How can I make my own hand-dyed ribbon?
Name:
Dawn
Message: I am interested in trying to dye my own ribbon. I make and sell hand made one of a kind jewelry. With all of the beautiful colors out and I am seeing a lot of hand dyed ribbon---I would like to try it. Could you please instruct me on how to go about doing this or tell me where I can find some info on dying ribbons Thank you....Dawn
There are a lot of ways that you can color your own ribbon. Your three main choices are dyes, fabric paints, and markers.
Markers are the easiest choice if you are coloring just a short length of ribbon. Don't use regular markers intended for use on paper, unless the ribbon will never be washed. Permanent markers such as Sharpie pens will work, but they will wash out more quickly than fabric markers.
Fabric markers are the best kind of markers to use. Check the label to see if they need to be heat-set; heat-setting is easy (just iron as directed), but it's important not to skip this step if it's called for. A couple of good brands are Marvy Uchida Broad Tip Markers and Jacquard Products' Tee Juice Markers. Anything specifically labeled as a fabric marker will be fine, but the Tee Juice markers have an added advantage of having a squeezable barrel, so you can get a lot of the fabric paint in the marker onto the fabric quickly, if you like, and the colors can be blended together.
Fabric paints will work well, too. You'll want to use a transparent fabric paint, such as Dye-na-Flow or Setacolor. Again, check the label to see whether you need to heat-set after the paint is dry. You can dip the ribbon in the paint, paint it on, spray it on with a hand-pump sprayer, apply it with sponges, paint the fabric paint onto small stamps and stamp them on them——whatever you want to try. Don't forget the possibilities provided by metallic and pearlescent fabric paints, such as Lumiere. The metallics look wonderful on top of fabric dyes or other fabric paints.
For large quantities, or for anything that will be subject to a lot of wear, a true dye is a better choice. In this case, you need to be certain of the fiber content of your ribbon. Silk ribbon can be dyed with acid dyes, also known as silk dyes, which must be steamed to heat-set them, or with the easy-to-use cool water fiber reactive dyes that are used on cotton, such as Procion MX dyes. You can use any good tie-dye kit for this purpose, if you like, or you can buy Procion dye plus soda ash and urea and mix your colors for yourself; this is the most economical option for large quantities. Rayon ribbon dyes beautifully with Procion MX dyes, but acetate, also known as rayon acetate, does not. Nylon ribbon can be dyed with acid dyes, which must be heat set by steaming. Polyester ribbon is the most difficult of all to dye, and probably best colored with a fabric paint instead of a true dye; you can also use Fabric Transfer Crayons to color designs on paper, and then transfer them to synthetic fibers such as polyester or acetate by pressing with a hot iron.
A product that is between a true dye and a fabric paint is ColorHue Instant-set Silk Dye, sold by Things Japanese. (Please tell them that I sent you.) This brand is colored with true dyes, but they are bound to the fabric more like a fabric paint. It's a good choice when you do not want your colors to run and blend together. It works best on silk and should not be used on synthetic-fiber ribbons such as polyester. Like fabric paint, this form of dye is very convenient to apply, since no auxiliary chemicals are needed; no heat setting is required.
If you are dyeing large quantities of ribbon, the question of how you will manage the ribbon to keep it from tangling is important to think about. You will need to wind up your ribbon into skeins, so that the dye or paint can easily reach every bit of the ribbon, and yet the ribbon does not tangle into a mess. See my April 12, 2008 blog entry, "How to dye silk ribbon to be variegated in color".
Be careful when buying "satin" ribbon, as it can be made of easily-dyeable silk, but it's more likely to be made of difficult-to-dye polyester. If you have difficulties finding natural-fiber ribbons, a source you can consider is Testfabrics, Inc.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
Message: I am interested in trying to dye my own ribbon. I make and sell hand made one of a kind jewelry. With all of the beautiful colors out and I am seeing a lot of hand dyed ribbon---I would like to try it. Could you please instruct me on how to go about doing this or tell me where I can find some info on dying ribbons Thank you....Dawn
There are a lot of ways that you can color your own ribbon. Your three main choices are dyes, fabric paints, and markers.
