# SMF February 2020 challenge - Ione swirl



## Primrose (Feb 1, 2020)

Welcome to the February 2020 Soap Making Forum’s challenge. This month’s challenge topic is technique based – the “Ione Swirl”.

This is a swirl created by Ione from Eve’s Garden Soaps; it has been discussed here on the forum a few times with IrishLass giving it the name “Ione Swirl”. Both Ione and IL have achieved some beautiful soaps with this technique, and it has inspired me to try it myself a few times, with varying levels of success. It is essentially a hanger swirl, with a particular swirling pattern, combined with a drop swirl. The technique, links, photos and my tips and hints are after all the rules, so here we go.

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PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THIS FIRST (and ALL Rules)-

Rules:

1. To be eligible to vote, members must add their names on the sign up list - regardless of whether or not an entry is submitted, although full participation in the Challenge is highly encouraged for all who sign up (see General Rules below).

2. This month’s voting will be password locked. Passwords will be sent (via SMF Conversations) to all registered participants ONLY. So please check your messages when the voting begins.

3. No posting your entry photos until the entry thread is made. Non-entry photos are very welcome!

4. You are allowed to change your entry photo up until the entry thread closes. So if you decide after you post your entry you want another try, and you like the second better, you can change it up until the deadline.


SMF Challenge General Rules

· To enter you must have a minimum of 50 posts and been a member for a month (sorry but no exceptions on this)

· In the spirit of advancing our soapmaking skills, all members who sign-up for an SMF Challenge, do so with the expectation that they will make every attempt to make the Challenge soap, as well as post their experience in the Challenge. By doing so, each participate has a better knowledge of the process when voting. We do understand that sometimes things come up in our lives and throw our plans out of whack, however signing up with no intent to participate and only to vote is discouraged.

· Please add your name to the sign up list if you wish to participate (however, you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have produced), but please do post your experiences in the main Challenge thread and be prepared to be encouraged to continue trying.

· The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members, and provide helpful hints you learned along the way.

· Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please try to keep your comments polite.

· Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date. The Entry thread will open on February 22, 2020 at 12:01 am GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter)

· After the closing date February 27 at 11:59 pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey (Voting will be open from February 28 to February 29) and the winner announced on March 1, 2020. There is no prize attached to this challenge.

· If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We still love to see anything you have produced.

· Even though there is no prize, this is still a competition. If your entry is deemed not to fulfill the general rules or the rules specific to the challenge in any way, then you will be given the opportunity to amend your entry. If this is not possible then your entry will not be included in the voting.

· All the challenge mods reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.
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SPECIFIC RULES FOR THIS CHALLENGE:

1. You must use at least 3 colours - one for the base and at least two accent/swirl colours. One of these can be your uncoloured batter if you want.

2. You must pour in the drop pattern and use the hanger tool as shown in the video and diagrams.

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Some of Ione's beautiful soaps for inspiration. You can see more at https://www.evesgardenhandmadesoaps.com/ and on you tube.















The Ione swirl is essentially a hanger swirl with a particular swirling pattern, combined with a good drop swirl to start with.

Start with a base layer poured into your mould (at least 1/2 fill the mould), then add your colours in a drop swirl pattern. You may wish to do only one of these layers, or add a bit more of your base colour and do another drop swirl.

The hanger swirling pattern is as follows (you can do these in any order as long as you do all three movements):

1. Up and down vertically
2. Side to side horizontally
3. Graduating circles from the middle out to the edges

A great example of the pouring and swirling technique is in this video 

Here is my terrible paint version in step by step pictures haha











Some tips I have found:

* Use a well behaving fragrance oil. I cannot stress that enough. Having said that I have achieved nice soaps from emulsion through to medium or so trace. You dont want it to end up being a plop and drop though!

* Use a thin hanger - not a thick one like a gear tie. Either bend into a |_| shape or in its normal form.

* I think that colour choices come into play significantly with this technique, something I'm not very good at. I'd love to see what you come up with.

You may enter a group of soaps in one photo, or choose a minimum of two soaps for your entry photo, but choose one entry photo, please.

When you enter your soap on the entry thread please feel free to include any information you would like, eg. oils/additives, colours, fragrances, how you found the technique and what you found worked, and didnt work.


Thank you for participating and please sign up using the sign-up sheet below.

Enjoy!

Next post will be my own attempts at this, followed by the Sign up post.

This looks like a difficult technique but I've found it quite forgiving once you get the idea of the patterns required. I unfortunately am a better swirler than I am a photo taker so please bear with me. Below are all the Ione swirls I've attempted. The top two were poured at emulsion. The middle two at a light to medium trace. The bottom two moved more quickly than I anticipated and I thought they would fail, they were probably medium to heavy trace, but still gave me a nice result. I actually think I get better results pouring with slightly more trace vs emulsion 










Scented with BB Lavender and Herb





Scented with BB Lavender Forest





Scented with EO blend of Lavender and Lemon Myrtle 





Scented with BB Eden's Garden (accelerated, been a bit of a tricky one to try to use for this technique)





This black one was a bit of an experiment with a discolouring FO added only to the black portion. Time will tell if it bleeds across to the colours - it has already affected the white a little bit. This soap is only a week or so old. BB Black Amber and Vanilla





Scented with BB Fresh Snow and Lavender EO


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## Primrose (Feb 1, 2020)

Sign Up List:
1.


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 1, 2020)

Sign Up List:
1. Mobjack Bay - totally looking forward to this one!


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 1, 2020)

Love your soaps @Primrose, and Ione’s, too.


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## Primrose (Feb 1, 2020)

I'm hoping @IrishLass Will post some of hers here as well


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 1, 2020)

Primrose said:


> I'm hoping @IrishLass Will post some of hers here as well


That would be terrific!  I would love to see them


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## Pepsi Girl (Feb 1, 2020)

Sounds like fun!  Count me in.


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## AliOop (Feb 2, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Sign Up List:
> 1. Mobjack Bay - totally looking forward to this one!



Sign Up List:
1. Mobjack Bay
2. AliOop


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## Primrose (Feb 2, 2020)

@Pepsi Girl you have to add your name to the sign up list. I've done it for you here 

1. Mobjack Bay
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 2, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!


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## dibbles (Feb 2, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!


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## Cellador (Feb 2, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!


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## szaza (Feb 2, 2020)

Awesome looking swirl! I definitely want to give it a try.

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 2, 2020)

szaza said:


> Awesome looking swirl! I definitely want to give it a try.
> 
> 1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
> 2. AliOop
> ...


8. Nona'sFarm

Way beyond my comfort level, but time to push myself.


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## szaza (Feb 2, 2020)

Yay @Nona'sFarm outside of your comfort zone is good! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with to sign up, next time please copy-paste the text instead of quoting (I know it's a bit confusing) so it looks like this:

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm


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## Kosmerta (Feb 2, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!


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## Kcryss (Feb 2, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!


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## BattleGnome (Feb 3, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out


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## neonstudy (Feb 3, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy


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## amd (Feb 3, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd 

@Primrose excellent job showing the swirl pattern and your examples are gorgeous! Hanger swirls and I go together like chocolate sauce and pickles (not very well at all), maybe this challenge will fix that for me!


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## Kosmerta (Feb 4, 2020)

Somehow got all my Monday homework done on Sunday so I made my first attempt last night. I cannot wait to take it out of the mold and see how it looks cut.


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## bookreader451 (Feb 4, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14.  bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL


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## bookreader451 (Feb 4, 2020)

This video is good too.  I subscribe to her channel  and love her soaps.


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## Kcryss (Feb 5, 2020)

Ok, tried my first hanger swirl last night. Did not work at all. The hanger went right through the color but did not move it. You can even see where the hanger went through. What did I do wrong? HP, 3:1 lye concentration, yogurt, clay added after cook.


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## amd (Feb 5, 2020)

Kcryss said:


> You can even see where the hanger went through.


If I had to guess... I would say the HP was too thick and the hanger tool too thin. I wonder if for HP you'll need a bit thicker tool than CP will need? I don't do HP this is a guessing on my part. (Truly I'm impressed with this one, my few lame attempts at HP look more like a bad Rohrschach test.)


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## Kcryss (Feb 5, 2020)

amd said:


> If I had to guess... I would say the HP was too thick and the hanger tool too thin. I wonder if for HP you'll need a bit thicker tool than CP will need? I don't do HP this is a guessing on my part. (Truly I'm impressed with this one, my few lame attempts at HP look more like a bad Rohrschach test.)



