Originally Posted by
GrannieAnnie
What dying method are you using? I've still not used the fabric reactive dye. I have some here, just haven't used it yet.
This was my first time dyeing fabric. Our host Dorothy was the one teaching us how to do it and she was using a book her sister sent her called The New Color Wheel Fabric Dyeing by Kathy Widger.
I have had dyes and other materials here at the house that I was suppose to use last summer and it was just to hot here to be out there in the heat dyeing fabrics and of course holidays came and went. Weather is cool this time of year so now I've started doing it.
1) Preferred to use "prepared for dyeing fabric" however you can use any 100% cotton washed to get sizing out.
2) Place fabrics in what is called "ash water" for 30 minutes.....
3) Use color wheel in the book to chose your colors and using plastic cups and buckets prepare your colors...enough to cover the material. Most of us used the 16 oz plastic cups you can get in grocery stores, Walmart, etc. Empty and clean coffee can made of plastic are also good. If you want to dye more than a yard of one fabric in one color use larger plastic buckets, cans, whatever.
4) Once you have your colors prepared place fat quarters or larger in appropriate containers and leave there for at least one hour. If you want it to have multicolors ruffle up the pieces and roll and place tightly in containers. NO THIS IS NOT tye dye. Tye Dye uses rubber bands along the way to get the effects of tye dye.
5) When hour is up take other plastic buckets and fill with water and place like fabrics in it to get rid of excess dyes such as blues/greens; .... reds/yellows,oranges... etc. Leave it for about 30 minutes or so then go back out there and continue adding new water until you get it clear. EVERY PIECE MUST HAVE IT CLEAR WATER COMING to make sure all dyes are out of it...excess dye that is before washing to set colors in permanent. If this step is not done most likely when you do wash it will bleed.
Those are the steps we used.
If you want solid rich colors throughout the piece you will not ruffle it and roll it. You will simply put it in the buckets and make sure there is enough coloring dye to cover it.
Personally I want to get into Batik dying and have ordered materials to learn to do that. With Batik dying waxes are used along with the dyes and the process is somewhat different.