If you wonder what Tall Skinny Shimmy is, it is the wall pour technique which became the theme of this month’s Soap Challenge Club. Amy Warden and Tatsiana Serko introduced the technique to the club members and thanks to them, there will be another series of unique and beautiful soaps created by the members of the Challenge Club.
Though the wall pour is an amazingly simple technique, there are countless designs which you can create by using it. Depending on the color scheme, the angle and number of individual color pourings, the level of trace, etc. one can create patterns reminiscent of waves, dunes, gently rolling hills, flower petals, snow-covered meadows, fancy Christmas trees, and this is to name just a few. With so many options to choose from, it took me over ten days to decide on the design of my soap. And guess what? I could not stop at just one soap. I made four different soaps but two of them are still two soft to cut. This technique has made me a happy “Tall-Skinny-Shimmy pour” addict.
My entry for this month’s Challenge.
Tall Skinny Shimmy
My fascination with contour/pencil lines in soap started soon after I began making soap and for almost ten years now I have been looking for ways to incorporate lines in most of the soaps I make. This month again, I debated whether to go for a gradual change in color from the bottom to the top of the soap or to incorporate lines for some more interest. I solved the problem by finding inspiration in cake decoration. I enjoy looking at cakes better than eating them and have assembled a photo collection on Pinterest on the sole purpose of enjoying the beautiful visual appearance of those pieces of art 🙂
Tall Skinny Shimmy soap
I am happy to say that this is indeed an upgrade in my wall-pouring skills. Three years ago, I made a wall-pour soap in white, green and red but the color contrast was not strong enough to bring out the pattern. Since then, and thanks to a large part to Amy’s Challenges, I have become more confident of using strong solid colors. For this challenge, I used Rustic Essentuals’ Buttercup Yellow mica, Blackstar Red mica and Icicle mica. The soap is scented with Lemon Slices FO, which I found at Rustic Essentuals and which never accelerated trace or discolored the soap.
I used mica-in-oil swirl for the top but forgot to take pictures of it. Taking the pics at 6 in the morning sure helps you forget a thing or two (sigh & smile).
Thank you both Tatsiana and Amy for the wonderful theme!
Maya
Beautiful, good job!
Thank you Diane.
Beautiful soap! I love the fine lines and variations of thickness in the pour.
Great job!!
Sly
Thank you so much Sly.
So perfectly worked and such a delicate soap! Love it!
I still have to make mine this evening, i hope the kids let me do it 😉
Thank you Natalia. I am very much looking to seeing your creation for this challenge!
Really pretty, Maya! The lines are definitely fascinating – accentuating the shimmy of the soap. I bet this one smells amazing too! Love your theme! Thank you for your kind words about the challenges. Makes all the work definitely worth it!
Thank you back Amy!
Your lines are amazing, Maya! Very, very lovely soap.
Thank you Debbie. I am quite happy with how the lines turned out 🙂
So pretty indeed! I have to make pictures and publish a new post. But this is not the day really… So sad.
Your soap really stands out and is very pretty! Good luck!
Thank you Thoma!
Valerie, I very much hope that you, your family and friends are safe! My thoughts are with all the people affected by this terrible accident. Stay safe!
I see many experiments in my future…I love the lines. They change an interesting technique into a spectacular looking bar!
Thank you RA Soapworks. I am happy to know that you are willing to experiment with lines! I will be very much looking forward to seeing your beautiful creations!
Maya, I love this design! The colors contrast so beautifully, and I love the thinner stripes.
Thanks Teressa!!
Maya, So beautiful- I love the thin lines between the layers. This is a brilliant design!
Thanks J! I am happy the soap turned this way and the lines accentuate the s-line!
Beautiful design, Maya- I love the strong lines!
Thank you so much Beverly!
Absolutely fantastic job, Maya! Please, oh please will you possibly share how you achieved such thin lines in between each segment? Your technique is similar to what I had pictured in my head but all I got is big, fat, ugly blobs!
Thank you so much unlimabun. I am glad other soapers like contour lines too! You need to start pouring even before your batter reaches trace. If you stick-blend your soap, you need to have it emulsified but not traced. Starting pouring before your soap reaches trace (or at a very light trace, if you have somewhat blended it a bit too much) is the first step. The second one, with your contour color, you need to “go” just once along the wall and use a small amount of soap while pouring. Even a little soap poured along the wall will “stretch” (given your batter has not reached trace yet or is still at a very light trace) when you pour the next color on top. I hope this is helpful but if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask.
Happy soaping!
Thank you so much for sharing that information! I’m going to have to keep making batches until I get that result!
I love the lines! I will have to try this. Beautiful soaps Maya. Thanks for sharing the technique with us too.!
Thank you Eva. I am happy to share some information. After all, these challenges are all about sharing experiences 🙂
Great job! I love how you layered your pencil lines. I’ve been experimenting a lot with this as well in my soaps these past few months – getting better and better about reaching the right trace, though sometimes it’s …elusive. 😉
I love your ‘Lemon & Ice’ soap, it looks just like a piece of lemon cake! Thank you for sharing your experience!