Thanks @amd! I consider that high praise indeed coming from such an experienced soaper! 
This batch was about as fluid as I can get it without causing other issues, so maybe I can find something thicker to use for swirls. 

I think Rohrschach pics are kinda cool!


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## szaza (Feb 5, 2020)

@Kcryss not bad at all for a first HP hanger swirl!!
I think your batter needs to be a bit more fluid.. what was your lye concentration? For HP I usually start with 2:1 and add another part of water after cook (after the yoghurt), so in total I have a water:lye ratio of 3:1. Clays can also make HP batter a bit thicker if you don't add a bit of extra water.
On the size of the hanger: I used a bamboo skewer wrapped in plastic covered steel thread to do HP hanger swirls (the 3 times that I tried). The steel thread was mainly to make handles. It was quite thin and worked well. I think I once tried a chopstick on HP and it was way too thick.

Edit: woops, didn't see you already replied.. maybe find something in between what you have and a chopstick?


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## artemis (Feb 5, 2020)

I haven't signed up, not sure if I will this time, but I did run my hanger through today's random batch just to see what would happen. It was pretty runny, though. And! I forgot to add the other color until I had already swirled, so... We'll see...


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## Kcryss (Feb 5, 2020)

szaza said:


> @Kcryss not bad at all for a first HP hanger swirl!!
> I think your batter needs to be a bit more fluid.. what was your lye concentration? For HP I usually start with 2:1 and add another part of water after cook (after the yoghurt), so in total I have a water:lye ratio of 3:1. Clays can also make HP batter a bit thicker if you don't add a bit of extra water.
> 
> Edit: woops, didn't see you already replied.. maybe find something in between what you have and a chopstick?


@szaza Thanks for the compliment! To get praise like this from you I feel I am finally making some progress in the right direction. 

I used a 3:1 water to lye and added 6 tbsp of liquid after the cook. 2 with the clay, 2 with the yogurt and 2 with 35g of shea. It was 910g of oils for the batch, plus the 35 after cook.

Love the idea of bamboo skewers. I have lots of those. I have some stainless steal wire to wrap on the ends. Will give that a try.


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## szaza (Feb 5, 2020)

Hmm that indeed sounds like it should be enough water good luck with the skewer, let us know how it goes!


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## DKing (Feb 5, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14. bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL
15. DKing - Things are a bit stressful and crazy here currently, but hopefully I will find an opportunity to try it.


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## Pepsi Girl (Feb 7, 2020)

I'm so bummed!  I had time to make soap today so I started early over to my soaping room, Yeah!  I love having all day , no hurry.  Especially fancy soap like colors, swirls, challenge soaps! So I got everything measured and the lye water is cooling. The butters are on the burner melting down.  And I get 4 cups out to make my colors, measured my fragrance. Even lined my mold and made sure the hanger fits!  And bam! The electricity goes off!  Noooo!  So I carry everything over to the house and put the oils on the wood stove.  And it all turned out ok , except I could get my powder dye colors to blend up with out the stick blender.  I have a small battery blender but it just wasn't up for the job. But I couldn't stop now, Soooo it will be really interesting to see what unmolds tomorrow.  It looks pretty weird right now!  Oh well it's still soap!  Hope I find another day to soap before the month is over.
The electricity came back on about 30 minutes after I put the soap to bed!


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## jcandleattic (Feb 7, 2020)

Good luck everyone!! I've tried this swirl for years, and can never get it right so I just don't try anymore.  But it's going to be amazing to see all the entries. Can't wait...


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 7, 2020)

Pepsi Girl said:


> And bam! The electricity goes off!  Noooo!


What a time you had. Fingers crossed it comes out well.


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## mommycarlson (Feb 8, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14. bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL
15. DKing - Things are a bit stressful and crazy here currently, but hopefully I will find an opportunity to try it.
16. Mommycarlson - I'll give it a swirl.... apologies if that has already been said


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## Louise Taylor (Feb 8, 2020)

This was my first hanger swirl. I have not managed to do one that I like as much since this one. It is made with 4 colours of clay. I would like to try that technique though.  I am not eligible for the competition but I am going to enjoy looking at all your pictures


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## szaza (Feb 8, 2020)

That's a very pretty hanger swirl indeed!


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## Louise Taylor (Feb 8, 2020)

szaza said:


> That's a very pretty hanger swirl indeed!


Thank you  - real beginners luck.


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## StormyK (Feb 8, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14. bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL
15. DKing - Things are a bit stressful and crazy here currently, but hopefully I will find an opportunity to try it.
16. Mommycarlson - I'll give it a swirl....apologies if that has already been said
17. StormyK - eeep!


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## Zing (Feb 9, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14. bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL
15. DKing - Things are a bit stressful and crazy here currently, but hopefully I will find an opportunity to try it.
16. Mommycarlson - I'll give it a swirl....apologies if that has already been said
17. StormyK - eeep!
18. @Zing - this was on my list for 2020 and just got moved up to February!


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## SmockingRN (Feb 9, 2020)

View media item 2534I am following y’all in this contest, am new and have too few posts to enter. I did attempt a hanger swirl this morning with my 8th batch of soap.


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## bookreader451 (Feb 9, 2020)

I cut my first attempt this morning.  The hanger swirl was not as bad as my previous attempts but I am not loving the color combo.  Looked at a trusty color wheel and ordered a new mica from Nuture (snuck in a tall skinny mold too) for attempt 2.  

If anyone struggles with color I found this to be helpful.  

https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 9, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> I cut my first attempt this morning.  The hanger swirl was not as bad as my previous attempts but I am not loving the color combo.  Looked at a trusty color wheel and ordered a new mica from Nuture (snuck in a tall skinny mold too) for attempt 2.
> 
> If anyone struggles with color I found this to be helpful.
> 
> https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/


Oh, that’s a fun tool.  It’s time to see what goes with purple.   I have an endless supply!


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## amd (Feb 9, 2020)

I'm tackling this tomorrow! But... I'm thinking the hanger tool from Workshop Heritage will be too thick, so I'm putting my more mechanically inclined hubby to work (if he ever stops playing with his beer long enough...) to help me rig up something a bit thinner. I have three new soaps for a wholesale account... so I can take a few stabs at this lol. (the other 5 soaps ordered are repeats so their designs are set). If anyone has pics showing their swirling tool, I would be much appreciative!


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## Primrose (Feb 9, 2020)

amd said:


> I'm tackling this tomorrow! But... I'm thinking the hanger tool from Workshop Heritage will be too thick, so I'm putting my more mechanically inclined hubby to work (if he ever stops playing with his beer long enough...) to help me rig up something a bit thinner. I have three new soaps for a wholesale account... so I can take a few stabs at this lol. (the other 5 soaps ordered are repeats so their designs are set). If anyone has pics showing their swirling tool, I would be much appreciative!



https://750540.smushcdn.com/1341893...Shirt-Hanger-Black.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1

LOL


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## amd (Feb 9, 2020)

Doh! There's one hanging in the soap dungeon... right behind the WH tool, lol.


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## Kcryss (Feb 9, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> If anyone struggles with color I found this to be helpful.
> 
> https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/



I ALWAYS struggle with color. Great tool! Thank you so much for sharing!


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## Kcryss (Feb 9, 2020)

SmockingRN said:


> View media item 2534I am following y’all in this contest, am new and have too few posts to enter. I did attempt a hanger swirl this morning with my 8th batch of soap.


I love your colors and your swirls. Post a pic when you cut it, I can't wait to see the inside.


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## SmockingRN (Feb 10, 2020)

The cut.
View attachment 43874
 SmockingRN posted Feb 9, 2020 at 11:55 AM[/GALLERY]I am following y’all in this contest, am new and have too few posts to enter. I did attempt a hanger swirl this morning with my 8th batch of soap.[/QUOTE]


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 10, 2020)

amd said:


> I'm tackling this tomorrow! But... I'm thinking the hanger tool from Workshop Heritage will be too thick, so I'm putting my more mechanically inclined hubby to work (if he ever stops playing with his beer long enough...) to help me rig up something a bit thinner.


In the video, she used a coat hanger. I cut off the top of a metal coat hanger with wire snips. Then used a pair of pliers to bend it to the right shape for my small mold. And the good part - it cost $0.00.
And the best part - it did a nice swirl.
Hope this idea helps.