Markers are the easiest choice if you are coloring just a short length of ribbon. Don't use regular markers intended for use on paper, unless the ribbon will never be washed. Permanent markers such as Sharpie pens will work, but they will wash out more quickly than fabric markers.
Fabric markers are the best kind of markers to use. Check the label to see if they need to be heat-set; heat-setting is easy (just iron as directed), but it's important not to skip this step if it's called for. A couple of good brands are Marvy Uchida Broad Tip Markers and Jacquard Products' Tee Juice Markers. Anything specifically labeled as a fabric marker will be fine, but the Tee Juice markers have an added advantage of having a squeezable barrel, so you can get a lot of the fabric paint in the marker onto the fabric quickly, if you like, and the colors can be blended together.
Fabric paints will work well, too. You'll want to use a transparent fabric paint, such as Dye-na-Flow or Setacolor. Again, check the label to see whether you need to heat-set after the paint is dry. You can dip the ribbon in the paint, paint it on, spray it on with a hand-pump sprayer, apply it with sponges, paint the fabric paint onto small stamps and stamp them on them——whatever you want to try. Don't forget the possibilities provided by metallic and pearlescent fabric paints, such as Lumiere. The metallics look wonderful on top of fabric dyes or other fabric paints.
For large quantities, or for anything that will be subject to a lot of wear, a true dye is a better choice. In this case, you need to be certain of the fiber content of your ribbon. Silk ribbon can be dyed with acid dyes, also known as silk dyes, which must be steamed to heat-set them, or with the easy-to-use cool water fiber reactive dyes that are used on cotton, such as Procion MX dyes. You can use any good tie-dye kit for this purpose, if you like, or you can buy Procion dye plus soda ash and urea and mix your colors for yourself; this is the most economical option for large quantities. Rayon ribbon dyes beautifully with Procion MX dyes, but acetate, also known as rayon acetate, does not. Nylon ribbon can be dyed with acid dyes, which must be heat set by steaming. Polyester ribbon is the most difficult of all to dye, and probably best colored with a fabric paint instead of a true dye; you can also use Fabric Transfer Crayons to color designs on paper, and then transfer them to synthetic fibers such as polyester or acetate by pressing with a hot iron.
A product that is between a true dye and a fabric paint is ColorHue Instant-set Silk Dye, sold by Things Japanese. (Please tell them that I sent you.) This brand is colored with true dyes, but they are bound to the fabric more like a fabric paint. It's a good choice when you do not want your colors to run and blend together. It works best on silk and should not be used on synthetic-fiber ribbons such as polyester. Like fabric paint, this form of dye is very convenient to apply, since no auxiliary chemicals are needed; no heat setting is required.
If you are dyeing large quantities of ribbon, the question of how you will manage the ribbon to keep it from tangling is important to think about. You will need to wind up your ribbon into skeins, so that the dye or paint can easily reach every bit of the ribbon, and yet the ribbon does not tangle into a mess. See my April 12, 2008 blog entry, "How to dye silk ribbon to be variegated in color".
Be careful when buying "satin" ribbon, as it can be made of easily-dyeable silk, but it's more likely to be made of difficult-to-dye polyester. If you have difficulties finding natural-fiber ribbons, a source you can consider is Testfabrics, Inc.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Posted: Saturday - February 07, 2009 at 03:02 PM
Follow this blog on twitter here.
Quick Links
- All About Dyes & Dyeing Top -
- Top of this blog -
- FAQ -
- The Dye Forum -
- How to Tie Dye - How to Batik -
- Books - Toys - Plants -
- Top of this blog -
- FAQ -
- The Dye Forum -
- How to Tie Dye - How to Batik -
- Books - Toys - Plants -
More in this category:
- -
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Aug 29, 2012 02:48 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Aug 29, 2012 02:48 PM