Silk Scarf Printing & Dyeing

Silk Scarf Printing & Dyeing
Gifted by Stackpole Books
www.stackpolebooks.com
Reviewed by Molly Fletcher, Editor, FaveCrafts.com

Silk Scarf Printing and Dyeing is worth far more than its 50 tutorials. With patterns, tips, and a brief history of fabric dyeing, this book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn how to color and print on silk scarves. Get acquainted with blending techniques, dyeing and printing methods (including upcycled tools), and design.

Author Melanie Brummer knows the ins and outs of dyeing. Not only does she own a dye manufacturer, Slipstream, but she has been dyeing and block-printing fabric for 20 years. Her humble beginnings on the flea market circuit blossomed into partnerships with prominent fashion designers like Marianne Fassier, JJ Schoeman, and David Tlale. In addition to fabric dyes, books, and DVDs, Slipstream offers dyeing workshops. This focus on education explains Brummer's convesational, easy-to-follow directions.

Every tutorial in Silk Scarf Dyeing & Printing is rated by production time and level of difficulty. Depending on your comfort level, you can dive into a simple project that only takes an hour, or tackle a complex design that involves several techniques. However, even the trickiest effects are illustrated with step out photos and detailed instructions.

Dyeing novices will find Silk Scarf Printing & Dyeing a source of inspiration and encouragement. Brummer sprinkles personal anecdotes throughout the tutorials, so you have a sense that dyeing and printing is a process–even for notable artists like Brummer. This book includes 50 tutorials for designs in various styles, colors, and levels of difficulty. If you have an outfit that is impossible to match, this book enables you to create the perfect scarf yourself.

One of the most surprising aspects of Brummer's aesthetic is that she favors using found items as opposed to store-bought products. In addition to stamps and stencils, the materials lists in Silk Scarf Printing & Dyeing call for textured bottles and caps, rolls of twine, Tupperware lids, and letter blocks, to name a few. As you work through this book, you'll sharpen your artist's eye and start finding inspiration everywhere you look.