Through the Window

Through the Window is made using all cotton fibers.  The center motif is made using cotton which has been slightly felted so it tears apart rather easily.  "Inside" you see bright colors depicting warmth and comfort,"outside" the night is dark and cold.

This piece was made using a vinegar dye bath and the microwave oven!  The color saturation is intense and the vinegar neutralized any odors that were lingering in the kitchen!  Though this method resulted in brilliant color, I would not use it in a sewn item that might need to be washed at some point as the the color bled out quite a bit.  Seeing as my plans for use were only ornamental no harm done. 

In subsequent experiments I tried other pieces of cotton fabric using more heat, less fabric, more vinegar, less vinegar - the results were pretty much the same.  My thinking there was to leave the fabric in heat longer to set the dye better - well that didn't work very well as the fabric charred (caught on fire) in areas where it had folds.  That left some interesting patterns in the fabric.  Those fabrics did not go to waste though as the blackened areas added some interest and I will find a purpose for them as well at some point.

So be wary when using vinegar dye bath, it does work to dye fabrics -but be cautious what you use that fabric in!