"Sunset Hues" Hand-painted Silk Scarf

"Sunset Hues" just taken off stretcher

     "Sunset Hues" is an 11" x 60" hand-painted silk scarf in warm red, orange, purple, and yellow. It would look lovely on a dress or top in any one of those colors, and would be stunning on white or creamy neutrals.

Another view of "Sunset Hues"

     This scarf project flowed fairly easily in the angled soft striped design I had planned, unlike some that have evolved far from my original vision (the aqua scarf called "Floating", for example). The main decisions involved first, whether I wanted the colors to blend into one another with soft edges or whether I preferred some harder, jagged edges. The second choice concerned the location and depth of the colors. Some colors required several layers of dye to achieve the desired depth. I use the French-type of silk dyes, which require steam-setting before washing or wearing the scarves.

     The first layer was painted quickly with wide foam brushes wet-on-wet. In other words, I brushed clear water on the entire scarf on the stretcher, then quickly painted one stripe after another, blending the edges by rubbing with the brush or a damp paper towel. Done quickly enough, this technique results in soft blended edges.

Close-up detail

     Since I had decided to have some harder, jagged edges, the next layers of dye went on after the first layer was completely dry. The dyes act differently on dry silk, producing the interesting, sharper edges you see in the center section of the scarf.

     These photos were taken before the batch of three newly painted scarves were steam-set, and washed. So, the scarves are not quite as soft, nor the colors as vivid as they will be when all those (important, but less fun) steps in the process are finished.

Question of the day: What is your favorite accessory? I enjoy wearing scarves, but earrings are a must for every outfit.