community of dyers

I'm not quite new to dying, but I haven't done much for ages...

I want to do some tie-dying and batik (and both together!) for quilting. In the past I have tie-dyed T shirts in the microwave, using Dylon dyes (went remarkably well, but the nylon stitching stayed white! Rats!), but I've never done yardage. I'd like to experiment with 1m bits to start with...

I have some white cotton, which I'll probably need to boil wash before trying to dye it, so any guidance would be good. I'm also a professional dress and costume maker, so I see a possibility in future of painting dying fabric for things like skirts and wings for customers. I'd also like to make some patchwork 'wearable art' garments, using my own dyed pieces.

The possibilities are endless! What I'd really like to know are which dyes are the best to do the stuff I want to play with first (yardage for quilting) and where do I find them in the UK?

To see some of the things I get up to, see my web site: http://www.katedicey.co.uk