community of dyers

Yes, I read them at least 3 times. :). The colors looked great until I tried to fix, but this next round I will try with the soda ash in the water. I was using a mason jar for my vessel, I think I need a slightly larger vessel. Thank you for the quick response!

Trying to figure out how the colors could have quit looking good when you tried to fix....the fixing should be done at the same time as the dyeing, with just a few minutes' delay if you want to let the colors blend more before you add the soda ash. Don't move the fabric before you add the soda ash fixer. Leave it in the container with the dye, without moving it. You don't have to stir in the soda ash, just pour it on top and leave it.

-Paula

It was the iDye. It was in a little dissolvable package and there was too much dye in it. The purple (only iDye color I used), bled everywhere, refused to fix. The procion colors only washed out a little, an acceptable amount.

Okay, that makes sense. It's not surprising that the iDye didn't set well. It's a direct dye. People seem to like it a lot better than they do Rit, but still, direct dye tends to bleed a lot. It's set with heat, not with soda ash, and even then is never nearly as tightly bound to the fabric as the Procion dye.

I wouldn't really like to use direct dye for something that will have to be washed a lot. You can use iDye FIxative or Retayne to make the dye more permanent, but the water bath used to apply the iDye FIxative is also an opportunity for the colors to run and bleed. Probably exactly what happened for you.

The way to use iDye for LWI would be to cram the fabric tightly inside a heat-proof container, using one packet of iDye (dissolved in water) for two to three pounds of fabric (weighed while dry), or only one-sixth of a packet for half a pound of fabric. Dissolve as much salt as you can in hot water—the instructions say to use one cup, but that's assuming you're using a much larger volume of water—and pour the water into the container. Salt is important for direct dye. Put the container into a pot of water, with the water level coming up almost as high on the outside of your container as the dye/water level does inside the container, and simmer for half an hour to an hour, at about 190°F.

I expect you'll find LWI to be a lot easier when you're using only Procion dyes. Ideal for baby stuff, since it won't bleed in the laundry (or when the baby chews on fabric that's been dyed with it).

-Paula

No more cheap dye! I'm actually afraid to use the one purple one! Maybe I will boil it in my spaghetti pot, I released the other one because it was purple and orange ( and then brown). I'm afraid if I don't either release it or find a way to fix it that I will open a diaper and find a purple baby bum....

You probably shouldn't plan to use any dyes other than food coloring in your spaghetti pot.

Save any iDye you still have for another use. It shouldn't spoil even after years of storage, unlike reactive dyes which eventually go bad.

A great thing about Procion MX dyes for baby clothes is that they're really permanent. First you have to wash out all of the unattached excess dye, though, after you're completely done dyeing, because that really will transfer to the baby's skin. What works best is to wash once in cool water to get rid of the soda ash, then wash in really hot water, preferably 140°F or above, until all of the unattached dye is gone. If you're really concerned about this you can use the hot press test to be sure, dampening the fabric and placing it between two white cloths before pressing it dry with a hot iron: if any color transfer occurs, repeat the hot-water wash.

-Paula