go for it, Lotti! It's so much fun- whether you like to play around or be scientific about it, there's another universe of fabric waiting to be made. I've got yards of dyed fabric, have only used a little bit of it. It's so beautiful, though, sometimes i just get it out and sort through it. Post a photo of some of your fabric after your class, I'd love to see it. Kathy

taking a dying course on the 24th - can't wait - and now something else to find time for )

Glad you like it, Kathy! I look forward to seeing what you get into!

Margo wrote:
Margo, that site is to die for! I love seeing how people dye their fabrics, what a treat to look over her site! I'm starting to think that dyeing fabrics and quilting the quilt are my two most favorite parts of working with fabric. Just looking at her photos of her gradations and variegated/tie dye fabric gives me so many ideas. Thank you for trolling the internet to find us these marvelous places to go, keep posting them, I love it!
Kathy

PosyP wrote:
amen to that, Rosemary!

Great info Margo, and the sort of solution that I like, toss the fabric in hot soapy water, give it a prod, poke it down, and then leave it to it's own devices overnight, quick spin in the washing machine - all done!
Sure beats having to stand over a sink rinsing and rinsing and rinsing the fabric until you are bored ****less and it is still running colour.

Thanks Margo!

Margo thanks for this info. I got the synthrapol in the post today so I just have to re-quilt the quilt and then I am going to try it. But I will never use any fabric again without pre-washing it. Lesson learned!

Rita.

I just read this post by Vicki Welsh, who hand dyes fabric for her customers: http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/field_trips_in_fiber/2011/09/star-struck.html

This is in response to someone who wanted to pre-wash bleeding fabric.


Well, for another opinion, I'll share what I've learned fabric dyeing. Here's what I would do with it (and have done, many times, with commercial fabrics). First, I never use Ratayne primarily because it contains formaldehyde. If you have any sensitivities to formaldehyde, you will have problems with Retayne. The thing that I have found with fabric is that it's the length of time it's exposed to water that is just as important as the heat.

Put the fabric in a big basin/tub/sink/bucket or whatever container is big enough to hold the fabric and enough water to cover it completely.
Add some soap (Dawn or synthrapol). Honestly, almost any soap will do. For a quilt back I'd use about 1/4 cup.
Pour over boiling water and make sure it's enough to cover the fabric by a few inches. It's important to have enough water so err on the side of too much.
Use a stick or something to agitate the fabric so that the soap is distributed through the water.
Get some plastic bin lids or something that you can place on top of the fabric with weights (containers of water) so that ALL of the fabric is under water.
Leave it overnight. This is the most important step. It's the time that the fiber is exposed to water that eventually makes the excess dye release from the fabric. It's a waste of water to wash a fabric over and over until the water runs clear. It doesn't matter that the water gets dark, it's still working on the fibers.
Drain the water and run the fabric through a normal wash cycle without soap. You are really just giving it two good rinses.

If the fabric still runs after this, throw it out! Honestly, I'd just repeat the process again but I've never had a fabric run after this treatment.

Thanks for the link Margo - I know this will come in useful! Rita.

Great blog post, and did you see the rest of her site? I was in awe seeing her quilts. Why haven't I heard of her??? That red applique quilt was exquisite. Thanks for steering us to her. Kathy

I just found this great blog explaining how to pre-test red fabrics to avoid later heartbreak when they bleed on your finished quilt!

http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/2011/08/getting-ready-with-reds.html