Hello Friends & Folk!
today was our fabulous Dye at the Farm day!
our guest teacher was sweet-as-pie Nancy Z. Parcels ~
{{ Oh Nancy! you have created wool-monsters out of us my friend! }}
** Kindly click on each photo to enlarge **
Nancy began the class by sharing with us a few tips and techniques she has honed...
everything from storing wool to using a smaller {than my usual} cut and lots of goodness between.
she showed us a beautiful rug that she had hooked using wools that she dyed
in the very same techniques she was to show us today ~ yay!
this particular rug was hooked from a jigsaw puzzle design!
it is beautiful and so old looking ~ a floral pattern with such a wandering background....
we got right into it with the 1st technique:
Tie Dyeing!
wrapping & rolling our wools to take full advantage of the way we were to dye ~
using men's silk ties!!
{Nancy has an article about this technique in the upcoming issue of Rug Hooking Magazine}
{Nancy has an article about this technique in the upcoming issue of Rug Hooking Magazine}
we were all fascinated with the way she showed us how to deconstruct
and use the silk ties to their best advantage for dyeing...
and use the silk ties to their best advantage for dyeing...
into the electric frying pans our wool/ties went!
Nancy 'mashes' the wools/ties down into the water...
and then we set a timer and wait...
{NOT so patiently for the results}
while Nancy talks about mordants and wetting agents...
she has a plethora of knowledge and experience with anything to do with wools,
wool dyeing and hooking...
Nancy is a certified McGown teacher/instructor
and brings her soft and carefree approach of rug hooking to class ~
we enjoyed every minute!
to learn more about Pearl K. McGown and her Hookrafters, click HERE.
while students waited for their wool to steep...
they snacked, talked, laughed and shopped ~
and got a closer look at Nancy's fabulous rug:
and then the timer went off!
we took our wrapped wool/ties out of the frying pans...let them cool a bit...
then
unwrapped the goodness!!!
we each were astounded at the way the prints of our individual silk ties
had transferred onto our wool....
there were many "oooh's & ahhh's" during this class :)
unexpected and unbelievably BEAUTIFUL results were achieved!!
we drooled over each other's tie-dyeing results,
then it was time for the results of the 2nd part of our class:
"Color Plan in a Crock Pot"
{or as Nancy said today - a PARTY in a crock pot!}
holy moly....
Nancy had us divied our wools into
Lights
Mediums
Darks
{because apparently we could not really tell the difference between some
but boy she thankfully showed us}
a table full of color!!!!
and just look at those colors ~ some we would have never ever expected even ~
yes, we were so proud of our results!
Thank you Nancy Z. Parcels
for coming out and teaching us with your boo-boo thumb on a rainy December day!
your beautiful wools brought us much-needed sunshine :)
and thank you students for bringing your smiles and friendship today!
Blessings from the Farm
~
Lori
