Introducing my Newest Online Class!!! Colors of the Earth!

Introducing Colors of the Earth!!!

Classroom Officially Opens on October 17th! 

To Celebrate I'm offering a 10% Discount off the online class Colors of the Earth! 

Discount Code: 10COLOR

Learn how to make soy milk and pigment emulsions
Learn the basics of fabric prep for painting and paper with pigments
Learn the basics of painting fabric and paper with pigments
Learn how to properly cure, wash, and care for your fabrics and papers that have been painted with pigments.
How to source clays, ochers, and pigments from your local environment.

Learn More Here! 

Rust and Clay Dyeing eBook Give Away!!!

FREE Rust and Clay Dyeing eBook Give Away

Now through Tuesday the 16th!!!

Click HERE for details!

Ask Kimberly Pretty Pigments Live Event!

"Ask Kimberly Pretty Pigments" 

Join Me this coming Sunday, 

July 10th at 8pm CST

I will be discussing my upcoming class Pretty Pigments!  Got questions about the class? email me at prairiefibers at hotmail dot com.  I will be simulcasting on both Periscope AND Facebook!

July Fourth Sale!!!

July Fourth Sale!!! 

30% Off Pretty Pigments and All Artwork! 

 Enter Code: JULY4TH30 at check out!

Click HERE to SHOP NOW!!!

Pretty Pigments Coming SOON!!!

NEW ONLINE CLASS 

Pretty Pigments

Mixed Media with Earth Pigments, Ocher's, and More!!!

Begins September 6th

Register HERE

Announcing my Ask Kimberly Event!!!

I will be hosting my first ever live 

Ask Kimberly Event 

at Periscope on June 12th @ 8pm CST!!!

This month’s topic will be Mixed Media with Natural Dyes

You can find me on Periscope @kbaxterpackwood

June Give Away!!!

June Give Away!!!

Getting Started with Natural Dyeing!!!

This 13 page e-book covers the basics of scouring, mordants, and soy milk preparation for cotton, linen, hemp, and other cellulose based fabrics.

This book covers the very basics of what a Dyer needs to do BEFORE dyeing fabrics with natural dyes!  If you own the other three books this information is covered in those books

That's right it's FREE until June 30th!!!

Creating an Indigo Vat

Creating and Indigo Vat!!!

NOTE: this is from my other blog written in 2009

Dye Materials Needed

1 ounce Indigo extract or Indigo chunks
1 cup Soda Ash or Lye (I HIGLY recommend using Soda Ash NOT Lye~!)
2 Tablespoons Thiourea dioxide or Thiox
Water

Equipment needed:

Respirator – you only get one set of lungs! Wear a respirator when handling dye powders, mordants, and dye assists~!
Gloves – wear heavy duty kitchen or dyeing gloves when handling the indigo ingredients (See safety Instructions Below)
Stock Pot 18 quarts or bigger, can be Stainless Steel or Enamel the indigo vat will react with aluminum so I don’t recommend using aluminum pots for creating the vat.
Scale for weighing dyes and chemicals – again studio dedicated!
Measuring spoons, measuring cups, wisk for stirring
Jar – wide mouth pint jar for making indigo paste
Spoon, studio dedicated, for stirring the vat
Tongs for retrieving your fabrics, fibers, etc.
Lingerie bag for small items you wish to find in the vat again the bag makes them easier to retrieve
Water for your vat, rinsing, and for oxidizing
Vinegar – helps to restore the pH balance of wool and silk fibers/fabrics
pH papers/strips for testing the pH of your vat.
Heat source
Clothesline for hanging fabrics onto to help fabric oxidize faster.

Natural Indigo Chemical Reduction Mini-Vat Instructions:

1. READ Safety Instructions before Beginning the Indigo Vat! 

2. Fill your vat container with water you don’t need to heat the vat at this point. ALLOW TO SIT OVERNIGHT, doing this allows the oxygen to dissipate from the vat.

3. Place 1 ounce Natural Indigo powder (if you are working with hard chunk indigo it will have to be ground down first) into a suitable container.

4. Add just enough hot water until you get a paste – preferably lump free (I use a dedicated wide mouth pint jar for this solution.

5. Add soda ash or lye to the vat water - NEVER add water to your soda ash or lye ALWAYS add the soda ash or lye to the water!!!

6. Slowly add the indigo paste to the vat solution

7. Stir to dissolve NOTE this may take quite a bit of stirring, heating the vat at this point also helps with dissolving the paste faster.

8. Next add thiox to the vat solution stir very little so as to avoid adding Oxygen to the vat.

9. DO NOT BOIL YOUR VAT as this will cause bubble formation and will introduce Oxygen into the vat.

10. REMOVE HEAT after 30 minutes

11. Cover vat and allow to sit until reduction is complete.

12. Reduction is complete when your vat turns a yellow to yellowish pea green color.

13. If your vat is still blue after 24 hours then you have too much Oxygen in your vat add thiox to the vat in small increments, a few grains of thiox at a time, to further reduce the vat.

14. If you reduce the vat too far then gently stir the vat with one or two swirls of the spoon and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

15. You will need to test the pH of the vat to see if the pH is correct

16. pH should be 10.0 – 11.5
· cottons 11.0-11.5
· wool and silk 10.5-11.0 preferably closer to 10.5

17. Adjust pH by adding small amounts, half teaspoon at a time, of soda ash to your vat, even is you created a lye vat do NOT add more lye to the vat at this point.

A link for Indigo Vat Safety Instructions 

And I'm Back



I shall be setting up dye pots and the like in the coming weeks.  There shall be occasional updates here, and on my instagram @kbaxterpackwood