Extreme Tie-Dyeing

It seems with hand dyeing, I am never sure what the finished product will be. The dyes sometimes delight me, sometimes surprise me, and oftentimes leave me puzzled.

I wasn't sure where I was going when I started this. I'm still wondering what I will do with the fabric now that the dyeing is finished. The colors and overall texture sort of remind me of an up-close and personal view of a sunflower's center, but also of ragweed pollen. It will be interesting to read your interpretations.

 

Here is a close-up.

 

It all started with a one and one-third yard cut of white fabric and a packet of super stretchy rubber bands from the beauty supply store. I made tiny little tie-dye bundles until my fabric looked like this. At that point, I ran out of rubber bands, and my cuticles were complaining.

 

 

Another close-up.

 

Next I flipped it upside down in my container that used to contain biscotti treats and poured in enough dye mixture so that the little tie-dye fingers were just resting in fluid. I dribbled a little more over the loose pieces that stuck up out of the container. The yellow dye seemed really chalky and resistive to being absorbed into the fabric, so I left everything soaking for 48 hours.

 

 

Finally, I lifted the fabric out of the container and placed it right side up in a few shallow puddles of dark dye on a disposable cookie sheet. 

 

The dark color traveled a little more than I imagined, but I was still pleased with the results. As soon as my cuticles heal, I would like to try this again with different colors. As far as this piece of fabric goes, I am not sure whether I am going to cut it or just quilt it whole cloth.

So many possibilities...