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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Hand Dyed Heaven !

It seems like it has been a long, long time since I got to get down and dirty with hand dyeing fabric!  When was the last time?!  I don't even know, but this was the first time this year.  And its March already...really?!  My oh my, time does fly!


approx. 8 yards
What a delightful, beautiful stack of fabulous fat quarters!  Whew!  The recent dreary days are no match for this colorful stack.   I chased a rainbow and found it!  I must have missed the pot of gold, but who cares when you have fabric staring you down (any fabric)!

The weather finally warmed up enough that I wasn't going to freeze my 'tush' off being in the basement


   
I have a custom quilt (queen size) that needs lots of hand dyed color.  My stash has dwindled to bits and pieces, so it was time....past time!

Busting out the buckets!  I prepped the fabric by washing and cutting them into fat quarters.  When I do hand dyeing, I start with one FQ and after some soda ash action I add another FQ.  This way I get two totally different shades and save myself lots of time.  

Why do I hand dye?  First, it's a lot of fun.  Because I dye in small batches, I can get subtle variations in color.  Plus, I don't use a formula when creating my colors.  Each piece becomes unique.  






These guys are soaking in cold water.  I'm waiting for the water to become almost clear.  You can see how different the shades are and they were in the same dye bucket!


  
The next step is washing in HOT water and a little dish soap!  If you think all the dye was washed out in the first rinses...you'd be amazed at how much is still there!  So, there is a lot of hot, squishing, rinsing and repeating.  Many times I leave the fabric over night soaking.  Makes my life easier and saves my hands a lot of trauma!


  
Here is the first day of progress.  These have been washed in cold and hot water and are soaking until I get the next round of fabric dyed.  After I'm finished I will take all the fabric, throw it in the washing machine on hot (again) and they will be ready to use!



What a mess it is when you pull them out of the wash!  With my scissors in hand, I have a bit of a string tangle to contend with!  They are then moved to the dryer and in no time at all a big fluffy wrinkled mess is ready to come out and get the iron treatment!  I enjoy ironing each and every piece.  It gives me a chance to see the beautiful colors, shades and variations.  And with the steam set to high, I get a facial to boot!




Let's be honest...this is the payoff!  A virtual color wheel at my finger tips!

Hand dyeing isn't for everyone.  It takes a lot of time and work.  You certainly can buy solids from anywhere and get some fabulous colors.  But, there is a depth to hand dyes fabric that I love and that you can't buy off a bolt!    

LINKING:

16 comments:

  1. Your fabrics are just glorious! Dyeing your own fabrics is such a magical process.

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    1. It really is magical! I love seeing what happens when I mix several colors together!

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  2. This is beautiful! And you start out with plain old quilters cotton? Or do you need specially prepared fabric? This might be a fun project to try in small amounts. :o)

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    1. I usually use Kona white which is washed in hot water before I dye it. I also use PFD cotton ~ Prepared For Dyeing, which is made specifically for dyeing.

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  3. You do have a rainbow at your fingertips! They are beautiful! I've toyed with the idea of hand-dyeing but I worry that I'll get hooked. Seriously, I already spend so much time and money on quilting. Then I see fabrics like your pieces, and I get the urge to play IN color. Wonder how long I can resist...

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    1. Dyeing fabric is fun and easy to get hooked on!

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  4. I just commented to my husband last night how all of sudden we are in march!!! Oh my your hand dye looked fun! I like gettin in there and having a project where you get your hands dirty! Looking forward to see what you create with these!

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    1. I finally feel like I have 'thawed' out from winter and getting that 'Spring Fever' bug!

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  5. Really cool, thanks for sharing your process!

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  6. I've always wanted to try this, thanks for sharing and inspiring!

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  7. These are lovely colors. I am really getting into quilting, and am now thinking it would be fantastic to get into dying and doing a little block printing of my own. If it's going to be hand made, let's go for gusto (perhaps not gusto enough to comb fibers, spin thread and weave fabric though!)

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    1. I'm not crazy enough to want to go back to the basics handmade (spinning & weaving)! Hand dyeing fabric is good enough!

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  8. Your post today has cheered me up more than most - these hand-dyes are scrumptious! I've done a wee bit of dyeing myself, and I LOVED the results. I haven't done any for over three years, but you've inspired me to dedicate a weekend to restocking my meager supply, too. Thank you so much for your always stimulating blog, Jayne.

    Liz
    boltonia55@yahoo.com

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    1. What a wonderful compliment ~ you made my day! Hand dyeing is really a lot of fun and I hope you get a chance to delve in to the 'magic' again soon!

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