Catching Up - Maybe

[auroraceleste]

Intro Section on Dye Types and Sampling to add to Yesterday's Article

First, we'll start with what dyes I used to write these tutorials. I use a lot of Rit Dye, because it's cheap and available at my local stores. If you watch JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby they'll have sales of the boxes for $1.00, which makes them even cheaper and easy to experiment on. Also, they can work somewhat with synthetics if you use the stovetop synthetic method. My next favorite dye is the Procion Fiber Reactive dyes from Dharma. There's a lot more colors, but they're still relatively cheap and very easy to use. They give great colors on cotton, and I've had good results with silks, too (although Darma warns that Acid dyes are better for silks and fiber reactive dyes will be a different color on silk than they would on cotton). I've also used Jacquard's Acid Dyes from Dharma, but they smell really funny, and they don't dye cotton well, so I generally dye everything with RIT or Procion. So what type should you start with? Here's a great tutorial on a great dye site to help you pick what kind of dye to use.



Dye Links
http://www.fabrics.net/DizzyLettuceArticle.asp
http://www.costumes.org/ADVICE/1pages/dyepaintlinks.htm
http://www.masterstech-home.com/The_Sewing_Room/Articles/FabricDyeSafety.html
http://www.dharmatrading.com/
http://www.dylon.co.uk/main.htm
http://www.ritdye.com/
http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Fabric/FabricDyeing.htm
http://quilt.com/FAQS/FabricDyingFAQ.html
http://www.thecraftstudio.com/heddi/dying.htm

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing.shtml
^Great site!!



Washing Machine Dying
Tools needed:

Water
Fabric - not so much that it has to be seriously wadded up to fit in the machine. It really depends on the thickness of the fabric, but I think the most med. weight I've ever dyed is 10 yards. More of really thin lining fabrics like china silk, less of heavies like velvet
Dye
Salt
Laundry Detergent - dye and scent free. Synthrapol is the best, because it leaves no residues, but you can substitute any other.
Cup - glass or steel to mix the dye in
Spoon - short tablespoon
Washing Machine

First, my washing machine recommendation. A top-loading machine is a must. A side-loader would get spotty results. Also, my instructions depend on you having a machine that has cycles you can stop and start in the middle. I think you could probably adapt these instructions if you don't have that kind of machine, but be aware that you'll have to try it out and change some things.

Now for the dangerous part. THIS IS THE MOST SCARY PART OF THIS TUTORIAL. Don't do this if you are a under 18, live with people who are under 18 or elderly, or don't have control of your own gas and water.

Go find your house's water heater. This is the big rocket-looking thing that makes the water hot. Find its temperature guage. Note what it's set at. If necessary take a big, colorful sharpie and mark the usual spot. Then go find everyone who's going to be in your house for the next 10 hours. Tell them NOT to use the hot water at all, because it's going to be hot. Be sure they understand what you're saying, not watching TV or playing Final Fantasy and just nodding. Then go back to the water heater. Turn it up. I turn it up as far as possible. Then give the heater an hour or so to do its thing.

Why do we do this? Fabric dyes better with hotter water. So if you can make your washer's water hotter, your fabric will dye better. However, this will also make the tap water hotter, thus my cautions. If you have any reasons not to do this, DON'T. Your fabric will still dye, just not as quickly.

Then go back to your washer. Put in your fabric. Wash it on hot with the detergent. Let it rinse and spin, then take it out of the washer and put it in a clean laundry basket. Meanwhile, start another hot load, the biggest load your washer allows. Let it fill, but stop it before it agitates or as it just starts. Add in 2 containers of salt, then let it agitate a minute or so. Meanwhile get out your dye. Measure the powder into the cup. Add in a tiny bit of water, slowly so that it doesn't puff out or splash. Mash the water into the dye with the spoon, making a thick paste with no lumps. Slowly add in more water, stirring constantly so that you don't get lumps or dye sludge. When the cup is 1/2-3/4 of the way full and the dye is liquid, not paste, you can add it into the washer. First, start the agitation, then pour the dye in and watch until the water is all dye colored. Then stop the agitation. Now it's time for the fabric! Try to flatten out the fabric and add it all as quickly as possible without wadding it up. Start the agitation immediately and let it work. I usually stop the agitation right before it drains and start it again, for an overall agitation of 15-20 minutes. If you're swatching for a certain color, just cut some extra pieces of your fabric. I safety pin them to cotton strings so they don't get lost, then throw them in on top of the fabric. When the color is right, you can turn your washer to drain, then rinse. After a cycle, wash your fabric again on hot, this time with detergent. If the final rinse still has dye in it then wash again until the rinse is clear. Then transfer your fabric to the dryer or hang to dry.

Cleanup is much easier with this method. Run a clean, full load with just bleach water, or bleach out some old towels (this is when I do our kitchen rags). Use an old rag dipped in the bleach water to clean any bleach splashes on the washer lid or top of the tub. Also, remember to go back and turn the water heater down again. This is very important! Then dry and enjoy your newly dyed fabric!

Comments

[bovil.livejournal.com]

Procion dyes are designed to react with cellulose fiber (cotton, linen, rayon). Yes, they work with most natural fiber.

Acid dye is designed to react with protein fiber (silk, wool, feathers!!!) and surprisingly works on nylon too.

I actually prefer to do vat dying in a large bucket (if the fabric quantities are small enough), because it allows me to just use a kettle or two of boiling water to keep the temperature up.