-dye as an art form, and I hope to help satisfy that interest as an active and avid tie-dyer. So stay tuned... I will be working on the transiton in the coming weeks -- great winter project when it's too cold to dye! -- and we'll see where this takes us!

Simple Accordion fold

2009-10-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

I was doing some color experiments yesterday, and just wanted to test them on scraps of fabric. So I did a simple accordion fold of each piece, then accordion folded them again in the opposite direction to form a square, then rubber banded them to hold the folds together. I was testing two colors full and half strength, so I have 4 samples of the same folds:

This is such a simple pattern, and yet I love how it looks! The only problem with doing this on shirts is they are thicker than this muslin, and the patterns don't show up as well. But it's an easy way to create a dye resist for a quick tie-dye!

Spotlight on " Happy Hippie Chick"

2009-08-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

Beverly is a self-taught artist of many different art forms who believes strongly in reducing our waste and preserving the planet for future generations. she uses many different items in her creations, especially items that would normally find their way into landfills. You can visit her shop here and will be amazed with what she creates out of every day items such as scrabble tiles, bottle caps, etc. And her prices are well within most budgets! Keep her in mind for gift shopping as well as for your own stash!

Spotlight on "GreeneGoddess Mosaics and Mixed-Media Art"

2009-08-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Betsy is a self-taught mosaic and mixed-media artist and designer from the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. She is also Co-Founder of the PieceMaker Mosaic Artists. She offers a nice range of work in several mediums… great for home décor, and a great place to shop for unique
gifts!

You can see more of Betsy's beautiful work here!

Spotlight on "Kynd Kaleidoscope"

2009-08-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Adelaide of Kynd Kaleidoscope is truly versatile. Her charming patchies made from gently used vintage fabrics and her unique and interesting jewelry truly remind one of the days of Woodstock and Flower children. So if your Flower child is still alive and well, take a trip down memory lane and maybe come away with one of the delightful items you find there!

New Guild members

2009-08-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have had such a busy summer! It's been nice, but I have fallen really far behind on my blog posts...
I would like to welcome several new guild members! I have posted links to their shops on my list of guild members (see right hand column), but I would also like to extend a warm welcome to them here: Crescent Moon Creations, Prossack Designs, Beeswax Candles and Handmade Soaps, Sleeping Wolf Creations, Michelle's Custom Jewelry and Crystal Wand Creations... what an incredible group of talented artisans and crafters we have in our guild! I hope to do some spotlighting of their work very soon, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, I hope you will take a few moments to visit our guild members' shops and see what they have to offer. ArtFire.com is such a great place to find unique gift items, and (dare I say it?) you know the holidays are going to smack us up the side of the head before we know it! Might as well get a head start on gift buying now!

Pole Wrap shibori

2009-07-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with pole wrap shibori as a technique to use on shirts and tanks. I actually started this experimenting several years ago, but I was unsatisfied with the results. Recently, I decided to try again, and this time I decided to use a 5 gallon bucket instead of PVC pipe for wrapping the garments. The results have been very satisfying:

Both of these designs were achieved by wrapping sinew or cord around a tank that was positioned at an angle on the bucket. The different results were the result of either wrapping very evenly (the blue/green/lilac) or wrapping in a more cris-cross fashion (dusty rose). What I overcame by using the bucket was the 'overlap' or ghost image I was getting before with the smaller diameter PVC pipe as seen on the two tone blue below:

Just goes to show, never give up!

New pattern

2009-05-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

For a long time, I have admired shibori patterns I have seen done by other dyers. I have even dabbled a little with some patterns, but never buckled down to learn proper methods. BTW, for those unfamiliar with the term, Shibori is a Japanese word that encompasses a number of different methods of resist-dyeing, using stitching, clamping or binding methods. I recently bought a wonderful book that delves into the history of the techniques as well as wonderfully illustrated instructions. So after doing a little experimenting, I completed my first 'mokume', or wood-grain patterned tank yesterday.

Actually, my first experiment combined mokume with karamatsu, which is a concentric circle pattern:

I decided that combining the stitches made the shirt very busy, so I will probably use them separately in most cases.

These are only two of the methods described in the book, and I plan to experiment with others, as well as continue with some I have already used in the past, such as pole wrap, clamping and binding. But I think I can improve on my execution of these techniques as well... so stay tuned!

Spotlight on Butterfleagreen

2009-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Butterfleagreen is "...three generations of crafters and all have different tastes and sometimes our work will cross over in different areas. We have a wide variety of different kinds of products, all made by us. You may find jewelry, toiletries, or just about anything else. We are my father, my aunt, myself and my two teen daughters."

