Dye Experiments Day Two Results
At the end of my first day of dyeing, I found a whole stack of fabric I had set aside to be dyed. Since I still had my supplies out, I went ahead and processed these eight yards. There were just a few differences:
- this fabric was soaked in the soda ash solution left over from the day before, and only soaked about 10 or 15 minutes instead of an hour.
- three of the dyes I used had been mixed the day before.
- I used 3 more colors of the Tumble Dye ( 2 shades of blue and a green).
- this fabric was left to bake in the sun as before, but the next day, not long after I had hung it on the line to dry, we had a rain shower. So it got rinsed at an earlier stage.
Experiments from Day Two.
Even more.
This one was dyed with Tumble Dyes.
This piece was pleated and then left to soak in a tray of excess dye.
An interesting portion and a change from all that blue!
Since it was already wet, I washed it with Synthrapol (1/4 cup to a laundry load), and then dried it in the dryer. I cut off two samples so I could compare before and after washing. It looks like I did lose a little intensity of color.
Unwashed on top, washed fabric on bottom.
I have ironed them with sizing spray and I like the look and hand better after ironing.
I am not sure what I will do with all these fabrics, but I think they will keep me busy inside during the hot days of summer.
Beautiful!
Thanks! I am enjoying this messy fun!
Have you tried batik with wax and other craziness?
I have two packages of soy wax but I haven’t tried it yet. My plan was that to try it on one of the light blue fabrics — put wax shapes on top and then overdye with a darker color. Have you done batik?
My friend did. Her hands turned interesting colors. Her work was very cool. She made a Jolly Roger. 🙂
Oh, my daughter would love that! My hands turned colors too — I wore gloves but they leaked. 🙂
🙂 When I oil paint, I can never resist getting it all over my hands. LOL
You just can’t handle brushes, etc. correctly with gloves on!
Love them!
Thanks! It’s good to step out of my usual style.
Oh, I love these!!! 🙂
Thanks! It’s fun to do some summer play-art, I feel like a kid! 🙂
Just remember, your dyed fabrics are a means to an end, not the end by themselves. All too often I pull my stack out and can’t bring myself to cut them, so I pet them and put them back. So, do as I say, not as I do. Since many of your pieces are large, they might be great for quilt backs or foundations for applique work. I can see cutting up the more patterned ones and setting them as mirror images. Whatever you do with them, I hope you are properly impressed with your work.
Yes, Ma’am! If you say to be impressed, I will!
I do think I will be able to cut into them though, and I am also planning to try some small whole-cloth quilts. Also, I am noticing some Rorschach-type images in them and I think I might do a series of small quilts, just based on those images. So artsy!
In the first photo, first sheet of fabric on the left I can see a man’s head in the middle and his left are reaching out to call someone to him. I like the colors on that one the best or rather tied with the next one. You can make so many beautiful things of these.
Yes, I keep seeing faces and all kinds of things in them too! I feel some art coming on! 🙂
So much creative potential………much dreaming in you future!!!!!
In the first photo I LOVE the last on the right, looks like velveteen! That is a lot of fabric!!!
They looked really good when they were still damp. I think that one still looks pretty dark and intense, but I may have to do some kind of finishing treatment to get a rich look.
I have to have a lot so I can bear to cut it up and do something with it. If I only had one or two pieces, I would agonize over the “perfect” use for that piece. 🙂
I love the colors and random patterns produced by tie-dye. I have a friend that hosts a tie-dye party in her driveway once a year. We all have fun trying new techniques. I turned one of my dyes into a simple, summer table cloth. It will be fun to see what you do with these pieces.
That table cloth would be cute, and it might be fun to do it on one of the old damask table cloths I have. I got them at an auction for 17 cents each, and they had a few spots, which the dye would cover up. I will have to try it!
Oh, what a great idea! 17 cents…wow. You can’t beat that price.
Yes, I was very lucky one time to be at an auction with tubs and tubs of linens, and only one other interested buyer! We both went home with bargains. It will take me years to use them all, but that doesn’t stop me from looking at more! 🙂
It’s kind of addictive, isn’t it?
I reallly like the ones dark blue and purple, like the first image on the right and the one behind it.
Isn’t it just the way of cotton that the colour can never be as brilliant as on silk and wool?
It would be fun to do some dyeing on some silk noil, and blend both textures in one piece. I think that has to be a different series of dyes.
Here I thought I was done with dyeing but y’all keep giving me more ideas!
I like these even better!
Amazing…eye appealing.
Ahh, all the possibilities…I love them! You may think you lost some intensity on that one fabric, but I think you just gained another piece of beautiful fabric to work with. Yes, staying inside this time of year is a must…out early in morning and late in evening to water and that’s it for me.
I like the blue pleated sheet.