SMF February 2023 Challenge - Soap Curls

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Primrose

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Welcome to the February 2023 SMF Soap Challenge. This month we will be creating a soap design using curls of soap as embed.

First, please read the general and specific rules below.

SMF Challenge General Rules

1. To enter you must have been a SMF member for at least one month and have a minimum of 50 posts at the time the Challenge is posted (sorry but no exceptions on this). Supporting Members can enter immediately, the time and post requirements are removed.

2. The only members eligible to vote are those with their names on the sign-up list - regardless of whether or not you have submitted an entry. The sign-up list will be posted in this thread.

3. This month’s voting will be password locked. Passwords will be sent by private message (via SMF conversations) to registered participants ONLY, so please check your messages when the voting begins.

4. A separate entry thread will be created and this is where you will post photos of your entry soap. Please do not post photos of your entry until the entry thread is opened. Post pictures of your entry soap only in the challenge entry thread.

Non-entry photos are always welcome and may be posted in the general challenge thread. The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (other than your entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members, and provide helpful hints you learned along the way.

5. Your soap must be made after the monthly challenge has been announced. However for this soap, it is ok to create the curls (embeds) from a previously made bar of soap.

6. In the spirit of advancing our soap making skills, all members who sign-up for a SMF Challenge do so with the expectation that they will make every attempt to make a soap for the challenge. Writing about your experience in the challenge is encouraged. By doing so, each participant has a better knowledge of your 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 not in the spirit of the challenges and is not allowed.

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

8. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please keep your comments polite.

* * * *
  • Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date.
  • Note: all times listed are Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and it is your responsibility to convert times to your own time zone.
  • The entry thread will open on February 20 (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
  • After the closing date on February 25 at 11:59 pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen by a voting survey. Voting will be open until February 27 at 11:59 pm GMT and the winner will be announced on February 28.
  • If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload pictures of your soap to the general challenge thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We always love to see anything you have created.
  • There is no prize attached to this challenge.
  • 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, 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.
  • If your soap was inspired by another maker, please give them credit.
* * * *

Specific Rules for this Challenge:

1. This month’s challenge is to create a soap using soap curls as embeds as the focal point of the design. Though you may incorporate other soap techniques to embellish your soap, the soap curls should be "the star of the show"

2. Your soap needs to be made after the challenge is announced, but you may use older bars of soap that you have in your stock to create the curls.

3. You may use any colour and combination of colours. You may use a slab mould or a loaf mould - often the slab mould lends itself to this design more than the loaf.

4. You may use HP, CP or M&P to create your soap.

5. Please submit at least two bars of soap in your entry photo.

If your soap was inspired by another maker, please also remember to give them credit.

Tips:

- A soap planer will create very thin soap ribbons
- A cheese slicer will create thicker soap curls
- You can also use a vegetable peeler
- You can peel either freshly made or older soap
- If your soap doesnt curl on its own, you can curl it around a pencil etc to help it

Some examples made in slab moulds:

diane-SC-624x623.jpeg

"Colourful Orbit" by seifenimglueck

katja-presentation-624x417.jpg

"Feu d'artifice" by absolut seife
ruth-color-624x624.jpeg

"Whimsicurls" by pottermadesoap

And a nice example using a loaf mould

https://soapchallengeclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/whitney-3rd-technique-624x624.jpg
And a video from Tellervo



Have fun, I can't wait to see what you come up with!
 
To sign up, please copy & paste the list into a new post, then add your name along with the next appropriate number.

Sign up list

1.
 
Last edited:
Wow, I never imagined you could do that much with soap curls! Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with this month.
 
Sign up list

1. Mx5inpenn - oooooh the possibilities
2. Catscankim - been wanting to make these
 
TD I'm sure. The Soap Challenge Club is almost always CP soap.
Thats gotta be one heck of a recipe then LOL. Maybe no hard oils? I dunno, I have learned the hard way that too much td makes it break, at least on the edges, or even just looks dry. I just threw away a bar that crumbled on the edge when removing it from the mold.

I will push td to its limit for sure and I have gotten burned a few times. But that is just so super white. I'm jealous LOL
 
Thats gotta be one heck of a recipe then LOL. Maybe no hard oils? I dunno, I have learned the hard way that too much td makes it break, at least on the edges, or even just looks dry. I just threw away a bar that crumbled on the edge when removing it from the mold.

I will push td to its limit for sure and I have gotten burned a few times. But that is just so super white. I'm jealous LOL
I think she probably has an instagram post that might give details. I can't remember if she uses lard or not, but lard, coconut and light colored oils make a pretty white base to start with. Also could be a white balance thing. Filters and alterations aren't allowed, but brightness and color adjustment to make the photo better match the actual colors are allowed.
 
Sign up list

1. Mx5inpenn - oooooh the possibilities
2. Catscankim - been wanting to make these
3. Nicolesica - this has been on my to-do list since Christmas
 
Ok you guys. I never lined my slab mold with freezer paper before. So i bought some, and watched Katie’s yt tutorial over and over last night to be sure I got it.

I guess I watched too many times, because I woke up this morning thinking that I had already lined my mold lol. How disappointing
 
Sign up list

1. Mx5inpenn - oooooh the possibilities
2. Catscankim - been wanting to make these
3. Nicolesica - this has been on my to-do list since Christmas
4. Mobjack - cultivated a concept, cut some cute curls, committed!
5. dmcgee5034 - I’ll give it a whirl… or a curl 😉🌸
6.
 
Sign up list

1. Mx5inpenn - oooooh the possibilities
2. Catscankim - been wanting to make these
3. Nicolesica - this has been on my to-do list since Christmas
4. Mobjack - cultivated a concept, cut some cute curls, committed!
5. dmcgee5034 - I’ll give it a whirl… or a curl 😉🌸
6. The_Phoenix - It's been a few years since I've done soap curls.
 
Thats gotta be one heck of a recipe then LOL. Maybe no hard oils? I dunno, I have learned the hard way that too much td makes it break, at least on the edges, or even just looks dry. I just threw away a bar that crumbled on the edge when removing it from the mold.

I will push td to its limit for sure and I have gotten burned a few times. But that is just so super white. I'm jealous LOL
Found that purified tallow with salt comes out beautiful white - no TD
 
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