I am spotlighting their work today because I have always liked the 'macrame' look, and they have a wonderful selection of hemp jewelry, such as this black and white zigzag choker:

Check out their shop here to see more of their fabulous creations!

I'm in print!

2009-04-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

I recently added my ArtFire shop to an online directory, www.shopindieonline.com which lists independent artists/businesses. They showcase businesses on their blog via a 'Featured Artist interview, and my interview was published today. You can view it at http://www.shopindieonline.com/blog/ look for the April 15 post. Nice!

Spotlight on 2Dye4 Distinctive Tie Dye

2009-04-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not the only tie-dyer in the 'Stuck in the 60's Guild'! Jo of 2Dye4 Distinctive Tie Dye is a fabulous dyer, and I am always in awe of her creations! Here is just a sample of her work:

Jo uses traditional methods to create truly wearable art! Visit her shop and you will see "...unique designs, discharge dyeing, traditional and original color patterns..."

Spotlight on JAVA723

2009-04-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

Judith from JAVA723 and I got to know each other this past year when she bought some tie-dye from me through my Etsy shop. When I opened my ArtFire store in February, she was my first customer. Then she opened her ArtFire shop and joined my 'Stuck in the 60's' guild. I wanted to give my readers a chance to see a sample of her beautiful jewelry:

I have always been a fan of dangly earrings, and I think these are really beautiful!
To quote Judith, 'Some of my pieces hark back to my joy filled days as a hippie - I still believe we can all work together to help the earth. . . .'. If you want to see more of her work, go to JAVA723.

'Novas' pattern

2009-04-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

I really love the look of 'Novas', especially when I use multiple dye baths to create them. Here are pictures of my latest:

I started out by 'scrunch' dyeing the item using two light dyes: Dharma Trading's Cayman Island Green and Seafoam Green. After the dyeing process was complete and the garment laundered, I then used rubber bands to create the 'Novas' pattern randomly over the garment. Then I scrunched it up, placed it in a plastic bin, and used 'Periwinkle', a light mixture of Cerulean Blue, and Lilac, plus water in between to add light areas. What I like is that the light colors from the first dyebath 'glow' where the rubber bands resist the second dyebath. I also like that I get several different hues, and each 'Nova' looks unique! This has been a favorite pattern for several years, and I never grow tired of it. Here are some more examples:

The example below was done with a different technique, Direct Application dyeing, but the

results are similar:

More new members!

2009-03-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

I just added 3 new guild members to my list on the right side... that brings our total to 18! Lots of neat items for sale that are reminiscent of the 60's... go check 'em out!

Stitched tie-dye designs

2009-03-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

One of my most popular patterns is a stitched design that comes out looking like a fern. I draw 's' shaped lines over my shirt, then use dental floss to make a running stitch that follows the drawn lines. Here are a few examples of the dyed design:

All three of the dyed items above were done using the same method, but the dye blended and acted differently on each one, making these one of a kind... it's what I love about tie-dye!

Guest Blogger of the Week - Journi

2009-03-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

Broken 4 Art not only has an amazing shop, but she's also an amazing person. She's creative, inspiring, and supportive of all of the members of our group in so many ways. So, grab a cup of coffee, and let me introduce you to the artist behind the name! :)

How did you come up with your shop name?

"7 years ago, I found myself dealing with some life changing decisions that forced me to take a road never traveled. Facing personal challenges, I listened to the 'voice within' that suggested I start a journey into brokenness, acceptance, and wholeness. I knew that I needed to trust myself to take a road that I had always wanted to take, but I just never had the courage to do so. I have always had a dream to be an artist who worked in a studio creating art for my life and livelihood. But, somewhere along the road, I took that "Get A Real Job" road which only took me to a dead end. I slowly became aware that the brokenness that I was experiencing was actually a gift and a chance to take that step of faith to create the life that I always dreamed of. So, the name Broken 4 Art came from this experience. I was literally Broken For Art."

What inspired you do create your first mosaic?
"During my time of re-self discovery, I was at a bookstore looking at art books and I came across a mosaic book by Kaffee Fassett & Candace Bahouth. The page that I opened to, in that book, showed a face that was mosaic'd (the page before the contents page). As I took a hard look at that face, I realized that the mosaic face was like a portrait of me and where my life had been taken to. At first, that face scared me to the point that I had to look away...I looked away to the page to the left and as I did, I saw some beautiful mosaic flowers! I looked back at the mosaic face and then again to those flowers. I knew, right then, that I had arrived to where I was suppose to go next in my life - to become a mosaic artist...a Shard mosaic artist. I was to take broken found and forgotten items and place them back together in order to make something new from all of the brokenness before me."

