Monday, November 17, 2008

More IDye Results

I played with the IDyes again today. For my first batch I tried another experiment. I filled my utility sink with enough water to just barely cover all the fabric and I added the salt. I mixed two colors of IDye with water in separate mixing cups. I just sprinkled in a small amount of the dye into about 1 cup of water, although I didn't measure anything exactly. I stirred the dye powder to dissolve and then added both colors to the fabric soaking in the sink. I poured in golden yellow to cover most of the fabric in the sink. I squished it around a little with my hand (remember to wear gloves!) Then I poured in small amounts of crimson, here and there and did very little mixing. I let it all sit for a couple of hours. I then drained the water and rinsed a few times to remove the bulk of the excess dye. Then I ran the lot through the washer to finish it off. This first photo shows the solid white fabric and the results.


While I like the results I achieved with this batch, and now I know I can get more blotchy coloration and use more than one color with some success, I think in the long run I will probably just follow the directions on the package and dye my fabrics with an allover color saturation. I like it easy, and the method I tried above was just a little too time consuming for me.

The next photo shows all the other colors I dyed today. Starting from left to right: Violet, the crimson/golden yellow mix I described above, crimson only, chartreuse. For most of the dyeing I have done with these IDyes, I am not using the entire packet of dye. One reason I am not using the entire packet is because I am not dyeing the amount of fabric recommended on the package and I don't want my colors really dark.


And here is a photo of all the fabrics I've dyed with the IDyes. I really am having fun with this and in fact, I've ordered some more dye so that I can add a few more colors to my line up.


One more thing that I am finding fun and interesting, is how each of the fabrics differs in how it accepts the dye. I'm using fabric from many different manufacturers and there is color variations.