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## SmockingRN (Feb 10, 2020)

Nona'sFarm said:


> In the video, she used a coat hanger. I cut off the top of a metal coat hanger with wire snips. Then used a pair of pliers to bend it to the right shape for my small mold. And the good part - it cost $0.00.
> And the best part - it did a nice swirl.
> Hope this idea helps.


I made my 2 that way, too. I put a drinking straw on the first one, before bending up the ends.  I think the skinny wire, without a straw worked better.


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## Kcryss (Feb 10, 2020)

@SmockingRN That looks great!


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## SmockingRN (Feb 10, 2020)

Kcryss said:


> @SmockingRN That looks great!


Thanks so much I saw a photo on Pinterest and set out to copy. Mine is far from that one but I am so excited! Found a recipe for a soap with heavy cream to try next .


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## amd (Feb 11, 2020)

Well... first attempt in the mold! In my nervousness of trying to remember the swirling order (and praying that the beer and FO would let me do it) forgot to add salt to my lye water so it's still too soft to cut and see. Hopefully tonight I'll be able to cut. I unshaped my coat hanger and the sleeving on the hanger cracked and flaked off at the bends, so I covered with electrical tape. Crossing my fingers that worked ok, I did notice that I had a small section in the middle that wasn't covered with tape where two tape ends had flagged. I'm more concerned about what those flagging tape ends did to the swirl than the possibility of exposed metal (I feel pretty safe that that spot was ok). Also a bit concerned that the natural beer color turned white, so my tri-color tan-white-gold soap is now only a dual color... sigh.


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## Veggiebin (Feb 11, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14. bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL
15. DKing - Things are a bit stressful and crazy here currently, but hopefully I will find an opportunity to try it.
16. Mommycarlson - I'll give it a swirl....apologies if that has already been said
17. StormyK - eeep!
18. @Zing - this was on my list for 2020 and just got moved up to February!
19. Veggiebin - first challenge, I don’t post a lot, but think I have enough...this looks like a fun one!  Did I do this right?


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 11, 2020)

amd said:


> I'm more concerned about what those flagging tape ends did to the swirl than the possibility of exposed metal


Whoops, should we not use the plain wire coat hanger? Does that mean I may get DOS in my soap?


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## Kcryss (Feb 11, 2020)

Nona'sFarm said:


> Whoops, should we not use the plain wire coat hanger? Does that mean I may get DOS in my soap?


Ohh ... I didn't think of that! If the answer is yes, I will too! I have no idea what metal is used to make coat hangers ... but I doubt it's stainless steel ...


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## Serene (Feb 11, 2020)

jcandleattic said:


> Good luck everyone!! I've tried this swirl for years, and can never get it right so I just don't try anymore.  But it's going to be amazing to see all the entries. Can't wait...



Bah, I say.  Be brave!!


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## jcandleattic (Feb 11, 2020)

Serene said:


> Bah, I say.  Be brave!!


LOL I wish I could be. Seriously, I've tried this swirl and failed so many times, I just can't try anymore.


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## dibbles (Feb 11, 2020)

Serene said:


> Bah, I say.  Be brave!!


Hi Serene! Come play with us - I want to see what you can do with this one


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## Serene (Feb 11, 2020)

dibbles said:


> Hi Serene! Come play with us - I want to see what you can do with this one




No place to soap yet, and just started unpacking the molds, micas and miscellaneous other soapy things yesterday..  This move just about killed me.   I am going to try to soap in my kitchen until the soap room is ready.   I promise to give it a shot if I find all the stuff I need.  4 months without making soap.  It's killing me.


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## dibbles (Feb 11, 2020)

Serene said:


> No place to soap yet, and just started unpacking the molds, micas and miscellaneous other soapy things yesterday..  This move just about killed me.   I am going to try to soap in my kitchen until the soap room is ready.   I promise to give it a shot if I find all the stuff I need.  4 months without making soap.  It's killing me.


It sounds like your move wasn’t so smooth. 4 months without making soap . At least you have other creative outlets. I’ll just look forward to seeing your creations whenever you get a chance.


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## Louise Taylor (Feb 12, 2020)

I just had a go. I got the impression I was mixing up the colours so they will all end up one colour, it just felt like too much movement. Now I have to wait until tomorrow for the great unveiling. Oh, the anticipation


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## amd (Feb 12, 2020)

I cut mine, there is enough color definition between the colors to make this work, but I'm going to take another stab at it tonight. I'll keep attempt #1 in my back pocket for now.


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## ravenscents (Feb 13, 2020)

Following


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## amd (Feb 13, 2020)

ravenscents said:


> Following


You can follow threads without commenting "following" simply by clicking the WATCH THREAD button at the top of any thread.


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## amd (Feb 13, 2020)

Attempt #2 is in the mold. I think swirling went well but my top looks like a hot mess. The FO and beer combo moved quickly for me, so I'm hoping it swirled as well as I think it did and there are no air holes. Another wait and see. (Anyone else tired of playing this game? LOL #soapmakerlife)


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## szaza (Feb 13, 2020)

I decided on my recipe and color combo, but still doubting about scent. I hope to get the first try in the mold on Saturday or Monday.. so curious to see how it'll work out for everyone!


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 13, 2020)

We got rid of all of our metal hangers and only have wide, flat plastic ones which I don't think will work well for this challenge. My hubby was working in the city today and went on a mission to find me a metal hanger. He went to 3 different 2nd hand shops before he found one for me! Now, the kiddos need to start feeling better so I can make some soap! I'm hoping to get a batch done next week.


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## Amy78130 (Feb 14, 2020)

1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
2. AliOop
3. Pepsi Girl
4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
5. dibbles - Love a hanger swirl!
6. Cellador- I'll give it a try....wheeeee!
7. szaza - count me in!
8. Nona'sFarm
9. Kosmerta- I am very excited for this challenge!
10. Kcryss - Can't wait to try this!
11. BattleGnome - I’m almost out of CP! Need to make a bunch before I run out
12. neonstudy
13. amd
14. bookreader451 - I stink at hanger swirls so I can't wait for an advanced technique LOL
15. DKing - Things are a bit stressful and crazy here currently, but hopefully I will find an opportunity to try it.
16. Mommycarlson - I'll give it a swirl....apologies if that has already been said
17. StormyK - eeep!
18. @Zing - this was on my list for 2020 and just got moved up to February!
19. Veggiebin - first challenge, I don’t post a lot, but think I have enough...this looks like a fun one!  Did I do this right?
20. Amy78130- excited to give it a try!!!


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## amd (Feb 14, 2020)

MarnieSoapien said:


> My hubby was working in the city today and went on a mission to find me a metal hanger. He went to 3 different 2nd hand shops before he found one for me!


Hubby of the year! Good job Mr. MarnieSoapien (LOL)

Attempt #3 is very patiently waiting for me to get off work so I can cut it. Attempt #2 actually did not turn out bad despite the hot mess it appeared to be in the mold. Also... I should note that some of my struggle with this method may be that Ione does hers in a regular loaf mold, and I'm doing mine in a T&S.


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## Amy78130 (Feb 15, 2020)

SmockingRN said:


> The cut.
> View attachment 43874
> SmockingRN posted Feb 9, 2020 at 11:55 AM[/GALLERY]I am following y’all in this contest, am new and have too few posts to enter. I did attempt a hanger swirl this morning with my 8th batch of soap.


[/QUOTE]
Pretty!!


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 17, 2020)

Attempt #1 has been made and put to bed. I tried a new FO (recommendations be darned!) and am hoping for the best! Can't wait to cut it. I'm wondering if the order of the swirls will change the overall look?


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## bookreader451 (Feb 17, 2020)

MarnieSoapien said:


> Attempt #1 has been made and put to bed. I tried a new FO (recommendations be darned!) and am hoping for the best! Can't wait to cut it. I'm wondering if the order of the swirls will change the overall look?


I was wondering that too.


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 18, 2020)

I just finished my second soap for this challenge and, OMG, I had the entire top swirled and decorated and THEN realized that I hadn’t done the swirling IN the soap... really?!  After all that weighing and maybe finally getting the batter proportions right?! I pushed ahead with the swirling and managed to keep my top intact, I think. I was sooo close on the first one.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed on this one.


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## szaza (Feb 19, 2020)

Did 2 attempts so far. First one turned out quite ok, just thought I might try a bit more base and a bit less color.. Ha! My second turned out ehm.. let's call it minimalistic I'm hoping to find time for a third try! I really enjoy a hood hanger swirl


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 19, 2020)

I’m wondering about the order of the swirls, too.  I tried it one way in my first soap and reversed the order for the second batch.  My accent colors also seemed a bit on the thin side for the first batch so I made them a little thicker for the second batch.


