It's fun how soap makers will take inspiration from nature, from art, or just their wild imaginations. The "column swirl" method of soap making was originally inspired by a
Facebook Video of a painter using this technique. Debbie Chialtas of
SoapyLove passed on the clip on her
SoapyLove Facebook page and we all were amazed - and we all thought "Gee...if only we could do that with soap!" Texas soapmaker Amanda Griffin took the plunge, tried it, and posted the results on her
Lovin' Soap blog. I got to see Margie Lemons of
Hill Country Haiku, one of the most skilled soap swirlers I know do it in person in
a demo on the column swirl method at the
Lone Star Soap & Toiletries gathering.
So I had to try it for myself. For the batch in these photos I used 6 colors. I had round columns rather than star-shaped, and I poured at a really light trace which gave me less defined swirls, but more of a tie-dyed look.
For a real step-by-step look at this process, check out the photo gallery I created of this project - Column Swirl Soap Making Photo Gallery.
For a more traditional "in-the-mold" swirl, not using columns, check out Four Color In-the-Mold Soap Swirl
