Samples are slowing progress

My plan was to start digging into the 400 yards today. If I do 20 yards per day for four days, take a day off, then repeat five times, I'll hit 400 by May 25. I do have 20 yards done, but they are 'extra' yards. Not counting them yet! Anyhow, the picture at left shows two tests on the left next to two supplied swatches on the right. Tonight I did two more to try to match the bottom blue. I got the value better, but still not there with the color. It's also one of those blues that shifts according to the light. Using the Verilux lamp makes it look closer to violet.
I'll keep you posted on my progress - good and mediocre!

400 yards in 30 Days - ????

Monday I did something I have never done before - I ordered ten pounds of dye powders from Pro Chemical. Only eleven different colors - I got two pounds of two of the colors, and eight ounces or one pound of the rest. I'm about to embark on a solid adventure - dyeing 400 yards of fabric in about a month.
Now, lest you think I'm completely out of my mind, I'm not talking about dyeing 400 different colors. To give you a little perspective, I'm starting with just twenty colors - ten yards of each. For inspiration, and to help me narrow down my choices, I went to the Robert Kaufman Kona (R) color story page, and picked summer, 'cause it's on its way. That group is shown at right. Then I thinned that down to just the twenty colors that I'll be dyeing. That's my first, firm goal - 200 yards. And, as projects involving color often do, the concept has grown. Since I'm going to mix up those 20 colors, if I mix up just a little more than what I need for ten really saturated yards, I'll be able to dye the same colors in a lighter value. So the next couple days will be spent preparing and documenting my progress - and getting some orders filled as well.
Sue Reno's project "52 Ways to Look at the River" has inspired me to track and share what I'm doing, plus it adds a degree of accountability. If I know people are watching, I'm going to have to keep at it! I hope you'll follow along - and comment on the blog. I'm going to give something away -- but I'm keeping that under my hat. #400yds30days