Featured Artist : Amanda Shero

My name is Amanda Shero and I am a self-taught fiber artist with a small business called Red Eft Designs. My main concentration of work is in silk shibori, which I learned using the books and products offered by Dharma (like Elfriede Moeller's Shibori, Karren Brito's Shibori and Adrienne Buffington's Hand-dyed Fabric).

I start out with rolled hem white silk scarves in Habotai, Crepe de Chine, and Chiffon in many different lengths. I then iron the scarves into tiers or other patterns and wrap them around a glass or PVC pole with heavy thread in an arashi shibori pattern. I dye my scarves with Procion dyes, mixing the colors myself, and steam the scarves with vinegar to set the colors and the pleats. Sometimes, I use a thiox discharge bath or discharge paste and more Procion dyes to add different layers of color. I use Synthrapol to wash out the dyes from fabrics, and Reduran to remove the dyes from my hands.