As I began to pack up my dyeing area in the basement, I realized that I had too much dye left over from my few winter projects and couldn't bring myself just to pour it down the drain. I decided to do a little more experimenting with thread dyeing that I began with the Easter eggs:
I was surprised at how strong the colors were. On the left I tried unbleached perle cotton (bottom) and bleached/mercerized (top) and could tell little difference, although a paler color may show some change, but it would be nice to be able to avoid the bleaching process that adds more nasty stuff to the cotton factory waste water. The upper right one was the result of dipping one end in navy blue and the other in yellow. You may not see much difference in the photo but one end is a nice green and the other dark blue.
I was in a red mood so I mixed up a batch using larger amounts of thread and a bit of a gradation:
Not too much gradation is evident--I was in the using up mode and was a bit profligate with the dye, but got an interesting result with the bottom bit. The others I put in the containers in loose piles but that one I wound into a skein and twisted it, seeing if some parts might be lighter or if I could keep the thread from getting less tangled. For some reason it turned a much purplier red than the others. Have no reason why. And it did have a couple of small white spots where the dye didn't take.
And finally I still couldn't stand throwing that dye away so I just got out my pfd fabric and had an orgy of dyeing, hoping for very saturated colors. I even threw in the wipe-up rags.
It was still too cold to leave them in the basement to batch so they occupied a corner not already claimed by moving boxes--can't wait for that heated wet studio in Massachusetts.
All the dye is used up and I hope I haven't overstayed my welcome. Thanks for the company!
I'm linking with Off the Wall Fridays.
2 comments:
dyeing is such a mess, that when you do it you should throw in the kitchen sink!! I really enjoyed reading about your tests. I'll go check out your blog, like your writing style. LeeAnna Paylor Not Afraid of Color! lapaylor.blogspot.com
I am anxious to do some dyeing. You have inspired me. Now that it is finally a bit warmer here in Indiana, I may give it a try. I wrap my thread around a piece of rolled up gutter guard from our local Rural King store. It allows the dye to seep through, keeps it from getting tangled, and it can be rinsed while it is still wrapped. I get great subtle variegated color.
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