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 19, 2020)

My first attempt doesn't live up to my expectations. I think my batter was too thick for such a thin hanger and I don't see many of the swirls. Good thing there's still time to try again!


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## bookreader451 (Feb 19, 2020)

My second attempt is okay. I did all three moves but not sure if it looks exactly the way it should.  My colors are a lot more swirled  together than the examples so I am not sure if I should try again or just call it a day.


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 19, 2020)

Has anyone estimated the proportions of batter Ione is using for base versus accent colors in the video, or know how much oil her mold holds? I think I’m using too much of the accent colors.


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## szaza (Feb 19, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Has anyone estimated the proportions of batter Ione is using for base versus accent colors in the video, or know how much oil her mold holds? I think I’m using too much of the accent colors.


I've been wondering about that too! on my first attempt, I colored 3/8 of my batch and it was a bit too much, but on my second try I only did 1/4 and there was way too little color in there.. so I guess I'll try 5/16 next time? Aargh..


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## amd (Feb 19, 2020)

If I had to guess (and what I did for my three attempts... I may try a 4th attempt tonight... we'll see...) I would say that 75% of her batter is her base, the remainder split up between the accent colors. I watched the Lavender soap video for reference. I discovered in my attempts that batter thickness/thinness matters. The one that I am happiest with was a very thin trace. The other thing that seemed to help keep the colors from clumping in one spot is to not repeatedly pour in the same place. My first had this problem, because I poured each color in lines in the same place. (this was also at a thin to medium trace)
My second attempt I alternated where I dropped the lines and that seemed to get a better swirl result, even though this was poured at a medium trace.
My third attempt I alternated between pouring in lines and pouring in circles (watch some of Ophelia soapery videos, I think Ione also does this in the lavender video), this was the thinnest trace.
This has been my experience with this method so far. If I do my 4th attempt tonight, I'm going to try to repeat the thin trace and line/circle technique used in my last attempt and see if I get a happy result.


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## neonstudy (Feb 19, 2020)

I just cut my first attempt, and wow, I have way too many accent colors. It's one dark blobby swirl. I might make a second batch, but this one with other colors, and way less accent color.


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 20, 2020)

I started with 1/3 of my batter as accent and for the third soap dropped to 25%.  It still seems like too much. I think my colors would look better with more base color swirled in.  Plus, the accent colors are mostly in the top half of the soap, which is keeping them concentrated.  I’m going to give it one more try with 1/6th of the total battter for accent colors, hoping that I can achieve about 1/3 as accent colors in the upper half of the loaf.  After three runs, I also just discovered that I haven’t been doing the circular swirl correctly   I am also going to try pouring at a slightly thinner emulsion to see how that works.  I’ve started adding sugar to my recipe, which seems to be giving the recipe the kick it needs to warm up sufficiently.


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## szaza (Feb 20, 2020)

Just to keep you all motivated and because this thread lacks pictures, here's my failed second attempt. 
Wrong color choice, wrong pouring, trace too thick, I barely see it's a hanger swirl.. sunday will be my last try, I hope to do better than this!



(The blue is a weak indigo infusion that was pink before gel and turned blue afterwards.. I used the infusion at 22%, which I guess is too much)


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## amd (Feb 20, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> I think my colors would look better with more base color swirled in.


Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that for tries 1 & 2 I kept part of the base color to drop swirl with the accent colors. I still used the proportions 75%/25%, but part of the 75% base color was kept out for breaking up the accent colors. I only kept enough to do one or two passes with the base color.


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## neonstudy (Feb 20, 2020)

One time I made a soap that I wanted to have rainbow colors, and since I didn't think I'd have enough time to mix all the different colors, I just did mica in oil for the colors. It turned out pretty well. I wonder if something like this could be done for this challenge, like just have batter uncolored, then have say 5 or 7 mica colors in oil, then do the swirl.


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## Zing (Feb 20, 2020)

I looked at Ione's video and guessed she had 75% base color and the accents split even totalling 25% .  I chose 3 accent colors and did a 70/10/10/10 just to make the math easier.  And people!  What's with the overachieving?  Second, third, fourth (looking at you, @amd ) attempts!!    I've got one and only chance and still waiting too impatiently to cut.  It's my first soap to take so many days to firm up.  Fingers crossed.


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## amd (Feb 20, 2020)

@Zing you can call me an overachiever - it's a first for me! LOL It helps that I can sell my soap, so I can take a couple stabs at this and not have a crazy soap to try and sell later.


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## Primrose (Feb 21, 2020)

I know I have been fairly quiet on this thread but I've been lurking and love the multiple attempts people are doing for this swirl! Cant wait to see your achievements 

The entry thread is now open https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/smf-february-2020-challenge-ione-swirl-entry-thread.78335/

Please remember that the entry thread is for entries only, please post any other comments or questions in this thread. 

If you havent achieved a soap yet, there is still time to enter as you have 6 days (including today) before the entries close. 

Good luck!

In answer to the question about how much base soap to use vs accent colours - I have been filling the mould at least halfway with base soap. I have found the most success using 1/2 to 2/3 base colour and the rest accents. My soaps seem to turn out better if I force myself to use more accent colour than my instincts tell me to use (I'm a minimalist at heart!)


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 21, 2020)

I gave it another try today, for batch #4, using only 20% total for the accent colors and holding back about that much to intermix with them as I poured.  My stash of floral FOs that don’t accelerate or discolor ran out on batch #2, which meant I had to use mildly accelerating FOs for batches 3 and 4.  #3 did okay, but the batter was pretty thick towards the end of #4, so I have no idea how it will turn out.  It probably won’t have the beautifully wispy dancing swirls I was hoping for .  At least I did the spiral swirl correctly this time.  Despite @Primrose ’s perfect diagrams, I was making ever larger circles from the center top of the loaf, which meant I was passing the hanger through one area near the top too many times.  Oh well, now I know.  I consoled myself by ordering a bunch of FOs from MMS


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## Callie (Feb 22, 2020)

Amy78130 said:


> 1. Mobjack Bay- totally looking forward to this one!
> 2. AliOop
> 3. Pepsi Girl
> 4. MarnieSoapien - New swirls!!
> ...


21. Callie - I hope it isn't to late to join the fun!


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## Frenchy-C (Feb 22, 2020)

Louise Taylor said:


> This was my first hanger swirl. I have not managed to do one that I like as much since this one. It is made with 4 colours of clay. I would like to try that technique though.  I am not eligible for the competition but I am going to enjoy looking at all your pictures
> 
> View attachment 43830


Beautiful swirls, well done. Natural colors are amazing as well. 
Soon we will qualify to participate...


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## Amy78130 (Feb 22, 2020)

Here's my 1st attempt out of 2. I just entered my 2nd attempt! It's CPOP soap, scented with cactus flower from Cierra and colored with titanium dioxide, neon pink mica, violet ultramarine, and a mix of chromium green and neon blue mica for the base.

I forgot the last up and down pass with the hanger, but didn't want to mess up the pretty top! Also forgot the water reduction needed when CPOPing with titanium dioxide, so there's some crackling.


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## Louise Taylor (Feb 22, 2020)

Frenchy-C said:


> Beautiful swirls, well done. Natural colors are amazing as well.
> Soon we will qualify to participate...


Thank you Frenchy 

I had two attempts at this, one in square and one tall and skinny


. Here are the results. They are coloured with 4 clays. I think they are not too bad


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 22, 2020)

Louise Taylor said:


> I had two attempts at this, one in square and one tall and skinnyView attachment 44046
> . Here are the results. They are coloured with 4 clays. I think they are not too bad


Pretty colors!


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## Louise Taylor (Feb 22, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Pretty colors!


Thank you. I like working with clays


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## tordueayila (Feb 23, 2020)

Can I joined soap making?


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 23, 2020)

tordueayila said:


> Can I joined soap making?



To officially enter a challenge you must have a minimum of 50 posts and been a member for a month (sorry but no exceptions on this).  This is from the rules posted at the top of this thread.  You may post any soaps you make following the guidelines for the challenge in this thread, just not in the official entry thread.


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## bookreader451 (Feb 23, 2020)

Just want to apologize for commenting on the entry thread.  I thought I was commenting here.  When I realize what had happened I let Primrose know and humbly accept my reprimand.


