05 May 2006

Dyeing excitement continues

Did some more with the Procion MX deep black 609 (got it from Dharma Trading, in California, last year). The two larger pieces came out "too brown" -- I'd poured concentrated dye on them, then water over that. Obviously some scientific experimentation and recording of results was needed. What would happen if the soda ash soaked pieces went in dry rather than wet? I prepared both kinds, then scrunkled them into small containers, and added dye.

Wet fabric. Concentrate plus water on the left, just concentrate on the right. It comes out rather blue and diffuse.Dry fabric. Concentrate on the left, concentrate plus water on the right. (The brown is is stain that was already in the fabric.) Stronger colours, better definition. And here's what happens when you sprinkle the powder on the fabric -- wet at left, dry at right. Poured a bit of water onto the dry fabric, of course - a couple of tablespoons for about a square foot of fabric.

But I don't know what happens when you dye "properly" -- with the dye diluted in a big bucket. Trying that now. I started out wanting some grey cloudy stuff, might actually get it sometime somehow?

1 comment:

knittingingrid said...

Hi Margaret
This reminds me a bit of that African fabric I gave you - some of the dyeing looked like this on the background. What do you think?