Start Hand dyeing Silk Organza project - Silk Dupioni Organza

I had been lost in natural dyeing and Batik for a while, and had a Batik class for children also. Even though Korean traditional silk has been my most favorite fabric, I couldn't use it well. I think it has a quite restricted application. It is used to make Hanbok, the Korean traditional clothes, or patchwork props as mostly dyed in one color. Many craftmen, of course, make beautiful works with this fabric. But for me, the traditional silk is always an object of study so as to design the fabric by dyeing and painting.

It was stressful to try several tests with this Silk Organza, because Silk Organza is not fabric for painting freely. So whenever I got stress, I did dyeing and painting on cotten 'freely' using Batik technique to the stress out.  From repeating this process, I suddenly got an idea.

Batik is a adaptable dyeing technique for most of fabrics, so it is commonly using handmade fabric design. The Batik is like painting on canvas for application of variety colors and the posibility of detailed expressions, so it hardly has 'limitation' in fabric design. But Organza has a handicap, see-thought feature, so suitable patterns or paintings are limited. If an artist comes across Batik, he or she would make works of art but they couldn't paint what they want on Organza. The Organza project was began from here. I'm starting to find some suitable patterns and drawing for Silk Organza.

Especially, Silk Dupioni Organza what I use is stiff, so it's easier to make patterns and painting than other Organza. Of course it's not dense as much as to make delicate expressions but if making 'suitable' pattern is succeeded then getting hand dyed fabric is possible and the fabric can express things that cotton can't. (If you want to know about Silk Dupioni Organza, click the words 'Silk Dupioni Organza'.) That is to say, this project that using Korean Oraganza for making some patterns was began from this idea. I'm trying to apply several patterns and paintings on Silk Dupioni Organza and you can see the postings about the attempts in future.

My first project of Organza dyeing is 'Gradation dyeing' of color. The color gradation doesn't require special skill. The way what you are thinking now! That's it. Move fabric up and down for soaking into dyeing solution to be done gradually, then the time of staying into the solution and the changing of concentration makes gradation. Silk Dupioni Organza suits to make gradation expression. When the cotton is used for gradation dyeing, the fabric is too thick to be elaborate but Organza is so thin as to do it. And what's more, Silk Dupioni Organza's feature, the naturally irregular in texture feature; slubs and stairs from double cocoon, makes vintage and modern feeling.

(below picture)This fabric Silk Dupioni is also Organza which is woven to make dense slubs so that these emphasize the vintage feature. When I dye this fabric, I particularly concern myself with making paints. Because this fabric looks so natural, there's no need to explain that this is natural silk, thus the fabric doesn't match with unnatural color.

I do whole process with my 'hand', so nothing is passed my hand in every step that is from making dyeing solutions for getting colors which is well matched with Organza to doing dyeing, color fixing and sewing for finishing work. My wish is that skillful craftmen make fabulous interior props such as lighting, curtain and furniture using my fabric. :)