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Dyeing to mimic plaid

7/20/2018

8 Comments

 
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​I panicked when I ran out of a particular plaid that I’ve loved working with.  Approximately 16 years ago I bought 50 yards of this incredible wool and saved two yards in my stash for a future project.  If I had known how incredible it was, both to work with and how the colour would speak to me, I would have coveted more yardage but I snoozed and you know what that means.  
  
The wool sported a nautical flair with its admiral blue and shots of sea green, enhancing my first boat rug perfectly.  What was left over I used for the outer edges of the shop stair risers.  I’ve been counting the strips I need to finish seven more and I’m not sure if there will be enough so I use almost every bit, my tails are really short and any piece left over that will do a loop or two is saved and coveted like gold. 

I’ve put my risers aside for the time being and I’m hooking a second rug for our boat, one that will lie at the foot of the companionway steps and blend with the large compass rose rug I completed two years ago.  We are going to the Nonsuch Rendezvous in Halifax in August and I want the interior of our boat to boast custom touches. 

So I really wanted the wool I used in that first rug to be the border on the second rug and a possible third that will sit in front of the forward berth.  The blue plaid was manufactured over a decade ago and hopes of finding a spare yard somewhere was probably futile so I didn’t bother putting it out to the universe.  The only recourse, I presented it as a challenge to Shane to come up with dyed wool that would mimic the plaid. I didn’t expect a perfect match, any port in a storm would do as long as it was in the same ocean.   
 
I told him to use the Dorr Glen Plaid as the base as it provides lines throughout.  He blended our Monsoon formula of Majic Carpet with Kelly Green of Jacquard and abrashed the piece of wool on the stove top.  There were a few whitish spots and he put it in a pot and added a bit of lighter blue and magic came out of the pot.  I used it at the hook-in and by golly I think he nailed it.  He really has earned his title The Dye Guy!

I’ve put the cut strips of what is left of the original plaid on top of the material and it is a perfect colour blend.  The original plaid has darker lines than the new Glen Plaid (the old one had a black line through it and would have been better) but it is such a subtle difference it won’t impact on the overall look.  I am over the moon that my two rugs will blend and now I don’t have to worry about running when I hook the remaining risers either because I will blend the two to complete the set. 

My son is proving to be a very handy colour expert.  He cured my angst with his trained eye.  (A mother is allowed to brag!)

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Comparing it to the risers edges.  there is a bit of a textural difference but the colours jell.  
8 Comments
Adena
7/20/2018 11:09:30 am

Shane, the magic man, it's almost identical

Reply
Karen
7/20/2018 02:02:43 pm

Shane has the magic touch when it comes to dying!

Reply
Elaine
7/20/2018 02:03:36 pm

Wow,,, awesome, ,,,
Amazing work,,,

Reply
Joyce
7/20/2018 02:04:13 pm

wow that is beautiful

Reply
Maggie
7/20/2018 06:15:44 pm

I can't even begin to describe the exquisite quality and visual beauty in this rug you've designed. Masterful in every way.

Reply
Liz
7/20/2018 06:16:32 pm

Nova Scotia tartan holds a special place in my heart.

Reply
Rhoda
7/21/2018 09:15:05 am

Great dying & boat rugs are amazing.

Reply
Audrey
7/21/2018 09:15:37 am

Beautiful rugs. No one will notice that there's a very slight difference. Excellent match, Shane the Dye Man!

Reply



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