Today I did some more fabric dyeing. But I had bought a few polos on clearance (aka really cheap!) and one of them was white. It isn't white anymore.
Funny thing though, the thread it was sewn with is still stark white. It didn't take the dye at all.
The next pieces looked very interesting before they were washed.
But afterward, they lost a lot of intensity.
The one below was also wonderful and vivid before it was washed...but now is kind of pastel. I am sure I will find a use for it.
Finally, this one looks almost as good after washing as it did wet.
The shibori lines show nicely and the color is good.
I can tell that I need to invest in some fiber reactive/procion dyes if I want to get intense colors. Or better yet, I have a birthday at the end of this month if anyone wants to send me some procion dyes. (ha ha) I already have the soda ash that is used as a fixative; I use it for making laundry detergent.
10 comments:
I saw something recently on a blog about having to heat-set the dyes before you wash the fabrics, so the color stays pretty intense. Truthfully, though, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to it as I knew I wasn't going to be doing that. I like what you did today, but I can understand that there are times you are going to want more vivid colors. LOVE the shirt!
There you GO again.....playing, playing. The answer to your question is YES..wear the shirt! GOD will smile!
I think you had too much fun today. I even like the pastels. I have your birthday on my calendar. . . .
I love your dyeing. We use procion dyes and do lots of heat and vinegar setting to retain the colour. It's messy but so much fun.
Thanks for dropping by my blog... I found yours quite interesting! Good luck with the dyeing.
I was just gong to mention like Pat, did you think of ironing it first or getting some kind of wash to set the dyes?? Looks good, that last one is awesome.
I've never done this, but it does look like fun! The ones with the most contrast are great.
Some great adventures in dyeing Gene- The shirt turned out great- I wonder why the thread did not take?
I am sure you will create some lovely quilts from the dyeing adventure. I really like the last one too.
Regards,
Anna
I've had questionable results with dye myself. Back when I was dying yarn they said to put a tin can in with the dye bath to make the dye set. That was back in the 80's thou. I've heard wonderful things about the procion dies. The pastel fabrics are very pretty but the last one is killer. I am trying to find a marker that I can draw on fabric with that won't fade when washing - still hunting for that.
my guess would be the thread didn't take because it has some synthetic in it.
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