Emperor’s Gold is the latest addition to the amazing wall of colour at Encompassing Designs. The dye guy has outdone himself once again.
Last year I ran into a little roadblock when planning a design to celebrate my latest trip to China. After looking through about 1,500 photos of exotic landscapes and considering several possibilities, I realized that none of them would work. Instead of a street scene or landscape, I decided to celebrate the spirit of Chinese culture.
I was starting to pack for a move and did not really have time to create a new design or to do any dyeing. Fortunately, I had an old Michelle Micarelli pattern that I bought at a workshop at Encompassing Designs about 10 years ago and a huge stash of fabric. Inspired by the rich silks and embroidered textiles of the ancient Chinese emperor’s robes, I gathered a bundle of Terra cottas, blues and greens and looked for an elegant gold for the background because only the Emperor was allowed to wear gold and those old robes are magnificent. Nothing in my stash came close to the elusive colour in my mind. I couldn’t find it in my rings of dye samples or even among hundreds of choices on my collection of paint charts.
It was time to meet Shane to transform the colour that was in my head to an actual dye formula that was always just a little different from any of the shades available and of course, he accepted the challenge and produced a gorgeous new colour.
The mat is now on the floor of my new apartment where I can enjoy it every day and Emperor’s Gold is available for all of you to add an elegant touch to the design of your choice.
Heather Gordon
Pattern designed by Michelle Micarelli called Doily
Whipped with Shane’s dyed Briggs & Little and bound with Terra cotta
Last year I ran into a little roadblock when planning a design to celebrate my latest trip to China. After looking through about 1,500 photos of exotic landscapes and considering several possibilities, I realized that none of them would work. Instead of a street scene or landscape, I decided to celebrate the spirit of Chinese culture.
I was starting to pack for a move and did not really have time to create a new design or to do any dyeing. Fortunately, I had an old Michelle Micarelli pattern that I bought at a workshop at Encompassing Designs about 10 years ago and a huge stash of fabric. Inspired by the rich silks and embroidered textiles of the ancient Chinese emperor’s robes, I gathered a bundle of Terra cottas, blues and greens and looked for an elegant gold for the background because only the Emperor was allowed to wear gold and those old robes are magnificent. Nothing in my stash came close to the elusive colour in my mind. I couldn’t find it in my rings of dye samples or even among hundreds of choices on my collection of paint charts.
It was time to meet Shane to transform the colour that was in my head to an actual dye formula that was always just a little different from any of the shades available and of course, he accepted the challenge and produced a gorgeous new colour.
The mat is now on the floor of my new apartment where I can enjoy it every day and Emperor’s Gold is available for all of you to add an elegant touch to the design of your choice.
Heather Gordon
Pattern designed by Michelle Micarelli called Doily
Whipped with Shane’s dyed Briggs & Little and bound with Terra cotta
 Close-up detail of the sculpted flowers and leaves. |  Whipped with rug binding attached. |
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