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## Pepsi Girl (Feb 23, 2020)

I also am apologizing for commenting on the entry thread.  I Messaged Primrose to apologize and asked her to have the Moderator remove my comments.


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## szaza (Feb 24, 2020)

Aargh I want to make another attempt at this, but I can't decide on what I want to do and now I'm risking just spending an entire evening behind the computer figuring out what to do until it's too late to actually make soap.  
Basically my 3 options are 1. Having another go at indigo infusion at a lower percentage in hopes of it being pink instead of blue (yes, pink indigo infusion is a thing) I could pair that with dark indigo blue, so it's still pretty even if the infusion turns out blue. 2nd option is paprika peach color with purple clay, just because I love the color of paprika infusion at a lower percentage and I think it would go together nicely with the purple. I think this is my least favorite option because there's very little experimental value in this, but I think it would produce the prettiest soap colors. 3rd option is a HP goatmilk soap with cinnamon EO in a portion of the soap to see if I can get pink/red out of it (apparently milk+cinnamon eo = red soap). I could color another portion of the soap with (blood) orange EO to make it orange and leave the rest uncolored/tan (low temp HP will give a creamy tan, but not brown goat milk soap). This one is the most appealing to me at the moment, but also the most difficult one to pull off/biggest risk of failure.. and I'll have to tweak my goat milk recipe as I don't have everything I need on hand right now.


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## amd (Feb 24, 2020)

Here's the two that didn't get entered.
Attempt #1 (green) was poured at a medium thin trace and I poured all of the colors in the same locations. I think pouring in different locations (see other attempts) gives better results.






The second attempt (yellow) I alternated where I poured the accent colors, and even though everything was at medium trace (and I had serious doubts about even getting a decent swirl) I quite like the pattern that came out.





The attempt I entered was poured at very thin trace, and while I chose that one to enter I think it is because I had more colors as accent colors. The yellow soap above I like the placement better with the medium trace, I think if I had used more accent colors I would have chosen this (but hard to say, right?). I think with this technique that two accent colors isn't enough, or do minimal amount of batter for the accent colors will get a better result... but that's my take on it.


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## szaza (Feb 24, 2020)

I made soap I did the goat milk HP Ione swirl because I hate myself If it turns out at all I'll post a picture tomorrow.


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## bookreader451 (Feb 24, 2020)

This was my first attempt.  I wasn’t wild about the colors


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## Amy78130 (Feb 24, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Just want to apologize for commenting on the entry thread.  I thought I was commenting here.  When I realize what had happened I let Primrose know and humbly accept my reprimand.


I did it too in my first contest. We live and learn!! It’s exciting to join these awesome soap makers in a fun challenge!!!


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## Amy78130 (Feb 24, 2020)

amd said:


> Here's the two that didn't get entered.
> Attempt #1 (green) was poured at a medium thin trace and I poured all of the colors in the same locations. I think pouring in different locations (see other attempts) gives better results.
> View attachment 44123
> 
> ...


Gorgeous


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## Amy78130 (Feb 24, 2020)

szaza said:


> Aargh I want to make another attempt at this, but I can't decide on what I want to do and now I'm risking just spending an entire evening behind the computer figuring out what to do until it's too late to actually make soap.
> Basically my 3 options are 1. Having another go at indigo infusion at a lower percentage in hopes of it being pink instead of blue (yes, pink indigo infusion is a thing) I could pair that with dark indigo blue, so it's still pretty even if the infusion turns out blue. 2nd option is paprika peach color with purple clay, just because I love the color of paprika infusion at a lower percentage and I think it would go together nicely with the purple. I think this is my least favorite option because there's very little experimental value in this, but I think it would produce the prettiest soap colors. 3rd option is a HP goatmilk soap with cinnamon EO in a portion of the soap to see if I can get pink/red out of it (apparently milk+cinnamon eo = red soap). I could color another portion of the soap with (blood) orange EO to make it orange and leave the rest uncolored/tan (low temp HP will give a creamy tan, but not brown goat milk soap). This one is the most appealing to me at the moment, but also the most difficult one to pull off/biggest risk of failure.. and I'll have to tweak my goat milk recipe as I don't have everything I need on hand right now.


Pink infusion sounds cool!!


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## Amy78130 (Feb 24, 2020)

tordueayila said:


> Can I joined soap making?


Just a suggestion, try it and post it here instead of the official entry! That way you get practice and we can all see your creation!!


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## Amy78130 (Feb 24, 2020)

I’d like to apologize for the multiple posts, I don’t know how to post them all in one.


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## szaza (Feb 25, 2020)

Here it is! I just cut, but haven't cleaned up the soap yet. It's a nice hanger swirl, but it doesn't look like Ione's or primrose's soaps (neither do my cp tries btw, I don't know what I'm doing wrong)


If the red shows up, it'll probably take about a month, so this is a wait and see soap. I'm happy with the colors so far, the blood orange/patchouli in the base soap gives a nice delicate yellow that goes well with the cocoa powder brown. I'm also surprised by the whiteness of the uncolored/unscented batter (I swirled some in for reference) I added frozen GM to my masterbatch and warm GM after cook (last time I added lye to the GM and it was a bit darker, but I also used a lot of patchouli then)


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## Cellador (Feb 25, 2020)

Grr, life got in the way of me participating this month, but I wanted to pop in and tell you all how much I am enjoying your pics! Beautiful soaps!


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## amd (Feb 25, 2020)

szaza said:


> It's a nice hanger swirl, but it doesn't look like Ione's or primrose's soaps


I would have entered that! I think you can see where the different directions are and it has the "right" wispy swirl effect. I think part of what makes it (maybe) not feel right to you is the drop swirl part of it is not dropping far enough. Maybe with HP (because I don't know how fluid HP can get) what might work better is creating narrow layers at different intervals and then swirling it if the drop swirl is ending up more towards the top. I think the drop swirl is just as important as the swirl pattern for this technique. But... this is just judging by watching Ione's videos and the cut soaps, so my interpretation may not be accurate.


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## dibbles (Feb 25, 2020)

@szaza I think your soap looks like it was done correctly too - and it is very pretty!


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## szaza (Feb 25, 2020)

Thanks for the encouragement @dibbles and @amd . I also think the drop swirl might be what's making my soaps look different. A HP drop swirl is pretty much impossible, even with super fluid batter it won't break through the layers. Maybe I'll have time for another try before the entry thread closes, but I think I'll just have to enter my very first try.


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## bookreader451 (Feb 26, 2020)

I have a question for the entrants.  What order did you do your swirls?  

My entry was middle, vertical and then horizontal.  

The soap I didn't enter was vertical, horizontal and then middle and I do like the swirl better on that one, just not the colors.


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## amd (Feb 26, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> What order did you do your swirls?


I followed Primrose's order (and the order in Ione's videos): vertical, horizontal, circular. Although I have noticed that sometimes Ione does the third step in different directions, starting in different locations, or even in figure 8 designs. I don't think the order matters much (but I haven't tried this to compare) as long as all three steps are done. Hmmm... well, I was going to do an ITPS tonight... but maybe I'll have to test this... dang enablers!


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 26, 2020)

I did horizontal, vertical, then circular.


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## Callie (Feb 26, 2020)

These are my three attempts. I really need to work on my photography skills!













20200226_084027



__ Callie
__ Feb 26, 2020



						Raspberry Dreams
					




The first was Raspberry Dreams. I used a bit of TD in the cream section and Bubblegum, Elegance and Graphite mica from Bath Bomb World in the other three. There is some Snowball mica on top. The fragrance was Raspberry Dream from Eroma. It smells gorgeous, behaved well, but did discolour a bit. I used a supposedly slow to trace recipe with Olive Oil, Tallow, Coconut Oil and Rice Bran Oil.
I wouldn't say that it was that slow to trace, but I think it was fairly easy to work with and turned out well. 













20200226_084554



__ Callie
__ Feb 26, 2020



						By the Fire
					




My second attempt was By the Fire. I used activated charcoal and Graphite mica in the black section and Sahara, Banana Split and Smoke mica from Bath Bomb World in the other three. The fragrance was By the Fire from Eroma. It is lovely and accelerated a tiny bit but behaved quite well. I used a 1:1:1 Olive Oil, Coconut Oil and Tallow recipe for this one. It was great and the hanger swirl is quite defined.













