The marvelous spiral

The more I learn, the more I realize I do not yet know. The hard part is finding new ways to apply what I have. Starting with a “Twist it up” instruction is fine, but there are many nuances that can affect the outcome. Don’t get lost in the search for perfection, trying to apply every “trick” every time.

When twisting the spiral, there are many techniques that can produce different results. Here you will find some of the items I use most often. Be sure to see the beginning spiral guide I start by taking my freshly wrung, soda-soaked T- shirt and stretching it side to side and top to bottom to recover from the wringing process and then lay it out flat on my work space. I often select a center for my spiral that is slightly off-center and pinch a little material. Be sure to get both layers of the shirt and not just the top. If you twist clockwise, the arms of the spiral will grow in the same direction. I twisted this one counter- clockwise and as you can see in the last picture on the page, the arms grow in a counter-clockwise direction. You can see the pleats radiating from the center outward. Don’t be afraid to let go and even things out, but you may, also, prefer to just let things work as they will. The results may be slightly different, but try it both ways, as neither is “better.” As you twist, pleats will form naturally. Try to maintain an even size. You may find that dye application is easier if you make the center of the pleats a little larger than they occur naturally, since they tend to get bigger further from the center. I pinch the pleats into place if some are unusually larger or split or have other irregularities. Funky splits or crinkles will show up the final design. With some colors this can result in great points of interest, but when overdying with black, they can be a distraction. Only you will notice, so spend as much or little time as you like. Don’t be afraid to pull on the ends of the pleats to even them out. They will try to get taller if left to do as they will. Wider pleats can be used to accent the bleeding patterns of dyes that have varied bleed lengths. Reds or oranges may be fringed with yellow, and purple is often fringed in blue. I like to even the pleats out. As your individual techniqe develops, you may find you have a prefence. In any event, my experience is that I am most impressed with regular patters After pressing the tall pleats down, there may be wide flat areas between pleats. You can force new pleats to form with some pinching. If you pinch new pleats, pull them out to the edge of the materal. You might try splitting an existing pleat or working with a newly formed pleat. This page is a work in progress. 07/29/2013 Check back tomorrow or the next day for explanations of the pictures. Follow the left column down, first, then the second column.