Two more

I have tried a few different dyes including Dylon dyes and Procion MX Fibre reactive dyes and the Procion dyes are by far the more intense ones. Low water immersion dying is the easiest. As Limbania says you only need the three primary colours to start with – yellow, blue and red – then you can mix all the other colours from them. I like the golden yellow, turquoise and magenta the best. You also need salt and soda ash or washing soda. I dye in lots of different containers that I have recycled like plastic yoghurt cartons, glass jars, and large plastic tumblers, tall or squat. Really anything that holds fabric, oblong and rectangles ones are good as well. I sometimes use plastic freezer bags and put them in a cat litter try but now find that squashing them into a jam jar or taller container gets some terrific patterns especially using all three colours.

A really good book is Color by Accident by Ann Johnston

I've been curious and wanting to dye fabrics for a while but it wasn't until this past May when a LQS offered a hand dye class that I got into it. Was a great class and so worth it. I learned the low immersion or "scrunch" method using plastic bags. I use fiber reactive dyes and PFD (prepared for dying) cotton twill or muslin, find it at Joan's and use the 40-50 % off coupon. I speed up the process with heat. That's one advantage of living in hot sunny Arizona. 15-30 min. after adding the dye to the fabric I discard the excess dye and add soda ash/chemical water to fix (set) the color and salt water to keep the color bright. Then I let it sit outside in the sun for 45-60 min. Then discard that solution, rinse in cold water 2-3 times and add hot water and white vinegar, let it sit for 10-15 min and rinse in cold water. Put the fabric in the washer with a mild cleanser (orvus paste) on a regular cycle and use white vinegar as fabric softener. Put the fabric in the dryer on the damp dry setting. Finish drying it with the iron on cotton setting and voilà. I've got great results following this steps and so far haven't had any issues with bleeding at all. I do the dying in my kitchen sink. All utensils and containers are designated for hand dyeing only. So far I have used only the three colors (turquoise, fuchsia and lemon yellow) and make my own mixes.

PosyP wrote:
I like this idea and I'm all for it. Like Maureen said, mostly what I do with my hand dyes is admire them, pet them and wonder if I'll have the courage to cut them since they're so beautiful and unique (sigh).

I'm also listening and very intrigued... Took a dying course last autumn and wanted to have another go, but time just isn't on my side... Work and Xmas creeping up on me... But would so love to exchange a home dyed fabric or a few...

Terrie, batiks should technically be dyed in multi layers using a resistant such as wax to make the patterns, this is just a very short explanation of it, but hand dying doesn't a batik make ( although they are often placed together in shops...). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik

http://www.wikihow.com/Batik
http://www.craftbits.com/project/how-to-batik-dye
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/howtobatik.shtml

I'll keep listening !

I hope this doesn't happen quite as fast as the Chinese Whisper Challenge. I think I would want to do it on a very small scale and see how it turned out for me before I'd exchange. I haven't done any for myself and I think I'd need to try it first. But I think Rosemary's idea sounds like extremely great fun.

I think dying is cool, but I'll pass on the dying exchange. I've done a little bit of it, but didn't feel comfortable putting the leftovers into my septic system so have decided that it's not for me. It's supposed to be fine, but I just didn't feel good about it. And I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied without picking up another activity! But I definitely want to see any creations made in one of those exchanges!!

Nancy

Oh dear my finger slipped and I seem to have ordered some Pebeo Setacolour discovery pack from Rainbow Silks.

I saw Deborah O'Hare at FOQ and she recommended these and has tutorials on her website.

No idea but like the idea of a fabric swap as well Terrie that will make me get started, I'll exchange with you.

Thank you for the tips people. I remember some of what you said to me at Harrogate Rosemary so I'm going to get some dylon and raid Asda to get me started and will probably get a friend or two to play too.

Rosemary - another brilliant idea! I'm in for swapping dyed fabrics. That will give me the motivation and then we could all make something with all the dyed fabric. How about a FQ for each person?

Technical question: Does 'dyed fabric" become "batik", because it is hand-dyed? See how much I hafta learn?

Thank you, Maureen, for providing the links for fabric in UK. I know Rainbow Silks but not the others. It's quite a bit cheaper if you can get the things in Europe

twiglet wrote:
Wendy, I do my own dyeing in the kitchen in the winter and the garage in the summer. In the kitchen I make sure there is plenty of plastic sheets and towels around the area. All the utensils like jugs, spoons and measuring tools are only used for dyeing. I get my Procion dyes from Kemtex in Chorley (Stuart is very helpful, and PFD (Prepared for Dyeing) cotton from Whaley’s in Bradford. I use one called Delphina in section C but any 100% cotton is fine even Asda 100% cotton sheets. These are both in the UK. You can get dye kits lots of places like Rainbow Silks, just google it.

It is messy at the start but once you do it you learn not to make a mess. I did a few courses on dyeing on Quilt University years ago and learned a lot and had to buy my fabric from the USA as I did not know of Whaley's. Books help but actually doing it is much better. We hold classes in dyeing at the Studio (part of the LLQS) a lot of times and we get groups from all over the place coming for a few days at a time, as there is a Premier Inn nearby. Email me if you want to know more.

Dyeing - easiest fabric to use is 100% cotton, doesn't need lots of technical equipment - you can use ziplock bags and a packet or 2 of Dylon & salt. A large tray/roasting tin to stack the bags in is sensible. Chuck it & duck technique works great, if you want a more even finish keep agitating the fabric in the dye solution for 15-30 minutes (you don't need to put your hands in the dye, just massage the fabric through the plastic bag) Or you could get technical and do fancy pleating/stitching/tying or clamping before you toss the fabric in the dye bath(bag). The hardest part is the waiting - ie leaving it to soak in a few hours, and then leaving it in the rinse water for a couple of days (recommended for the avoidance of bleeding!), before drying & ironing - always a wonderful part.

As Maureen says it can be tricky to bring yourself to cut into them sometimes because they are unique each and every one

Here is an idea - how about we all dye up some fabric, and then send it to someone else to cut into and make up and then get it sent back to the original dyer? or is that just getting too ambitious?