WORKSHOPS Links:

Painting Flowers - Mandy Southan
Colour Mixing - Mandy Southan
Decorative Effects - Leonard Thompson
Dyeing Devores - Caroline Munns
Silk Choker Necklace - Linda Graves
Wax Melting Pots - Jill Kennedy
Gutta Pro-liners - Isabella Whitworth
Javana Air Pen - Isabella Whitworth
Microwave Dyeing - Vera Dreyfuss
Painting Borders - Tessa Barnes
Ten Top Tips - Jill Kennedy
Transferring designs - Anon
Free-style landscapes - Marianne Nash
Painted Silk Poppy - Mandy Southan
Magic Lettering - Leonard Thompson
Painted Lilies - Mandy Southan
The Silk Road - Mandy Southan
Aspects of Design - Leonard Thompson
Selling your work - Ian Bowers
Japan: Textiles - Mandy Southan

 

PAINTING BORDERS - Tessa Barnes

Painting a ready hemmed scarf without showing pin shadows. It is readily acknowledged
that a scarf is best painted from silk from the roll. When finished, the edge where the pins have been is removed and a rolled hem sewn. If, like me, the thought of doing the sewing takes away much of the joy of the painting, try this:-


 

Pin marks can be minimised by leaving the pins high - not pushed down hard - and letting the dye flow under them, or by using stenter pins.

A better way is to include a border in the scarf design. Remember that interrupting the border line makes the scarf much more interesting. Either lay down the gutta or wax line to define the border at the beginning or after all the other painting if you want to avoid white lines.

Paint the border last. When you are ready to do this take out alternate pins. Mix plenty of dye and use a large brush. Take out a corner pin and paint this part of the border, supporting it with your spare hand and run the brush under the hem. Replace the pin. Paint the border from this corner, going in each direction alternately so that there are no wet on dry tidemarks. Take the pins out and replace them as you go, running the brush under the hem.

Your hands will be colourful but the silk will be pristine.
PS. You may like to change the border colour as you go, adding a few drops of another colour as you progress. The border is the most visible part of a scarf when it is worn and a variable one looks good.