community of dyers

LWI can be done with dry or with pre-moistened clothing. Make sure to just barely cover the clothing with dye, after first forcing the fabric into a container that is almost but not quite too small for it.

Procion dyes work only on cotton and other natural fibers. If you dye a fabric that is a blend of 60% cotton/40% polyester, your color will be only 60% as intense as it would have been for a 100% cotton. This is perfectly fine if you want only a medium-intense or even pastel color, but it's very bad if you want a true dark black or brilliant red, which will not be possible.

You can dye both fibers in that blend if you dye with two entirely different types of dye, using reactive or direct dyes for the cotton and disperse dye for the polyester, but it is usually not worth the greater effort required for dyeing polyester.

-Paula

Paula thank you very much for your timely help - am so excited that i just mixed my dye concerntrates just doing a few at a time. Did not take much time to make them. Thank you to you.

Please let me know if by wetting the fabric takes less dye or the dry fabric.

Just want to make sure i have enough dye as it may take awhile to get them shipped to me if i run out.

Thank you again

The amount of dye you need depends on the amount of the fabric (weigh the fabric on a kitchen scale while it is still clean and dry). It has nothing to do with whether you start with wet or dry fabric; the same amount of dye powder is needed for a pound of fabric, whether you start with damp fabric or start with dry and then add more water later. Add extra cups of water until the dye/water mixture just covers the fabric that you have stuffed tightly into a container.

See How to Do Low Water Immersion Dyeing and How much Procion MX dye should I use? (use Table II in the latter page to estimate how much dye powder you need, based on how dark you want the colors to be).

Your first dyeing project , with this or any other technique, is a test run. See how it goes, and then adjust your technique the next time.

-Paula

Appreciate all your help and prompt replies to all the members in this forum
i just did my first batch of LWi, am pleased with the result and as i just read thru and will be printing the chart of how much dye to use - mine came out quite dark. Also the 60% cotton 40% polyester was nice too. - Thank you.

Another question please is i rinsed my tshirts in the kitchen sink until they ran clear of dye.. Before i put them in the washing machine as mine is front load.
Can i use the sink for kitchen purposes like putting cutlery in the same sink.
I got a plastic basin to put into my sink after rinsing the clothes so that no dye stuff comes to the plates and cutlery.

Please let me know if i could use the sink for kitchen purposes.
Thank you for your help.

It turned out beautiful!!!!