Hi dears – I have tried a random piece and found that the front was looking fine to me but the leaves bled through to the back part and it looks just blotchy which I would like to avoid. I tried it again with putting a layer between the item but then the bundle gets kind of thick and also the dye bath didn’t leave much impact. how do you do it?? thank you! 🙂
aw sorry I got all crazy printing “neglecting” our fb group. while I like some of my unclear shape results and washed out looking leaves I am still trying to figure out why most of my leaves ( spring here ) won’t give me clear, crisp shapes. or more so…why sometimes they do and the next day not at all. ( same leaf from same bush ) wondering how much – or if at all – the dyebath plays a role?? I think the ones I’ve cooked in water only, were the clearest…hmm. I had only a couple of times super clear Eucalyptus and Rose prints on fabric the rest had very blurred shapes and bled a lot.
Hmm that sounds frustrating. If you are using the same leaves, then it sounds like either there is a fabric variable (so make sure your fabric is all prewashed in hot water with washing soda or a detergent then rinsed well, or use old fabric not new) or it could be that the bundles weren’t wrapped tightly enough, though that is less likely. I don’t find the dyebath makes a huge difference, except with certain dyes that bleed inside the bundle rather than just dyeing the outside.
I’m thinking of eco-printing flowers and maple leaves on some silk that I’ll be using to make a dress, but I’m wondering when in the process I should eco-print since I’m fairly new to using silk in general. Firstly, I’m worried that simmering the silk might harm it, is steaming better? Or can most silks (e.g. noil or habotai) withstand a dye bath? Secondly, I’m worrying that if I put it in the dye bath after the fabric is cut into the dress pattern that the fabric might shrink/warp from the heat of the water. So should i soak it in hot water or something prior to cutting and printing on it? Or should I print on the fabric/put it in the dye bath and then cut out the pattern?
Hi, it sounds unbelievable I know but silk can easily survive being simmered and even boiled, because we are wrapping it and tying it tightly. Wool is the same – usually it would felt in hot water, but because it is immobilised there is no friction and thus no felting. As to whether to sew the dress before or after eco-printing, it depends on the effect you want. It is easier to eco-print on flat fabric, and you can then choose where to place each pattern piece in order to incorporate the best prints. but it can look also really great when an item of clothing is eco-printed because you can place leaves exactly where you want them to end up, and the prints feel more like a part of the clothing, if that makes sense. But it can be harder to roll up and eco-print clothing. Whichever method you use, make sure you scour your silk first – the Maiwa website has good instructions for scouring silk.
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Hi dears – I have tried a random piece and found that the front was looking fine to me but the leaves bled through to the back part and it looks just blotchy which I would like to avoid. I tried it again with putting a layer between the item but then the bundle gets kind of thick and also the dye bath didn’t leave much impact. how do you do it?? thank you! 🙂
Hi Antje, I’m not quite sure without seeing the piece – have you posted this question in the Facebook group?
aw sorry I got all crazy printing “neglecting” our fb group.
while I like some of my unclear shape results and washed out looking leaves I am still trying to figure out why most of my leaves ( spring here ) won’t give me clear, crisp shapes. or more so…why sometimes they do and the next day not at all. ( same leaf from same bush ) wondering how much – or if at all – the dyebath plays a role?? I think the ones I’ve cooked in water only, were the clearest…hmm.
I had only a couple of times super clear Eucalyptus and Rose prints on fabric the rest had very blurred shapes and bled a lot.
Hmm that sounds frustrating. If you are using the same leaves, then it sounds like either there is a fabric variable (so make sure your fabric is all prewashed in hot water with washing soda or a detergent then rinsed well, or use old fabric not new) or it could be that the bundles weren’t wrapped tightly enough, though that is less likely. I don’t find the dyebath makes a huge difference, except with certain dyes that bleed inside the bundle rather than just dyeing the outside.
Hey Louise,
I’m thinking of eco-printing flowers and maple leaves on some silk that I’ll be using to make a dress, but I’m wondering when in the process I should eco-print since I’m fairly new to using silk in general. Firstly, I’m worried that simmering the silk might harm it, is steaming better? Or can most silks (e.g. noil or habotai) withstand a dye bath? Secondly, I’m worrying that if I put it in the dye bath after the fabric is cut into the dress pattern that the fabric might shrink/warp from the heat of the water. So should i soak it in hot water or something prior to cutting and printing on it? Or should I print on the fabric/put it in the dye bath and then cut out the pattern?
Hi, it sounds unbelievable I know but silk can easily survive being simmered and even boiled, because we are wrapping it and tying it tightly. Wool is the same – usually it would felt in hot water, but because it is immobilised there is no friction and thus no felting.
As to whether to sew the dress before or after eco-printing, it depends on the effect you want. It is easier to eco-print on flat fabric, and you can then choose where to place each pattern piece in order to incorporate the best prints. but it can look also really great when an item of clothing is eco-printed because you can place leaves exactly where you want them to end up, and the prints feel more like a part of the clothing, if that makes sense. But it can be harder to roll up and eco-print clothing.
Whichever method you use, make sure you scour your silk first – the Maiwa website has good instructions for scouring silk.
Excellent!! Thanks, it was very hard to believe but you’ve convinced me.