20200226_084718



__ Callie
__ Feb 26, 2020



						Jasmine and Wild Peony
					




My final attempt was Jasmine and Wild Peony. I used loads of TD in the white section,  TD with Soda Pop Mica for the pink and Elegance and Kiwi micas from Bath Bomb world for the others. There is some holo glitter on top. The fragrance was Jasmine and Wild Peony from Eroma. It slowed trace in the colours, whereas the TD really thickened up the white, so that was tricky. I used the same 1:1:1 recipe as for the By the Fire soap. I really didn't think this one was going to work because of the different levels of trace in the colours, but it actually turned out well.


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## amd (Feb 26, 2020)

Callie said:


> These are my three attempts.


So which one are you entering? I think the 2nd and 3rd are great attempts!


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## Callie (Feb 26, 2020)

amd said:


> So which one are you entering? I think the 2nd and 3rd are great attempts!


 
I'm not sure I think I like By the Fire best, but my Mum and Hubby like the Peony one. I might see if I can get some better pictures of By the Fire this afternoon.


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## Kosmerta (Feb 26, 2020)

Callie said:


> These are my three attempts. I really need to work on my photography skills!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



These are all beautiful!


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 27, 2020)

Oh - I thought this said LONE swirl - and now i've read it I see you mean Ione Swirl. I was wondering what a LONE swirl was, lol.
I don't think I'll have time to join the challenge this month, so won't put my name down.  I've done a couple of "Eve's Garden Swirls" (as I call them) recently and they turned out very nicely.  It really is a pretty swirl.
Good luck everyone!


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## AliOop (Feb 27, 2020)

Work has been crazy so I've had no time to soap. I'll have one shot at this swirl tomorrow (well, later today since it is almost 1am now). The soap station is all set up: oils mixed/melted, lye liquid prepped, color cups prepped, and EO mix and TD sitting in the mold so I don't forget them, haha! Extra molds are out since my batch will be too big for my only loaf mold, which is quite small. My homemade swirl tool is made of three skewers taped together. We used to have hundreds of wire hangers when I took work suits to the dry cleaners. Working at home in my t-shirts and leggings is so much nicer but alas, no wire hangers anywhere now. I've never tried this swirl before; here's to good times and trying new things! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
















Soap Station



__ AliOop
__ Feb 27, 2020


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## BattleGnome (Feb 27, 2020)

My... uh... potatoes.... are in the oven to CPOP. This is the quickest idgaf batch I’ve ever made but mentally I needed to get this done more than I needed to make an attempt. 

Positives: my colors are 99% of what I had in my head. I used most of a scent I want to get rid of. My mom and sister will each get 2#s of soap at some point. 

Negatives: this is definitely a preventable gripe thread batch but we won’t talk about that.


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## Primrose (Feb 27, 2020)

I am seriously impressed by all the attempts and entries so far!  there is roughly 12 hours left before the entry thread closes 

@KiwiMoose I'd love to see some of your soaps if you'd like to post them on this thread?


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## Primrose (Feb 27, 2020)

Apparently I'm so impressed I had to say it twice!


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## SmockingRN (Feb 27, 2020)

Callie said:


> These are my three attempts. I really need to work on my photography skills!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Callie said:


> 21. Callie - I hope it isn't to late to join the fun!


22. Smocking RN...Just got to 50 posts, Hope I can join in!


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## AliOop (Feb 27, 2020)

Primrose said:


> I am seriously impressed by all the attempts and entries so far!  there is roughly 12 hours left before the entry thread closes
> 
> @KiwiMoose I'd love to see some of your soaps if you'd like to post them on this thread?


Oh no, I thought it closed on the 29th, not the 28th! I probably won't be able to enter then because I don't think my soap will be firm enough to unmold and cut. 

ETA: In an all-out effort to compensate for my bad calendaring skills, soap is now CPOPing in the oven - another first for me, along with first time using this recipe, first time using a hanger tool, first time doing any swirl other than ITP, first time using this EO scent blend...this soap is either going to be a complete flop or totally fantastic.


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## Zing (Feb 27, 2020)

KiwiMoose said:


> I don't think I'll have time to join the challenge this month, so won't put my name down.  I've done a couple of "Eve's Garden Swirls" (as I call them) recently and they turned out very nicely.  It really is a pretty swirl.
> Good luck everyone!


WHEW!  Now maybe some of us can stand a chance!    Just kidding!  Where are your pics of your Eve swirls?


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 27, 2020)

Ask and ye shall receive:


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## Primrose (Feb 27, 2020)

AliOop said:


> Oh no, I thought it closed on the 29th, not the 28th! I probably won't be able to enter then because I don't think my soap will be firm enough to unmold and cut.
> 
> ETA: In an all-out effort to compensate for my bad calendaring skills, soap is now CPOPing in the oven - another first for me, along with first time using this recipe, first time using a hanger tool, first time doing any swirl other than ITP, first time using this EO scent blend...this soap is either going to be a complete flop or totally fantastic.






Primrose said:


> Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date. The Entry thread will open on February 22, 2020 at 12:01 am GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter)
> 
> · After the closing date February 27 at 11:59 pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey (Voting will be open from February 28 to February 29) and the winner announced on March 1, 2020. There is no prize attached to this challenge.



Hope the last minute soap works! I've been there done that in previous challenges!


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## BattleGnome (Feb 27, 2020)

I don’t know if I’ll have soap to enter. One loaf looks like I got the swirl down but it didn’t gel and I can’t tell if my third color is in the swirl. I told my husband that there was soap in the oven so he opened the door and went “hmm, yes, that is soap” (exact words). I also opened the oven at one point just to see if it was solidifying (plus I’m not sure the oven got hot enough in the first place). I’m doing an after the fact CPOP to try and get my colors to show but we’ve got guests coming over soon, don’t know if I’ll get pics to the entry thread.

edit: grammar


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## BattleGnome (Feb 27, 2020)

I didn’t make it to the challenge thread but I got my soap out of the oven. It’s still mid gel phase, which is really cool but makes it hard to handle the bars - thankfully they were precut. I’m very tempted to take a bar and see how long I can squish it for but definitely don’t want to clean up the mess.

Here’s my double batch of 100% sunflower, scented with Irish spring type from sweet cakes. It’s all a mess but better than I was expecting it to be.


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## msunnerstood (Feb 27, 2020)

Some really amazing entries this month I am so glad that I do not have to vote and pick just three


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## AliOop (Feb 27, 2020)

Rats, missed the deadline for entry. But I'm happy with my soap, even though it looks more like a butterfly swirl than an Ione swirl. The batter went from 0 to medium-thick trace in about 30 seconds, so I didn't get much penetration when pouring in my colors, even from on high. Then I overcompensated with some extra vigorous swirling, CPOP'd for two hours and then into the freezer for 3 hours to get it firm enough to cut.... and voila! Pics are below. It's still pretty sticky but smells nice.

Lard 26.8 %
Coconut Oil 14.6 %
Castor Oil 9.8 %
Apricot Kernel Oil 9.8 %
Avocado Oil 19.5 %
Palm Oil 19.5 %
SL 3%
Vinegar for liquid
1 Tbsp ppo powdered goat milk
1 Tbsp ppo sugar

Colors were:
1. a bit of TD in the main batter
2.TD+ a little carob + AC for the light brown
3. TD + a lot of carob powder + AC for the dark brown
4. AC for the grey, blue and black.


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## AliOop (Feb 27, 2020)

Primrose said:


> Hope the last minute soap works! I've been there done that in previous challenges!


@Primrose I didn't catch that it closed at 11:59 GMT, which was probably 6 or 7pm my time. Doh! So although I actually cut my soap at 6pm my time, I had to leave the house for a meeting and didn't get back to post the pics till 8:30 my time, thinking that I had a good 3 hours to go. Lesson learned; I will read more carefully next time! Still, it was lots of fun and got me to try something other than my typical single color soaps or ITP swirls. And your instructions for the swirl were great, too - thanks so much!


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## Kcryss (Feb 28, 2020)

@Primrose I agree with @AliOop , the instructions on how to do the swirls were very very helpful, especially to a new soaper like me. I missed the deadline as well, but it's been fun learning to do the swirls. 
Lots of beautiful soaps in the challenge!


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 28, 2020)

@AliOop Those are beautiful!


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 28, 2020)

Although I was not able to participate because I’m a newbie and didn’t meet the criteria  (not to mention the lack of confidence from only having made a dozen batches). But...I decided I’d attempt the lone swirl just for fun.  I tried this a couple weeks ago but I think my batter was too thin as it wasn’t well defined. This time I think the batter was just right.  I made this yesterday and couldn’t wait to cut it this morning. It was like a kid on Christmas morning.  Lol. I’m really happy with it. Today marks one month of soaping.  I scented this with BRV from Nurture Soap and used Flirt mica and Green Oxide from MM and a little TD for the white.


