I love fabric dyeing!
I was looking at the fabric I have for sale on my ebay shop and the fabric that flew off the shelf and knew I had to replace....woohoo!!
Which colours was the question, as I'm walking my dog through the wildflower meadow in my local park! Ah yes meadow colours! Buff no brainer!
So here we go kitchen and diner transformation...ta da....chemistry lab!
No really everything has to get covered by a cover, as the dyes get everywhere!
My complicated and expensive tools (!)
Although the metal measuring spoons and the thermometer are essential and a brilliant buy as they make ME more accurate in my measurements!
I use 100% cotton calico PDF ready to dye fabric. The fabric is steeping in warm water to open the fibres to take the dye.
Keeping an eye on the temperature of the water, it should be around 110 degrees to add to the powder dye.
Yes they are soup pots! Here they dye is measured and mixed. I try to keep the dye off my hands with gloves (never lasts!).
Stir, mix, stir, mix and stir and mix again....seriously it needs to have no un-dissolved lumps as this causes colour spotting. Although if the fabrics for me I like the effect!
Close up of the yellow dye.
Fabric is then squished into the pot. I like this method as you get a mottled pattern rather than full immersion solid all over colour.
This is left in for an hour exactly....time for swat team to clean area ready for the rinsing.
Purple hands! Did pretty well this time...used two pair of gloves!
Here are the lovelies after the rinsing. Rinsing is not fave thing! Loads of rinsing, both hand and machine. I recon it probably takes 2 or 3 hours of constant rinsing to make sure all the loose dye is out.
I do like pressing tho as you get to see the mottling patterns...a very satisfying feeling and strangely worrying too...is there enough light/medium/dark tones? Has the colour split?
And then I have to photograph them....I cannot get the depth of colour right or manage to show the range of hues or patterning to do them justice....
Even so they still look beautiful and make me smile (weird person I know!).
I really must research into taking better photo's.
Catch you next time and thanks for reading,
Jacqui
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