Tutorial-Star Mandala

[Kathy]

O.K.  I said that I was going to start with some tutorials on basic folds. Well, I lied. I am starting with a tutorial on my favorite fold. This one took me awhile to learn, and I didn’t quite “get it” until I saw The Art of Tie-Dye dvd by Michael Fowler.  Once I “got it” it was an “aha” and a “shoulda had a V-8”  moment rolled into one!

All that said , here it goes…

For this, I was using a relatively small piece of cotton(roughly 21x21). I have done this on pieces ranging from 11x11 up to a California king sized bed sheet, so the size of your fabric should not be a limit.

*Fold your fabric in half. Spritz the fabric w/ water so the layersare sticking together(slightly damp) I do this intermittently throughout the process.
*Fold it in half again, so your fabric is now folded in quarters.



*Placing your finger at the very tip of your quarter piece pie wedge, fold the fabric in half again. Holding the fabric with your finger at the tip helps to keep your folds centered.



*Once again, fold your ever decreasing pie wedge in half.
*Using a ruler, yardstick, or any handy straight edge draw a diagonal line from one side of your pie wedge to the other. I like to use a washable marker that I pilfered from my daughters art closet!



*Accordian fold the fabric along the line you have drawn.
* Bind your piece along this first line and carefully fold the remainder of your fabric.





 I like to use the lines created by the strings I have bound my piece with as a guide to where I apply my dye.



I will post soon a variation to give you a flower mandala.

Kathy

[steve]

Great Kathy!

Your simple photos do a great job illustrating complex folds and techniques. We all need to think about how we can continue to add content of such quality!

Thanks!

Steve

[Kathy]

Just think what a better digital camera and another adult to take the pictures would do! I could work wonders

But seriously, and quite honestly, after you see this fold for the first time you realize that it really isn't a difficult one. Really, its just wrapping your brain(that's where the V-8 helps!) around the simple geometry of it.

Also, atleast for me, learning this fold and the geometry that makes it works openned up a whole new door in how I think about creating folds/designs etc.

Kathy

[steve]

I agree about that fold. The first tapestry I made was a star fold. It opened my eyes to folding using radial symmetry and how it works.

Perhaps I can get a few folds illustrated myself this weekend.

Over time, I think it would be great to get all this and start a tie-dye wiki!

Steve

[tiedyejudy]

No fair, Kathy!  We want to see the end result!  But I love your step by step with pix!  Let's hear it for the digital camera... what a blessing for us, huh?
On another note, I would love to see a segment where dyeing techniques are discussed and demonstrated for Mandalas.  I think most of us have a basic knowledge of applying dyes to regular folds, but Mandalas are a little hard to read once they have been tied.  Just a thought...

Judy

[Kathy]

Great idea Judy! I'll see if I can wrangle an adult to help me with pics

Kathy

[LiveFreeorDye]

If you've got a camera that can be set up with a shutter release, you could set it up either on a tripod, or propped up and go from there. But if you have another adult, that would be ideal.

What I really like about your illustrations, Kathy, is the grid in the background. It really helps to visualize the orientation of the cloth and the folds.

Take it easy
Sue

[mysticmountainsmama]

Wow! That seems easy enough to try. I'll give it a shot tomorrow! So what about the dye application? Thanks

[steve]

Wow! That seems easy enough to try. I'll give it a shot tomorrow! So what about the dye application? Thanks

It's a great starter mandala fold and the first one I did.

Apply the dye within the tie-up bands if that makes sense. A safe procedure is to make successive bands analogous colors (eg red, orange, yellow, green, etc.) The first time through I applied the same color to each side, but I tend to apply complimentary colors to opposite sides (eg red/green, orange/blue, yellow/purple, green/red, etc.

Have fun!

Steve

[tiedyehill]

Kathy

   Thanks for the derections on the Mandala. I've been trying for years to figure it out on my own . Just tied my first on ussung your intructions sould be dying in about 20 min.  Thanks again


                                                      tiedyehill

[mattlevan]

I'd love to see some examples of this fold-- and some step by step dying procceses! Thanks again for the folding technique, though.

Tiedyehill; How'd your mandala turn out? I think we'd all love to see!
Kathy; I'm wondering how to do things like Steve's mandala:


Was that mandala created with the same folding technique as mentioned here? If not, which one was used and how would one fold like that?

Thanks!

[steve]

I'd love to see some examples of this fold-- and some step by step dying procceses! Thanks again for the folding technique, though.

Tiedyehill; How'd your mandala turn out? I think we'd all love to see!
Kathy; I'm wondering how to do things like Steve's mandala:


Was that mandala created with the same folding technique as mentioned here? If not, which one was used and how would one fold like that?

Thanks!

That fold is not up yet. It is essentially the mandala fold from Michael's dvd. You need to fold it into 16ths like the star. Then fold the point into the wedge. Draw an arc over the folded point into the remaining wedge. Accordian fold along the line working into a straight line and bind.

I'll bet that makes no sense! Maybe I should do one up and photograph the process!

Steve

[mattlevan]

That would be awesome, Steve!

I think I've got the fold down, but where should I apply the dye?

Thanks again,

Matt

[Dancing Barefoot]

You should generally apply the dye perpindicular to the fold along the line you drew to make the pattern. Differing colors on top and bottom give the alternating colors effect of Steve's piece.

Think of when you were a kid and made snowflakes out of paper. You would cut shapes out of the paper and when unfolded those shapes mirrored themseves to give the kaleidoscope effect. Same premise with Mandala. Fold into the triangle (as illustrated in the tutorial star mandala) and then draw simple lines going all the way from one side to the other, straight or slightly curved. Start accordian folding along those lines, securing at each joint. Those wraps make the shapes.

[Panacea]

I am absolutely in awe of your mandalas!  Each one pictured here, whether in a photo or an avatar pic, is amazingly beautiful!  I tried dyeing my first mandala today, so we shall see how I did when I unwrap it tomorrow.  *bites nails*