Getting Ready to Dye

          Next weekend I will be taking a class in making hand-dyed fabrics. Years ago, I had seen this moment coming. (Not via a crystal ball, my dear friends. I simply wanted to learn how to dye fabrics and hoped that, eventually, the opportunity would present itself.) To make a long story short, I just happened upon an online vendor who wanted to unload yards and yard of PFD (prepared for dying) white fabric at a very good price.

          That has been such a long time ago. So long, as a matter of fact, that I am not sure of the manufacturer or brand. I believe it is Kona cotton, and from that way it cuts. I am fairly sure that is true. The fabric has been sitting in the closet for so many years, though, and is looking rather dingy. My teacher thought it might be a good idea to give it a rinse in Synthrapol before trying to dye it.

          I will also be dying some PFD white fabric that is typical of that used to make batiks. My teacher has that waiting for me.

          My first task was to cut my own fabric into 12 fat quarters. Since the fabric is 60 inches wide, I actually cut "fat sixths", which are 18 X 20 inches.

          I am also dying a tee shirt as part of the class. Since, I look terrible in regular crew neck tee shirts, I went to Ross Dress for Less and picked up this Jones New York boat neck half-sleeve tee for $13.99. The MSRP was $38.00. (I think you know by now that I do like deals.) It should make a good top for yoga classes.

 

          As you can see here, the tee is more of a snowy white whereas the cut fabric is a little on the creamy side. I am not sure how much that will influence the final look of the hand-dyes. We'll see.

          The next step will be to rinse the tee shirt and the fabric in a Synthrapol bath. With items that small, I don't bother to fire up the washing machine. I just mix up a solution of Synthrapol and water in a huge mixing bowl designated for that purpose. Then I rinse using plain water in the same bowl. I like this method because it takes less water, it saves electricity, and my fabrics don't get beat up and frayed in the washing machine. After rinsing, I hang everything on the line to dry.

         I am really excited about this upcoming class. I promise to post pictures.