Has mosaic art lead you to any other art forms, or been a lead to any other passions?
"My mosaic art lead me to my passion to try to keep our world cleaner by using reused, reclaimed items solely for my art. It has also renewed my passion for macro photography - finding beauty in things that we often miss."

Where does your inspiration come from?
"I don't sketch out any designs. Instead, I allow the design to emerge from where they are at that point in time. To me, a broken shard has it's own design, color, history. To start a mosaic piece, I look at shards and found items that I have around me and allow each item to determine whether it should be included or not. I know when a design is flowing when I find that my heart, and not my head, is at peace with it."

Do you have any mosaic daydreams?.....is there one thing that you dream of being able to create someday?
"I desire to share this wonderful art form with others. It is my goal to create a Mosaic Artist 'gathering place...a commune'. A place where new and established mosaic artists come together with the common goal to create art, from broken creations, in order to restore unity and rest through each new mosaic piece. I long to create a place of creative safety with the hopes that each artist will find personal freedom in whatever they choose to do with their art and life."

Is being an artist your full-time job? What other jobs or hobbies consume your time?
"Even though my art business takes a lot of my time during the day, my art life will never be a "job". I'm a firm believer that everyone should do only what they love for a living and out of that will bring the harmony that all of us strive for in life. I believe that is the path to the Peace in this world. We just need to have faith in what we do and the rest will take care of itself....
Chasing squirrels while mowing my 'back 40' on my riding lawn mower and taking care of my fur-kids consumes the rest of my time! I love going to garage/estate sales to find more treasures for my art! I also love to chat online with my "Piece Makers" friends."
Tell us ,briefly, about your family.
"I am single and I live alone with my three fur-kids. I was young when both of my parents passed on around 25 years ago."

Why are you "Stuck In The 60's"?
I loved the loud music, the colorful beads, the long hair, the freedom from "petal pushers" - which led me to living in my bell bottom jeans, the vibrant colors that jumped alive when the black-light came on, lava lamps that could take me away to far away places, the freedom to say what I really felt, make love not war....Ahhh, the memories! Why would I want to leave...the 60's?
Please visit Broken 4 Art 's Studios to see all of the pictured pieces, and MUCH more of her beautiful & inspired art!

Spring Fling coming!

2009-03-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hey, all you hippiewear fans! Be sure to check out my shop this weekend, Friday March 20 thru Sunday, March 22 I and several of my other Stuck in the 60's Guild members are having a Spring Fling Sale! Time to start stocking up for summer! Here are links to the sale shops:

tiedyejudy that's me! Colorful, affordable tie-dye clothing for the whole family!
maggmania fun jewelry and other adornments
michiganhemp quality hand-made hemp items
Java723 beautiful hand-made jewelry
2dye4DistinctiveTieDye another great source for classic, well done tie-dye clothing!

We are all busy getting ready for the sale, and hope you will stop in and browse, maybe take home some great bargains! And don't forget to tell all your friends, family, co-workers, strangers on the street! We look forward to seeing you all this weekend!

There's more than one way...

2009-03-15T06:34:00.001-07:00

I don't do much tied dyeing anymore, at least not as much as I used to. And I really don't do 'shapes' much. Mostly because they don't come out as well as I would like them to! One shape that I have requests for is the Peace Symbol, which is a real bear to tie, then get the dye to go where I want it and not spatter everywhere else! Well, I got an idea... probably not new, but new for me... the other day, and decided to make a screen with the symbol so I could print it over a dyed shirt. Duh! What a great idea! So I made the screen, dyed the shirt, then used dishwasher gel with bleach to 'discharge' or remove the dye, therefore creating the image:

I think if I had it to do over, I would make the image a little larger and the lines a little thicker. But it's a start, and I can always make another screen! Far out!

Guest Blogger of the Week - Rachel Bates

2009-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

One of my fellow Stuck in the 60's guildmembers is Rachel Bates of tilesmile. Rachel makes wonderful tiles and other clay items, and ... well, I'm going to let her tell you about herself and her work!

I'm a full time studio potter living in North Texas. It seems that words have evolved into the work I do - when I think back I've always been interested in language and in the impact of words, whether spoken or written. I began my love for red clay many years ago after taking a workshop with Ron Meyers at Arrowmont School and have never turned back.

I think making tiles satisfies my architectural roots being raised by an architect and an artist. The words that go on them come from a desire to make people feel something and connect with each other in a warm and wonderful way. A tilesmile is sort of like a greeting card that people don't throw away. I've got plenty of paper cards that I have recieved - they are in a filing cabinet because I can't throw them out. But a tilesmile is different. It conveys a message that can be put on a desk or installed in a kitchen - a daily endearment, a funny word, or an inspirational statement. I've even done songs for people to install in their shower, so they can sing while they scrub.I'm also a painter - watercolor mostly, but love painting in encaustics too.

In clay I also make custom sinks and backsplashes, stove backsplashes, and lots of bowls of abundance. All of these items can be viewed at my website http://www.shadybranch.net/. Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE!

Thanks, Rachel! And don't forget you can buy her beautiful work at her ArtFire shop tilesmile!

Next week, my guest blogger will be a very talented Mosaic artist... stop by Friday, March 20th, and you can read about her fabulous work!

My love affair with 'Scrunch dyeing'

2009-03-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

For the first several years after I started tie-dyeing, I did folded and tied patterns almost exclusively. The few times I attempted a 'scrunch', which is where you crumple up the garment and randomly apply dye, the results were less than good... they were really bad! But a few years ago, I found instructions on line at Paula Burch's 'All About Hand Dyeing website, and I have been a fan ever since. Actually, Paula properly refers to the technique as 'Low Water Immersion' dyeing, because the amount of liquid used is very small compared to vat dyeing. But the 'scrunching' of the item to be dyed remains one of the basic components that creates the beautiful, organic colors and patterns. Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

This one is a 2-stage dye job: Bubble gum pink first, then the second layer is deep black.

This one was done with 3 colors in one dye bath: Orchid, Lilac and Bronze

This is one color - camel! But it 'bleeds' out to a peachy shade, and also there is a hint of pale blue. This happened to be done on a cotton/spandex combination, and the addition of spandex adds to the pattern, I think.

The thing I love about 'scrunch' dyeing, is they are truly one-of-a-kind items! I could dye a dozen shirts using the same dye, and they would all come out looking unique. That's what it's all about!

More Tie dye Patterns

2009-03-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more patterns I have learned to create over the years:

Mandala

Snowflake

Heart

Peace
Some of these are fairly easy to tie and dye, others take a lot more effort. I am currently working to come up with a way to use screens to print some of these designs, rather than tie them as that application would be a little quicker to make them, I think. Stay tuned!

Busy day, new Guild members!

2009-03-09T10:47:00.001-07:00

I was a busy gal yesterday... not only did I write the post about tie-dye here, but I added over 20 new items to my shop! Today I'm doing some color experimenting... I have a couple of new shades: Peach, Moss Green, and a couple of shades I've had for awhile: Baby Pink and Sage Green. So I'm dyeing some shirts to see how the new colors look, and will probably be doing some more dyeing over the next week. Every time I mix some dyes, I always end up with some leftovers, and I hate to waste them! So what usually happens is I use them to create new color combos. Since most of the dyeing I do these days is 'Low Water Immersion' dyeing, that means I get to make dye goulash! I know, it doesn't sound very appealing, but I get some 'knock your socks off' combos that way!
BTW, before I forget, we have new members in my ArtFire Guild, 'Stuck in the 60's ', tilesmile and spoiledbratzwear! I have added their shop links on the sidebar to the right... go check them out, tilesmile makes fab tiles, with really neat words and images and spoiledbratzwear makes too cute doggie apparel!

Tie-dye patterns

2009-03-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone is familiar with the Rainbow Swirl pattern of tie-dye:

This is probably one of my best selling patterns... colorful, cheery, but it also appeals to the 'non-conformist' in us! But this is only one of many patterns that have developed over the years.

Did you know that tie-dye evolved from 'Shibori', a dyeing method that is thousands of years old?

Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, or compressing it. Some of these methods are known in the West as tie-dye. Western civilization does not have an exact word equivalent that encompasses all the techniques of shibori. Tie-dye simply covers binding methods of dyeing, known as bound resist.

Here are a few more patterns I have used over the 10+ years I have been tie-dyeing:

Double Swirl with diagonal stripe

'Earth'

Variegated Stripe using clamps

Double Lightning Bolt

Mountain and Sun stitched design

Flower

Circles, clamp resist using tin can lids
These are just a few of the patterns you can create with tie-dye... more to come!

More new members!

2009-03-07T15:24:00.001-08:00

We have two new members joining 'Stuck in the 60's Guild, fellow dyer Jo at 2Dye4Distinctive Tiedye, and Michigan Hemp, home of some really awesome hemp jewelry! Welcome!
I am almost finished adding our group to my links section, where you can visit the shops of our guild members. I am still populating my storefront... seems like I will never get everything posted! But soon... meanwhile, stay tuned. I have my first 'Artist of the Week' article due any second, and I think you will be amazed at this lovely lady's artistic talents!
More soon,

Judy