As well as my love of all things miniature I have long since harboured an obsession for dolls houses, which appears to be somewhat of a global phenomenon. Interestingly, the earliest recorded evidence of doll houses were discovered in Egyptian tombs and estimated to be about five thousand years old, truly a fascination since time immemorial.
My parents are passionate collectors and although they do not own a typical dolls house they have put their discriminating eye and profuse talents to good use and have created quite a captivating diorama, which resides within a disused glass fronted cupboard, truly a unique piece of art. Therefore, it is no surprise that I yearn to create an heirloom treasure that fits within this environment; a bear from yesteryear, previously loved and a rediscovered treasure.
I currently use commercially available yarns for my knitted creations, however I frequently find myself at the mercy of current fashions, which aren't always compatible with my preferred palette for a vintage or antiqued bear. I am faced with a threefold predicament which could threaten the bear's authenticity, albeit on a purely aesthetic bases. The main issues are vintage tints, opacity and uniformity of colour; in short branded yarns are too perfect for my requirements.
I believe plant dyes will give a translucence and subtlety of colour associated with a vintage appearance that I so desperately crave. My eternal quest is a search for natural fibres in tarnished shades, particularly in hues of brown and gold. However, worn with persistent disappointment I have taken matters into my own hands and aim to colour the yarn to my own specifications. As cautious is my favoured approach to all things experimental I have chosen to use the natural and readily available sources of tea and coffee to dye the yarn; not an original idea maybe, but a tried and tested one.
Originally bears were fashioned from a plush pile material, usually mohair, used from the times of their development through to the present day, which has in turn influenced my choice of yarn. Although my methods maybe unconventional I aspire to create a unique bear that acknowledges a historic tradition.
For the purpose of the experiment I used four tablespoons of a standard ground coffee which was brought to the boil and then reduced to a simmer; the yarn and fabrics were immersed and allowed to stand for thirty minutes prior to rinsing and drying.
Using Rowan's Kidsilk Haze in white resulted in a soft muted caramel shade, pictured above, with no adverse affect to the natural lustre or handle of the original yarn.
This delicate shade of rosy apricot was achieved using the same method and yarn but using tea as the colourant.
Although I am very happy with the delicacy of the shades produced there is an unexpected uniformity throughout both swatches. I was convinced my amateurish approach would be sure to deliver a degree of randomness. However, all is not lost I shall have to add a little tarnish; perhaps a sporadic brush with the India ink should be enough to sully the outcome.
I find the recurring problem of locating appropriately shaded fabrics that provide an
authentic foundation for the origin of a soft sculpture also exists in the doll making realm. Therefore, I couldn't resist the opportunity to evaluate the results using a range of natural and synthetic materials; calico, muslin and tulle were immersed simultaneously in the dye bath. The fibres yielded pleasing results although a little resistant to the process, I was rather surprised by the degree of subtlety achieved.
I was interested to try a second experiment to establish a correlation between incremental rises in coffee and the intensity of colour. After all, I wasn't quite ready to accept that my simple techniques may only be effective for a delicate result. All was well until the fragmentary racket of the smoke alarm prompted me into action, the muslin was scorched and although it produced an exciting effect visually was less appealing aromatically.
WARNING!
The fabric scorching effects were achieved accidentally I do not endorse or recommend that this be tried deliberately as there is an associated health, safety and fire risk. It also produces some rather acrid and lasting fumes. Anyone wishing to proceed does so entirely at their own risk.
Dirty, stained and impaired to the point of fragility are the consequences of my accidental and haphazard methods. The end result has the appearance of an aged map I think, perfect.
I am now a devotee of the happy accident.
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Although I am happy with my foray in fibre dyeing it is still rather irksome to admit that one's judgement is off, but in the absence of a thorough appraisal I have had to omit an entire process; further experimentation with the India ink will follow as soon as the application difficulties have been resolved.
Coming soon, Dusty Ruffpelt.
Farewell, until next time and thank you for reading.
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