TECHNIQUES
London-based milliner Edwina Ibbotson dyes all the materials she uses for her creations herself, unless the end result needs to be black, white or natural. This headpiece was made for 'Hats: An Anthology’, an exhibition curated by
Stephen Jones for the V&A Museum in London. Apart from the beads, Edwina dyed all elements to get the result she was after. If pearls need to have a specific colour, she sometimes dyes these as well. The only material Edwina prefers not to dye herself is felt. She will only do it occasionally for a button hat or something small as it is a tricky material to get an even colour with.
to for the home and studio by Leanne Fredrick
There are many books written on the process of adding and removing colour from textiles and fibres. Some people go to school for years to learn the chemistry of colour for textiles. One such person is Elizabeth Holdmann, self-proclaimed colour addict at Dharma Trading. Elizabeth graciously provided her expertise for this article on the foundation of knowledge needed for home and studio dyeing and bleaching.
Science and ArtDye Bleachand
The
Make it match or make it unique
While experts spend years developing their understanding of colouring, at its most basic you have five components: material, water, colour, acid/alkali, and heat. This does get more complicated – Elizabeth noted that the hardest colours to dye are light pastels. The powder needs to be really well-dissolved or strained through a coffee filter; otherwise you risk speckling, and unlike with dark colours, you cannot re-dye or over-dye.
Custom dyeing adds a level of bespoke detail to the art of creating beautiful hats and headpieces. Thus, the goal of this article is to give you some tools, tips and ideas for working with chemicals, with the hope that you will experiment so you
can create the perfect colour match for a client, and the most stunning handmade silk flowers, custom felts and exclusive feather trims at home or in your studio.
Dye
The basis of dyeing is fibre. While companies such as Dylon or Rit allow an average person with a washing machine and a packet of colour mix to change the colour of their home textiles in the time it takes to run a load of laundry, individuals can make and use dyes at home at a lower cost, with longer storage and more control. To get started on that path, you first have to know the type of material you want to dye.
Ostrich feather before chlorine bath
34 | the ha the hat magazine #92
Photo: Ruan van der Sande
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
