Process

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My custom dyed aerial silks will add an unmistakable signature look to your act. I color match to your exact color specifications, brand imagery, or costume and can single-color solid dye or ombré dye one or more colors tailored to your design. I bring a keen eye for color matching, formal education, and years of experience as a professional dyer and textile developer for regional theatre and opera around the world.

I provide hand dyed custom color matching to any color you provide (Pantone or other swatches), attention to detail, and smooth ombrés. An ombré takes me eight hours or more to produce, including 4-5 hours to prepare the fabric and execute the ombré and 4-6 hours of hand rinsing to ensure the fabric is washable when you own it. All of my aerial silks are hand dyed one at a time or in small batches no more than two at a time. With my process, should you wish to wash the silks, the colors would retain their integrity in the wash rather than running or bleeding onto other colors or white sections. I use high quality 100% nylon tricot silks purchased at a wholesale price per yard from my fabric supplier, and top quality dyes to reduce crocking (rub-off and color transfer) onto the performer and costume.

I work in a professional grade studio that provides the appropriate equipment for quality of dye execution and my safety: dyes in powder form are carcinogens. I use a 60-80 gallon ventilated steam jacketed dye vat and a ventilated dye box, while working with appropriate PPE including particulate respirators and chemical gloves. The water for the dip and the runoff from the rinse can amount to several hundred gallons of water. If working with a polyester blend on silks provided by a client, I must also include a toxic additive to the bath to help bond the dye to the fiber, which also requires a ventilated space. Additionally, poly blended fabrics require water temperatures at boiling point.