Dying

 Tie Dye

These past few days I have tried out different methods of random dying.

Acid Dye

Harem pants dyed and drying

First was a pair of silk harem pants.  These are made from raw silk, which is heavier than most silk fabrics, and are dyed with acid dyes for protein fibres.  The method used was what I call drip and splash dyeing. Red, purple and blue were applied randomly then left to dry.  Once dry they were soaked in a weak solution of purple because the natural colour of the silk is an off white.  

Cellulose Dying

Tee Shirts (and cammi) drying

Above are four cotton tee shirts tie dyed in different methods of tying.

They were died with a mix of dyes for plant based fabrics that I have had for quite a few years. While I am generally pleased with the resulting patterns I am a little disappointed with the colour intensity (may be something to do with the age of the dye).

Before dying the shirts were soaked in a washing soda solution (sodium carbonate) which is similar to soda ash.  After the colours were added the shirts were put in a dark plastic bag and left in the sun for a few hours then washed out the next day.

The shirt on the right was done in the standard scrunch and dye method and only tied to keep the whole bundle together.  The dye colours were squirted over the bundle in a random pattern.

The method for the Shirt on the left (not the cammi) is to roll the shirt onto a tube from the bottom up, then tied and pushed to scrunch up the fabric, then two colours were poured along the fabric roll, giving more colour at the top of the shirt and decreasing down.

Shirt rolled onto a section of pool noodle

middle two shirts were tied in an attempt to get a more symmetrical pattern.

Leftover dye

The acid dye keeps quite well once made but as I'm not sure when I'll be dying protein fibres again I decided to use the bit of blue left to dye some natural coloured merino roving.  Not a bad result.  There wasn't enough for the wool to get fully saturated and it looks a little matted but I am sure it will felt up well.

Merino roving

Cellulose dyes don't keep so well.  

To use up the final bit of purple and turquoise I found a cotton cammi of my own and soaked up what was left, as can be seen to the left of the line in the shirts picture.

To use the rest of the dyes I prepared some white viscose, which I use when nuno felting, and did some random dying on that.

Interestingly the viscose came out a much better colour than the cotton shirts.  I am not sure if the viscose is rayon or bamboo fibre but it has taken the colours well.

Viscose top soaking

and dried

Tying Inspiration from: You Tubers, Casual Collisions and MrTieDye