Primrose
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- Apr 23, 2017
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Welcome to the October 2021 SMF Soap Challenge! This month's challenge is technique based - the butterfly hanger swirl.
The butterfly swirl was created by Zahida of Handmade in Florida soaps. It involves an initial drop swirl pour, followed by a hanger swirl in a particular pattern. When cut, two bars placed side by side in a mirror image will resemble a butterfly's wings.
Please note that there are some talented soapers that create a similar soap without using a hanger. For the purposes of this challenge you must use a drop swirl and hanger.
Begin by pouring your base colour - about a third into the bottom of your mould. Colours for your butterfly wings are then poured in a drop swirl fashion (hold the pouring jug high so it breaks through the soap batter layer), alternating colours.
Note that some soapers pour all the colours down one side of the mould, whereas the techniques creator pours in the middle and all over the mould. For the purposes of this challenge, either method is acceptable.
When your mould is full, use a hanger with multiple concentric circles to create the butterfly pattern.
Again, different soapers use different hanger patterns, it doesn't matter which you use. Some examples are included at the end of this post.
Below are a couple of videos of the swirl to demonstrate, firstly from its creator Zahida and secondly from Holly at Kapia Mera
Please read the general rules (there have been some changes lately, so really, PLEASE READ THEM) and the challenge specific rules below and let’s have some soapy fun!
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.
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 interrupt our plans, 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.
The entry thread will open on October 24 at 8am GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
After the closing date on October 28 at 11:59pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. Voting will be open from October 28-30 and the winner will be announced on October 31. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload pictures of your soap onto the general challenge thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We always love to see anything you have created.
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.
* * * *
Specific Rules for this Challenge:
1. You must use a hanger to create the butterfly swirl
2. You must use at least three colours for your butterfly plus a base colour - four colours in total
3. Include at least 2 bars of soap from your batch, arranged in a mirror image to display the butterfly
4. Include with your entry a picture of the pattern you used for your hanger swirl
Tips for success with this technique
- use a well behaving fragrance oil, soap cold, blend only to emulsion before you add fragrance and colour as you have several colours and layers to get through.
- pouring at medium trace will help keep the colours in the butterfly defined and prevent them from bleeding into one another
- you may use anything as your hanger, I use a normal plastic coated wire coat hanger in its original shape. Others use them bent into a U shape. Many people use gear ties instead of a hanger at all.
Here are some suggestions of hanger pattern. You can follow any of these, or do your own - the only thing is to keep a copy of what you did, to submit with your entry photo.
Soap making essentials
Tatsiana (Steso)
The butterfly swirl was created by Zahida of Handmade in Florida soaps. It involves an initial drop swirl pour, followed by a hanger swirl in a particular pattern. When cut, two bars placed side by side in a mirror image will resemble a butterfly's wings.
Please note that there are some talented soapers that create a similar soap without using a hanger. For the purposes of this challenge you must use a drop swirl and hanger.
Begin by pouring your base colour - about a third into the bottom of your mould. Colours for your butterfly wings are then poured in a drop swirl fashion (hold the pouring jug high so it breaks through the soap batter layer), alternating colours.
Note that some soapers pour all the colours down one side of the mould, whereas the techniques creator pours in the middle and all over the mould. For the purposes of this challenge, either method is acceptable.
When your mould is full, use a hanger with multiple concentric circles to create the butterfly pattern.
Again, different soapers use different hanger patterns, it doesn't matter which you use. Some examples are included at the end of this post.
Below are a couple of videos of the swirl to demonstrate, firstly from its creator Zahida and secondly from Holly at Kapia Mera
Please read the general rules (there have been some changes lately, so really, PLEASE READ THEM) and the challenge specific rules below and let’s have some soapy fun!
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.
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 interrupt our plans, 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.
The entry thread will open on October 24 at 8am GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
After the closing date on October 28 at 11:59pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. Voting will be open from October 28-30 and the winner will be announced on October 31. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload pictures of your soap onto the general challenge thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We always love to see anything you have created.
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.
* * * *
Specific Rules for this Challenge:
1. You must use a hanger to create the butterfly swirl
2. You must use at least three colours for your butterfly plus a base colour - four colours in total
3. Include at least 2 bars of soap from your batch, arranged in a mirror image to display the butterfly
4. Include with your entry a picture of the pattern you used for your hanger swirl
Tips for success with this technique
- use a well behaving fragrance oil, soap cold, blend only to emulsion before you add fragrance and colour as you have several colours and layers to get through.
- pouring at medium trace will help keep the colours in the butterfly defined and prevent them from bleeding into one another
- you may use anything as your hanger, I use a normal plastic coated wire coat hanger in its original shape. Others use them bent into a U shape. Many people use gear ties instead of a hanger at all.
Here are some suggestions of hanger pattern. You can follow any of these, or do your own - the only thing is to keep a copy of what you did, to submit with your entry photo.
Soap making essentials
Tatsiana (Steso)
). Not sure though if I find the inner calm (and curing rack space) to justify another challenge – particularly since it seems that a few test runs might be very appropriate for this one.
.