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## Zing (Feb 28, 2020)

KiwiMoose said:


> Ask and ye shall receive:
> View attachment 44175
> View attachment 44176


Okay, so now I'm totally relieved you didn't enter your 'Lone Swirl'!  (Said with great affection).   Love that purple.  Pur-tee!



Jersey Girl said:


> Although I was not able to participate because I’m a newbie and didn’t meet the criteria  (not to mention the lack of confidence from only having made a dozen batches). But...I decided I’d attempt the lone swirl just for fun.  .


Okay, your soap should be a total confidence booster!  That is AMAZING!  It's like you inserted rosebuds! 

@Mobjack Bay I couldn't believe your entry and I swear I did not copy you!!  I've been wanting to do a black soap for some time (even tho' dear wifey doesn't think soap should be black!) and use colors to match our new bath.  For reals!  Your entry is stunning.

I will continue to do this Ione swirl.  My ratio of base to accents was 70/30.  In the future, I want to increase the amount of accent colors and use less base.  I'd also pour the accents from up higher so that they drop down into the base deeper.  I took a lot of notes.


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 28, 2020)

Zing said:


> Okay, your soap should be a total confidence booster! That is AMAZING! It's like you inserted rosebuds!



Thank you so much for your kind words. I was so excited to cut this to see what I got. I guess the planets just aligned!  It’s anybody’s guess if I’ll ever be able to repeat it!


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## AliOop (Feb 28, 2020)

Thanks, @MarnieSoapien!  Did you spot the pair with the ovaries and fallopian tubes? 

@Jersey Girl, yours look great, too - esp for a newbie.


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## Amy78130 (Feb 28, 2020)

AliOop said:


> Rats, missed the deadline for entry. But I'm happy with my soap, even though it looks more like a butterfly swirl than an Ione swirl. The batter went from 0 to medium-thick trace in about 30 seconds, so I didn't get much penetration when pouring in my colors, even from on high. Then I overcompensated with some extra vigorous swirling, CPOP'd for two hours and then into the freezer for 3 hours to get it firm enough to cut.... and voila! Pics are below. It's still pretty sticky but smells nice.
> 
> Lard 26.8 %
> Coconut Oil 14.6 %
> ...


These are crazy beautiful!!!


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## AliOop (Feb 28, 2020)

Amy78130 said:


> These are crazy beautiful!!!


Awwww thank you! It was such a fun surprise to cut them - I can see why people get addicted to swirling


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## mommycarlson (Feb 29, 2020)

Well, I made two Ione swirls and then fudged the date! I thought I had one more day. Darn leap year! I've tried this swirl several times. I watch Ione do it, she's so elegant with her swirls. I get to the point of swirling and my hands go all stupid! I even air practice lol and I still get all befuddled once I get my hanger in the soap. Here are my two attempts. I was going to enter the pink and purple one.


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 29, 2020)

mommycarlson said:


> Well, I made two Ione swirls and then fudged the date! I thought I had one more day. Darn leap year! I've tried this swirl several times. I watch Ione do it, she's so elegant with her swirls. I get to the point of swirling and my hands go all stupid! I even air practice lol and I still get all befuddled once I get my hanger in the soap. Here are my two attempts. I was going to enter the pink and purple one.
> View attachment 44230
> View attachment 44231



These are beautiful. “Air practice”...me too! Lol


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## bookreader451 (Feb 29, 2020)

Lovely, and add me to the air practice crew.


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## dibbles (Feb 29, 2020)

@mommycarlson It's too bad you missed the deadline - those are both such beautiful soaps!


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 29, 2020)

There are so many beautiful soaps here and in the entry thread.  We got this team SMF!

I ended up making four other soaps on the way to my entry and thought I would share them for comparison, along with the lessons learned.  Until the last soap, I was blending micas with the hopes of getting a good fuschia.  It was enough to make me order fuschia and purpley pink toned micas, which is what I used for the soap in the challenge thread. I tried to keep my swirl patterns pretty tight, aiming for 1/2 to 3/4” apart for each pass.

#1, on the left: The batter for the first soap was 50% pale pink base and 50% accent colors. In the end, I had a lot of the dark accent leftover because I was worried about it getting muddy during the swirl.  The yellow doesn’t work at all, but it was supposed to be a rich gold color, which I think would have worked okay.

#2, second from left: I went down to 25% of the batter for accent, split evenly for two colors.  This is the one where it is really noticeable that I was doing the spiral swirl incorrectly.  I swirled from the top down in ever larger circles, rather than from the middle out.  As a result, the upper part of the soap is over-swirled.

#3, second from right: two accents colors were split from 25% of the batter and I went heavy on the micas. This is the batch where the soap top was done before I realized I hadn’t done the swirling.  I had also used a mildly accelerating fragrance. Happily, I was able to complete all of the interior swirls after the fact, and without disrupting the surface.  Interestingly, this is a very “crisp” looking soap.  I’m sure the color intensity plays a role, but perhaps the swirling after the fact/set up of the batter also made a difference?

#4, on the right: this is my “minimalist” swirl, made with only 20% of the total batter for the accent colors.  The FO accelerated more than expected and the top layer of white was quite set up before I started swirling.  I think a minimalist swirl could be nice with a more fluid batter.

I also realized that I have a large black scarf that works for my photos, yay!


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 29, 2020)

@Zing Thank you.  I love your soap, too. 

@AliOop I love what you achieved with natural colorants.  They can be sooooo finicky.

As always, I am super inspired by the brilliant color schemes in the soaps.  Whether muted, earthy, or bright, they are always so creative.  Every one of the soaps makes me want to make more soap!


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 29, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> There are so many beautiful soaps here and in the entry thread.  We got this team SMF!
> 
> I ended up making four other soaps on the way to my entry and thought I would share them for comparison, along with the lessons learned.  Until the last soap, I was blending micas with the hopes of getting a good fuschia.  It was enough to make me order fuschia and purpley pink toned micas, which is what I used for the soap in the challenge thread. I tried to keep my swirl patterns pretty tight, aiming for 1/2 to 3/4” apart for each pass.
> 
> ...



They are all lovely but I especially like the first one!


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## szaza (Feb 29, 2020)

I love this swirl (I'm a big fan of hanger swirls anyway, but this one seems special). And all of the entries and non-entries are so gorgeous!! Well done everyone


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 29, 2020)

Jersey Girl said:


> They are all lovely but I especially like the first one!


Thank you.  I really like the pale pink base, but was too lazy to mix it up for soaps 2-4 .  You did a great job on your soap.  I really like the contrast of the white against the shade you achieved for the base.


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 29, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Thank you.  I really like the pale pink base, but was too lazy to mix it up for soaps 2-4 .  You did a great job on your soap.  I really like the contrast of the white against the shade you achieved for the base.



Thank you so much.  I have to say I was shocked ( in the best way possible) when I cut this. This is a tough swirl. So much has to be just right to achieve a good result. I made another batch today with the very same recipe...although a different FO and it got thicker than I liked by the end so not expecting a similar result. The cut is the best part though...like opening up a present.


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## bookreader451 (Feb 29, 2020)

Voting was tough there were a lot of beautiful entries. 

I limit myself to 2 tries for each contest and I enter the lesser of the two evils. 

The failed entry becomes homeless soap because my friends and family refuse to take any more.


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 29, 2020)

Jersey Girl said:


> Although I was not able to participate because I’m a newbie and didn’t meet the criteria  (not to mention the lack of confidence from only having made a dozen batches). But...I decided I’d attempt the lone swirl just for fun.  I tried this a couple weeks ago but I think my batter was too thin as it wasn’t well defined. This time I think the batter was just right.  I made this yesterday and couldn’t wait to cut it this morning. It was like a kid on Christmas morning.  Lol. I’m really happy with it. Today marks one month of soaping.  I scented this with BRV from Nurture Soap and used Flirt mica and Green Oxide from MM and a little TD for the white.


OMG - beautiful!!


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 29, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Voting was tough there were a lot of beautiful entries.
> 
> I limit myself to 2 tries for each contest and I enter the lesser of the two evils.
> 
> The failed entry becomes homeless soap because my friends and family refuse to take any more.



Oh no...homeless soap...sounds so sad!


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## Jersey Girl (Feb 29, 2020)

KiwiMoose said:


> OMG - beautiful!!


