I have dyed my own fabrics with natural things found in my own garden, onion skins, leaves, Walnut skins (the best) Gumnuts or bark etc. Great fun, a bit smelly in the kitchen, I usually work in small batches and I set with salt vinegar and soda or mordants bought from a craft supply shop. Then heat set. It is always a bit hit and miss but that is what I like about it! Natural dying costs nothing basically and the colours are never really bright always soft and subtle, as long as you are prepared for that, however if you keep over dying you can intensify the colour. My colours are always from nature/natural things.

Gal

Okay then, come tax return time I'm going to invest. Since my REAL background is as an artist I believe I can do this. I've mixed paints for years so mixing dyes can't be that much different. Well, yes it can but the concept and results are the same.

I seldom mix colors because they have sooo many to choose from, I do sometimes over dye, one color then another.
here's a picture of my WOW to yellow, it's hard to photograph, my camera kept saying unable to focus, maybe I should have ironed it first! LOL

I haven't dyed fabric (yet), but I love to paint, print, stamp, discharge, collagraph and just generally play with surface design on both PFD (prepared for dyeing) and commercial fabrics. Pretty much anything you can do with paper, you can do with fabric.

I have dyed where we did 7 or 8 graduations of a color. it was fun but a lot of work. Don't think I am up to it anymore.

Thank you Kathy for posting the pictures :D:D:D
I LOVE how that turns out!!!

I thought the "stamped" part of the WOW may turn out that way... now I Know :D:D:D

There are some really great classes on fabric dyeing (dying is something else altogether!) and painting given at Quilt University. It's a wonderful place to try new things at a low cost and no travel at all. :) I took the Playing with Paint class from Lyric Kinard and learned so many new techniques I'll be busy playing for years! Here's the link to the class catalog. http://www.quiltuniversity.com/catalog.htm

I read a wonderful blog that the lady does art quilts and dyes ALL her own fabric. She has a great tutorial on her web:

http://www.fibermania.blogspot.com/

That is so pretty. What do you mean by WOW?

White on White fabric :wink:

I had forgotten all about bookmarking this site... it is a good one on fabric dyeing

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/instructions.shtml