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This dye is primarily for devoré fabrics, those with a silk base and a raised viscose pile. Although the supplied instructions are in French, it is easy to use (although a little knowledge of French would be useful). It uses two separate liquid dyes of different colours, one for silk and the other for the viscose, which are placed together with the fixative, vinegar and salt in a single pan. After 35 minutes, the result is a two-colour fabric. The various colours have a jewel-like quality and are richer than those on the colour chart. The fabric dyes evenly and retains its original texture.
The dyeing process is easy, with no unpleasant smells. If mixing the colours, it is best to put them in a separate container when mixing, and test on blotting paper. This will give a good indication of the colour which will result. If the same mixed colour is to be repeated, make a note of how much of each colour was used. A bottle of dye goes a long way and a used batch may be re-used with paler results. Experimenting with colour mixing on a variety of fabrics was fun and resulted in the discovery that the silk dye was only taken up by silk, whereas all other fabrics, both natural and man-made, took up the viscose dye.
A kit may be purchased for £18.00 and contains three primary colours (50 ml bottles) for both silk and viscose, plus fixative, salt, vinegar, two pipettes and two 30 ml containers. A black dye would have been of benefit to assist in colour mixing. Single pots are £3.10 (viscose), £4.00 (silk) and are available in ten colours of each dye and may be obtained from WS Touch Base, Wyevale Centre, Wareham Road, Owermoigne, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8BY, tel. 01305 854099.
This is an acrylic jig. It consists of a see-through plastic board, 10cm (4 cm) square which has holes drilled into it at regular intervals. Metal pegs are placed in the holes following one of the templates supplied or free-form. Twist wire around these pegs to form shapes like the ones shown. Thin wire worked quite well, especially when doubled, but for the best results, thicker wire seemed to work better. I arrived at my optimum by experimenting with different thicknesses. Spacers (small plastic circular shapes) allow you to make perfect curves. There is no limit to the possibilities that may be achieved using this simple but clever device. The beads in the illustrations are just one possible variation.
Price about £34.93 for the jig plus £6.95 for the pegs. Available from your favourite beadwork supplier. We regret that since publication in the magazine, the supplier quoted (Beadbox) has ceased trading in the UK.