 Thank you so much.


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## AliOop (Feb 29, 2020)

@Mobjack Bay thank you for the kind words! The AC morphed into such a pretty blue-gray, which was totally a happy accident, given that black was the original plan. I will probably never be able to recreate that color, but I do like it in these bars for sure. 

And I'm totally a pink fanatic, so all four of yours look great to me. Your #3 looks like it could have come from Ione's website - very well done!!


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## AliOop (Feb 29, 2020)

mommycarlson said:


> Well, I made two Ione swirls and then fudged the date! I thought I had one more day. Darn leap year! I've tried this swirl several times. I watch Ione do it, she's so elegant with her swirls. I get to the point of swirling and my hands go all stupid! I even air practice lol and I still get all befuddled once I get my hanger in the soap. Here are my two attempts. I was going to enter the pink and purple one.
> View attachment 44230
> View attachment 44231


These are amazing!! And yes, I believe the pink and purple one is the best because it is just slightly more Ione-ish, with the more horizontal swirl rather than vertical. Soo good!


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 29, 2020)

AliOop said:


> @Mobjack Bay thank you for the kind words! The AC morphed into such a pretty blue-gray, which was totally a happy accident, given that black was the original plan. I will probably never be able to recreate that color, but I do like it in these bars for sure.
> 
> And I'm totally a pink fanatic, so all four of yours look great to me. Your #3 looks like it could have come from Ione's website - very well done!!


Thank you for that very nice compliment.  I had almost no pink in my adult life until I started making soap .


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## Jersey Girl (Mar 1, 2020)

I really want to try and perfect this swirl as I think it is such a beautiful look.  I made this batch yesterday. The colors didn’t come out as I’d envisioned. I wanted more pastel and I think I need to be less heavy with the accent colors to make it more delicate and wispy. Gonna keep trying!  I scented this with orange patchouli for NS.


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## Mobjack Bay (Mar 1, 2020)

Jersey Girl said:


> I really want to try and perfect this swirl as I think it is such a beautiful look.  I made this batch yesterday. The colors didn’t come out as I’d envisioned. I wanted more pastel and I think I need to be less heavy with the accent colors to make it more delicate and wispy. Gonna keep trying!  I scented this with orange patchouli for NS.  View attachment 44262


Lots of nice swirls!


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## Amy78130 (Mar 1, 2020)

mommycarlson said:


> Well, I made two Ione swirls and then fudged the date! I thought I had one more day. Darn leap year! I've tried this swirl several times. I watch Ione do it, she's so elegant with her swirls. I get to the point of swirling and my hands go all stupid! I even air practice lol and I still get all befuddled once I get my hanger in the soap. Here are my two attempts. I was going to enter the pink and purple one.
> View attachment 44230
> View attachment 44231


Gorgeous


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## Primrose (Mar 2, 2020)

Congratulations to everyone who attempted the challenge, and particularly to our winners

Equal 1st goes to: @amd and @Mobjack Bay
2nd place: @Nona'sFarm
3rd place: @Zing


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## szaza (Mar 2, 2020)

Yay! Congrats to the winners! You all did a wonderful job!


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## Amy78130 (Mar 2, 2020)

Congratulations to all the winners!! Every entry was so beautiful!!


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## bookreader451 (Mar 2, 2020)

Congratulations to all the winners.


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## Mobjack Bay (Mar 2, 2020)

Congratulations @amd @Nona'sFarm and @Zing and to all who made soaps this month. I’m always inspired by the creativity of this wonderful community of makers.  Special thanks to @Primrose for the time you spent running the challenge and to provide us with clear instructions and a helpful range of examples, including your beautiful soaps.


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## Jersey Girl (Mar 2, 2020)

Congratulations to all the winners!  They were all terrific!


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## Primrose (Mar 2, 2020)

I am super impressed at how many people gave this challenging technique a crack, and I can't believe some of you were even brave enough to try it HP!!


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## Zing (Mar 2, 2020)

I am gobsmacked to have placed!!  Alongside other soapers I have long admired.  What a way to start the week.  Congrats @amd , @Nona'sFarm , @Mobjack Bay -- really stunning work.  And thanks, @Primrose  for challenging us to do this and organizing it all, it's a keeper for me.


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## AliOop (Mar 2, 2020)

Congrats, you all did amazing work! I echo the thanks to Primrose for organizing this, and for the great tutorial. I never thought I could make swirls, and now I know that I can. More importantly, I can enjoy not just the results, but also the process. You’ve really inspired me to break out of my single color soaps! I’m not sure if my husband thanks you (more soap???) but I do. (that was all in jest - he is a big supporter and keeps looking at those swirls, too).


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## amd (Mar 2, 2020)

I think everyone deserves a round of applause - for trying, succeeding and entering a soap. I hope this thread stays active a little bit longer, I'd love to see more "non-entries". Thanks for voting for my soap - there were a lot of beautiful soap entered!


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## dibbles (Mar 2, 2020)

Congratulations to @amd, @Mobjack Bay, @Nona'sFarm and @Zing - beautiful work by all of you! I was so impressed by all the entries - as well as the non-entries that were posted here. @Primrose this was a great challenge - thank you for hosting!


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## dibbles (Mar 2, 2020)

@Jersey Girl that soap is gorgeous. The swirls are perfect and I like the colors very much!


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## bookreader451 (Mar 2, 2020)

May I never have to attempt a hanger swirl again!


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## Zing (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> May I never have to attempt a hanger swirl again!


No! Don't say that!  I liked your purple/blue/yellow swirl.  Plus, all the cool kids are doing it....


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## Pepsi Girl (Mar 2, 2020)

To all the winner and all those who tried,  All Beautiful Soap Congratulations!


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## AliOop (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> May I never have to attempt a hanger swirl again!


Really? Yours were great! Maybe try again without the pressure of a contest


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## KimR (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> I cut my first attempt this morning.  The hanger swirl was not as bad as my previous attempts but I am not loving the color combo.  Looked at a trusty color wheel and ordered a new mica from Nuture (snuck in a tall skinny mold too) for attempt 2.
> 
> If anyone struggles with color I found this to be helpful.
> 
> https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/


Love the color calculator! Thank you from the color challenged!


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## bookreader451 (Mar 2, 2020)

AliOop said:


> Really? Yours were great! Maybe try again without the pressure of a contest


Hanging up the hanger.  

I have never had a good hanger swirl.  This challenge was as close as I got to okay.  The rest of my attempts became homeless soap.   (I donate the fugly stuff every couple of months)


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## Jersey Girl (Mar 2, 2020)

dibbles said:


> @Jersey Girl that soap is gorgeous. The swirls are perfect and I like the colors very much!



Thank you very much. Your kind words mean a lot to me. I am so immersed in learning everything I can and this forum is a wonderful support.


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## AliOop (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Hanging up the hanger.
> 
> I have never had a good hanger swirl.  This challenge was as close as I got to okay.  The rest of my attempts became homeless soap.   (I donate the fugly stuff every couple of months)


 
You are WAY too hard on yourself... those soaps were much better than "okay."


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## dibbles (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Hanging up the hanger.
> 
> I have never had a good hanger swirl.  This challenge was as close as I got to okay.  The rest of my attempts became homeless soap.   (I donate the fugly stuff every couple of months)


I double dog dare you to try again! I know you can do it!


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## Jersey Girl (Mar 2, 2020)

dibbles said:


> I double dog dare you to try again! I know you can do it!



In a breech of etiquette, she skipped the double dare and went straight to the double dog dare...lol.  Love that movie.


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## Nona'sFarm (Mar 2, 2020)

I felt that all of the soaps were beautiful, I had a really hard time narrowing down to only 3. I am somewhat speechless that I placed when there were so many great entries.
Thank you @Primrose for running the challenge. This was definitely outside of my comfort zone, so I am still in shock. But entering this has helped me get past my fear of swirls, so thanks for the push.


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## bookreader451 (Mar 2, 2020)

dibbles said:


> I double dog dare you to try again! I know you can do it!


I have wanted to try the butterfly swirl but with my luck it will look more like one of the moths from Silence of the Lambs


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## Mobjack Bay (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> May I never have to attempt a hanger swirl again!


No, don’t give up.  Your soap was very pretty!


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## dibbles (Mar 2, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> I have wanted to try the butterfly swirl but with my luck it will look more like one of the moths from Silence of the Lambs


Well, that butterfly swirl is pretty elusive. But it is gorgeous.


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