Red Peony and Orange Sunflower: The bleeders

 Red Peony 31" x 31"

     Ah yes, the red.  The bleeder.  It looks just as phenomenal on the frame as it does off the frame.  The only royal pain was that it kept on bleeding.  After I steam the scarves, I have to wash them by hand.  The first bath is lukewarm and has soap in it.  I gradually make the baths colder to help wash out and fix the dyes.  The only problem is that some dyes bleed more than others.  Reds, blues, browns, and fuchsia pink; yes, fuchsia pink bleeds A LOT!.  I use Rubbermaid dish tubs in the bathtub to wash out the dyes.  Lots of time on your knees makes you impatient, especially when you have a bleeder.  You can still wear the scarf, I just wouldn't recommend it with a white shirt in the rain.

 Orange Sunflower 10" x 59"

     The second bleeder:  It was the chestnut brown which gave me the most trouble with this one.  You see, I never use straight black or straight any dark dye when I have to use a lot of one colour.  When I was in high school taking colour theory, we were taught that there was no such thing as "black" in nature.  The "black" was always a little bit....something else.  That's why I will add a little red to a black, or a pink, or a brown, or green, or blue.  Any colour which I feel will suit the scarf and make the colour a little more rich.  It's probably why I have the devil's own time trying to wash out all the dye.