Old Hippie

[View My TQS Profile sewso]

OK, I'm ready to get adventurous with hand dyed fabrics! I'll probably start with tie-dye since I'm an old hippy anyway! Silly question...what fabric do you use for dying? I would assume a good quality, unbleached muslin or sheeting? I would appreciate any input on tie-dying. It's been a long while since my tie died t-shirt days! How hard can it be?!

[View My TQS Profile bettyannseeman]

go to www.dharmatrading.com and you will find information, instruction and all the goodies you need to dye yourself into a stooper. beware this can and will become addictive. Have fun Betty

[View My TQS Profile Sharons440]

Ok, I will top the charts with stupidity. I too, am gathering all the information so I can do my own hand dyed fabrics (there is no place offering classes anywhere within reach of my home). So.......my stupid question....when one dyes their own fabric using unbleached muslin or sheeting do you get the same feel as what you buy in the LQS? I really love the feel of the LQS fabrics and want to achieve that in my own hand dyes.

Next question is how do you get the one color marbling type effect? I am not looking to start off with multi color fabric like the gorgeous fab's of Ricky's, but rather a palette of colors ranging from lights to darks.

All help is appreciated since I am going to learn this on my own. Oh, lastly for those of you who already dye, am I going to ruin my kitchen sink or bathtub doing this? (Need to know so DH doesn't kill me!!lol)

[View My TQS Profile sewso]

bettyannseeman, thanks for that great website...I just ordered their catalog. So much to learn! In my early days, I was into spinning and dyeing my own yarns for weaving, so fabric dyeing is new to me. I loved all of nature's bounty for dying wool, such as moss, lichen, walnut hulls, etc. I wonder, are there no natural products for fabric dyes?

sharons440, I think those are wonderful questions, not silly at all!
Now, here's one that will make you feel smart, off topic a bit. What the heck does LQS stand for? I see it used quite frequently here on the forum. I get the "Quilt Shop" part, but what does the L stand for?

[View My TQS Profile Soren2go]

bettyannseeman, thanks for that great website...I just ordered their catalog. So much to learn! In my early days, I was into spinning and dyeing my own yarns for weaving, so fabric dyeing is new to me. I loved all of nature's bounty for dying wool, such as moss, lichen, walnut hulls, etc. I wonder, are there no natural products for fabric dyes?

sharons440, I think those are wonderful questions, not silly at all!
Now, here's one that will make you feel smart, off topic a bit. What the heck does LQS stand for? I see it used quite frequently here on the forum. I get the "Quilt Shop" part, but what does the L stand for?

LQS stands for Local Quilt Shop, which of course we quilters try to support as much as possible.

[View My TQS Profile Sharons440]

Took me a while to figure out also. But stands for Local Quilt Store.

[View My TQS Profile sewso]

Of course...now, why couldn't I figure that one out? I support my wonderful LQS, too! In fact, I just came from there!

[View My TQS Profile bettyannseeman]

I would think the natural dyes for wool should also work on cotton. The Procion Fiber Reactive dyes work on any and all natural fibers like silk, rayon, cotton, cane for baskets, wool, of course human skin. By all means, try the natural dyes and see what happens. There in lies the fun. BettyAnn

[View My TQS Profile ipquilter]

"Old hippie"---that's cool. You know we're trendy again, right? Hip huggers and bell bottoms-I still don't have the body for them!

[View My TQS Profile pknord]

I took a class on this, and it's a good bit more complex than just dyeing some fabric in a Ziplock bag. It involved mixing up a gel substance, in a flat pan like a cake pan, then dropping some fabric paint on top of the gel, then "combing" it into patterns with something like an Afro hair pick, then laying the prepared fabric on top of the gel, where it absorbed the fabric paint, then rinsing, fixing, etc. The small pieces of fabric we made were beautiful, but I can see why hand-marbled fabrics are so expensive.

[View My TQS Profile ritzy]

Hi Sharon,
I went to the IQF-Chicago and heard some lectures on dyeing. I went home and played. The best way to learn is to play--BUT NOT IN THE TUB OR SINK. All dyeing cups, spoons, buckets, ect. should be designated as dyeing tools. Tell your family too.
I use any light fabric that has a good weave. I wouldn't suggest a cheap muslin since it is no fun to quilt with cheap fabric. The dyeing I did did NOT change the hand of the fabric.
After MUCH trial and error, I found that if you use a container that seems too small to put the fabric in and then DO NOT agitate the fabric too much after you put the dye in, you will get a mottled effect.
Good luck with your play (oh, play with fat quarter sized pieces until you get the effect you want).
ritzy

[View My TQS Profile Sharons440]

Hi All,
Guess I should give a little update on my adventures. All it took was for Justin to say 'don't do it' and I was off. I took the plunge into procion dyes after doing a brief stint with setacolor paints. I like the paints too, but oh my, the dyes are wonderful. I actually set up a spot in the garage, donned my mask & gloves, and went about doing it. Now I am finishing my first quilt top using my own dyed fabrics. I am in love with dying my own.

I went to Joanns and bought all the Kona white cotton they had when I had a 50% off coupon. Kona is the same fabric I bought from Dharma. Although Dharma's price is a good one, 50% off at Joanns for the same thing rocks! I also found that I could use a high quality muslin and not tell much difference from the kona. Except the price of course. I bought yards and yards of it. Now I am in the process of collecting the different color dyes, lots of yardage, and have even learned how to mix colors to get a more multi colored mottle look. The possibilities are endless.

I do have the occasional oops with the dye and get a blue finger or something, but have not found the 'mess' that Justin talks of to be. I suppose it could be, but I try to be somewhat careful. I have not found the dye to be a problem in the sinks or washer, but I don't do it in the kitchen sink either. The powder is fine and fly away as earlier mentioned.

Anyone who has a fabric fettish (which most quilters do) I highly recommend exploring the world of dying their own.

Sharon

[View My TQS Profile Kaijin]

The Procion Fiber Reactive dyes work on any and all natural fibers like silk, rayon, cotton, cane for baskets, wool, of course human skin.

It is my understanding that the Procion Fiber Reactive dyes do not work for silk or wool. They are indeed natural fibers, but are of animal, rather than plant, origins.

[View My TQS Profile bettyannseeman]

I have dyed all the items mentioned in the above quote. The colors from identical formulas are not always the same exact color but they all dye. I have the purple cuticles to prove it. There may be other dye methods that work better on these other items, but I don't want to invest in every chemical on the market. Try it yourself and have fun. Betty Ann