Fiddlefarting Around With Dye

[The Sugar Lady]

I've been experimenting with dye techniques, trying to bring some of my art background into my leather work. I'm really happy with how this came out. I'm hoping I get lucky and can do it again....

trying to figure out this attaching images thing....

Edited July 2, 2013 by The Sugar Lady

[eglideride]

Home Run! Very cool.

[veedub3]

That's some really nice fiddlefarting!

[Macca]

Nice !

Some clues how you did it ?

[Murray]

Wow, that is really cool.

[AndyL1]

I agree with all of the above. Very cool! I'm curious how you did this too.

Andy

[Mannamal]

Now that is something that would make me stop walking. Usually I think colored dyes (mostly when applied to tooling) take away from the natural beauty of leather, but in this form I love it!

[The Sugar Lady]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

It's taken LOTS of experimenting, playing around and I will admit, a generous amount of swearing to figure this technique out. And hubby's seen more than one piece sail across the living room from the kitchen from failed attempts. It all started when a horsehair customer wondered if I could make a bracelet in her horse's color. The horse happened to be a dappled buckskin. Being the obsessed color nut that I am, I wasn't happy until I figured out just how to emulate that color. Then she kicked it up a notch and asked "well, I actually have TWO horses I want to make a bracelet with their hair, can you combine both their colors?" The other horse was a nice little sorrel fella. I actually have a few bottles of colors I've had to mix to get specific results with. It's part Science part Art. My partner in crime calls my technique Controlled Chaos, because he's watched me do my thing on several occasions and he still can't put a thumb on what I do.

I will say though, some of those colors are Angelus dye. And some of the other colors are Eco Flo (yeah, I know, that stuff's the devil and is evil and horrible, but it really is useful for a few things.) But that's all I'm allowed to say, since hubby always fusses at me for telling all my secrets.

[Wolfye]

That really looks nice - well done you!