Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Hand Dyed Silk Carrier Rods by The Rainbow Girl


These five carrier rods have been hand dyed in navy blue, purple, mauve and violet using procion dyes. The colours are very vibrant and the rods have a beautiful sheen to them. Each rod is about 5-6 inches long (12 -15cm) and 1/2 inch (1cm) wide when tightly rolled to 1 inch (2.5cm) when flat. Silk carrier rods are a by-product of silk production. The silk fibres from a cocoon are wound over a rod while being spun, and as they contain sericin (a glue like substance) they form a hard covering on the rod which has to be cut away. This is the silk carrier rod. They can be used as they are, to add a structural element to mixed media or textile art, or rolled between the hands to soften them and separated into several layers. These layers can be stretched to produce a lacy texture, and twisted into a rough yarn, or just laid onto a background and stitched together.

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