cochineal bain-marie

I have been spending a lot of time working with dyes this year. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was experimenting with cochineal dye, and the colours came out beautifully. I'm in love with the results! These small samples are different weights of cotton, silk and wool. It's always an exciting experiment to see how the dye takes to different fabrics and fibres. Each dye material that I work with, I always start with a bain-marie. This enables me to get a glimpse into the wide range of colours and shades that can be achieved, using different assists, including cream of tartar, iron, vinegar, soda ash, titanium, etcetera. Sampling, like this, is a really important process, so that I am better prepared to acheive the colour that I set out for.