community of dyers - ‘Know your dyes – make better art’

Pre-reduced indigo question

Sat, 12 May 2012 09:53:15 -0400

Hello,

Here is the short version of my question about the pre-reduced indigo dye: Is it true the vat must be a yellow-green color before dyeing in order to have the dye work properly?

Some background:

A few weeks ago I set up a vat of Dharma's pre-reduced indigo, following the instructions carefully as to the measurement of dye, soda ash, and thiox. The instructions say the dye bath should be a yellowish green, and if it is not, to keep adding thiox. I added more thiox slowly, but the bath stayed dark blue.

I decided to try it out anyway, and it seemed to dye well. Items immersed in the bath for a few seconds came out very dark blue -- darker even than I wanted in most cases. The dye bath is weakening now after many uses, which is fine because I like the medium blue value, but it seems to not be penetrating into the fiber as far (in the case of dyed skeins of yarn). I read that this means the bath needs to be reduced more, i.e., add more thiox. I have been adding thiox in increments, but as before, I can't get the vat to change to the yellow/green color by adding thiox, and I'm afraid to add too much.

Resist-dye history in Europe, the Middle East, or the Americas

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:40:48 -0400

I'm researching the history of resist-dying/tie-dying. I have found tons of info on India, Japan, Indonesia and Africa. Less on South America and China. Virtually nothing on the Middle East, Central and North America, and Europe. I want to find out more about these places, and the history (ancient and recent) of resist dying there.

Any specific info, links, or advice on where to start looking for this info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

comparison of dye fixative costs

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:13:09 -0400

I think it's interesting to see how drastically the directions on the different brands of cationic dye fixatives affect the cost. (These are fixatives that are applied to poorly washfast dyes, such as Rit, so the dyes don't bleed in the wash, and don't fade so quickly. They are not needed for fiber reactive dyes such as Procion dyes.) It turns out that the cost of the amount of dye fixative needed to treat one pound of fabric varies between ten cents and two dollars!

Rit Dye Fixative comes in an eight-ounce (240 ml) bottle for about $4. The instructions say to use 4 tablespoons (two ounces) for half a pound of fabric. Fixing the dye in one pound of fabric requires half a cup, or half of the bottle, for an approximate cost of $2.

Looking for Muslin or handkerchief cotton tops

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:44:26 -0400

I am looking for long sleeve muslin or handkerchief cotton shirts to dye, but have had no luck finding them anywhere. I tie dye several types of cotton T-shirts, but have had several requests for soft, woven cotton, loose fitting shirts (India style). Has anyone found a supplier for them? Thanks Kathy

Superclear thickener equivalent?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:46:33 -0400

Dharma can't get Superclear anymore, and it was my thickener of choice for my arashi shibori work. Dissolving sodium alginate is such a headache! Anybody know a Superclear equivalent that works well?

Thanks.

Paw print tie dye?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:58:12 -0400

What is the best way to tie dye a paw print(as in dog paw print)? Our mascot is a bulldog & I've been asked to "create" a red & black paw print tiedye for field day. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas. :)

color equivalent questions

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:20:44 -0400

Hello everyone! :)
I hav equestion about colour equivalent. I am trying to dye cotton, but once I have solid colours effect, another time - not. I would like to understood from what its depends.
I pin photo, where you can see in right corner bright colours (that part was external), and other part is pallid. Once I had dyed quite big piece of cotton, and colour tone was same in whole matterial (you can see it in second photo). So, maybe anyone know, from what it's depends?

Thanks a lot in advance! :)

Clothing Blanks for Sale

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:55:01 -0400

My name is Margie and I’ve decided to give up making tie dyes. Items for sale are listed below and can be found at the URL below and in the attached Excel and Adobe documents.

http://www.wickedlywise.com/forsale.htm

The item name, size and quantity available and asking price are listed.
Asking price is at least 30% off the current price or what I paid for
the item.

If you spend more than $75 I will split the shipping costs with you 50% as long as it is USPS Parcel Post. Shipping estimates can be obtained from the post office website. Items would be coming from zip code 30084.

Art of Tie Dye DVD

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:13:04 -0400

For any of you who have wanted to get a copy of Michael Fowler's DVD, it is available on Amazon.com! Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Tie-Dye-Michael-Fowler/dp/B0007QQW2W/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1333348288&sr=1-1

Drimarene K & Soda Ash for Tie Dyeing

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:15:49 -0400

I have had some experience tie-dyeing at a workshop where the dye solution was already provided. I have now just received my very own Drimarene K dye powder so I am ready to make up my first dye solution for Tie Dyeing.

I have read numerous articles on tie-dyeing and watched the Tie Dye 101 series of DVDs and am still a little confused. I see that most tie-dyers use the Procion MX dyes. However, I have chosen the Drimarene K for its lasting ability once made up.

My first question is - Do I need to be using Urea and Powdered Kelp to add to the dye pre-mix solution? We are using rainwater so I don't believe that we need to use a commercial water softener as our water is already soft.

Aljo Dyes Gradation Result!

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:28:11 -0400

Hi Paula,

The purple swatch below the winners, shows the stock solution results. On the bottom right section shows the deepest shade that was too soft looking. The above purple swatch was from scratch using WOS x 5% DOS.

Advice from teachers?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:31:35 -0400

Hey all, I know that a bunch of you have taught tie dye to newbies. I could use any advice you'd like to give me.

I've been invited to a "Woodstock" style summer picnic in June to teach tie dye to small groups of people. I'll have one assistant. My plan is the classic: bring them the shirts & rubber bands, explain a bit about the chemicals, give them a choice of two or three folds, soak the shirts while explaining about dye, hand out a few colors of premixed dye, apply, bag, and explain the washout they must do at home. I'll have a handout they can take away.

A couple of specific questions:

Tie-Dyeing and screen printing

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 07:54:10 -0400

hi everyone!

I am just about to order 8 bazillion shirts for a camp I run the Tie-Dye program for. This year they want to have their name and logo on the front of the shirt so when the kids wear their amazing shirts, they are advertising the camp as well.

Anyway - I am wondering which way is the best way to screen print their logo so that it will be seen. Should it be done in white? black? should it be a kind of print that has a feel to it and is "above" the shirt so that it wont take any of the dye?

any ideas?

thanks!

~Elisheva
www.groovesters.com/index.php

Anybody dyed silk noil?

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:13:10 -0400

I need to dye some silk for a sewing project, and since I want a heavier weight with some texture, my eye fell on silk noil (raw silk). It's slubby and pretty cool looking. But I'm wondering how well it will take dyes since the little speckly bits appear in it and it might have extra "gumminess."

Anybody here dyed silk noil? Any roadblocks you can share with me? Thanks.

Butter Yellow

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:36:54 -0400

I need to dye several yards of cotton fabric for a weaving project a nice "butter yellow" color. Both the Procion clear yellow and golden yellow seem close but not quite. I'm concerned the clear yellow will be more of a sun yellow and the golden yellow will be too dark. Would adding some ivory color to the mix help tone down either of those colors or???
I have not tried any experimenting on my own yet in hopes that someone on the forum might have some advice or experience.
Any help or suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks!