Sundays seem to be my dyeing days, don't they? I decided to show you how it's done after all the amazed comments received the last time I dyed. This is sooo easy, anyone can do it!
First up, gather your supplies. You will need:*Boiling water
*Rubber gloves
*Spoon
*Dye packets
*Fabric-duh!
*Laundry powder
*Salt~Any salt will do...I used Margarita salt only because I didn't like this salt on my beer glass. Rather than waste it I'm using it for something I'm not going to taste.
*Not shown here, you will also need towels (ones you don't mind accidentally turning a different color) and an iron to dry the fabric.
Dump some dye powder, salt and laundry soap into the sink. Use a plastic tub if you think the dye might stain your sink! My sink is stainless steel so a little scrub takes the dye out. Note how carefully I measure the ingredients out...not! 
Add boiling water and stir with your spoon. No splashing or stuff gets stained!
After you are sure the dye has completely dissolved, you can add your fabric. If you want the fabric mottled and streaked wad it up and soak. If you want even color lay it flat and move it around. Gloves, please, or you'll have Easter Egg Fingers On Steroids.
I want mottled fabric so I wadded.
When you think you might have the color you want remove the fabric and rinse it well. I even wash with laundry soap. The color right now is much darker than it will be when it is dry. If the color isn't as dark as you'd like you can put it back into the dye again.
Here it is the fabric after being ironed until it is nearly dry.
And here are all the fabrics I dyed today. I used blue and purple dyes as I was planning on fabrics for Just Nan's When Barnabee Met Bella Biscornu.
Wasn't that easy? It is fun and every piece you come up with is beautiful and unique.
I'll have a stitchy update soon. My four day weekend is half over but I've gotten a nice stitchy fix. I've completed the backstitch on the Wisteria biscornu and gotten a nice start on May's Crabby block. I don't feel quite as stitch deprived today!
******
Edited to add answers to some questions, Tammy wanted to know how colorfast the fabric is. I usually wash my fabric again in hot water before I stitch, to make sure. Then I wash in cold water after stitching. I haven't had any problems with bleeding but with very fabric dark colors, I'd be really careful. Jo wanted to know my favorite brand of dye. We have RIT and Dylon here, haven't tried any others. I use both, no preference, they are just the same to me.
Thank you for visiting my blog today!
xox
48 comments:
Hilarious tutorial ("fabric--duh") and gorgeous colors. I have just bought a bunch of ivory fabric and it makes me think maybe...although I'm likely to have the walls and ceiling done by the time I'm finished.
That's an awesome post & so detailed about how to dye fabric. Thanks Sharon, I may actually try it. Tell me, when you stitch on it then wash your finished piece does the dye bleed or is it permanently set?
Lovely fabric! Thanks for the lesson!
You....are....AWESOME! Now I'm gonna have to get brave and try this sometime....soon. But most improtantly, I'm gonna have to get fabric to do it with (duh! lololololol)
Oooh~~~~ I love the colors of those fabrics!!!!!! Thank you so much for the fun tutorial~~~
Those are so pretty! I just love them. But with my small kitchen, I will probably never try them.
The colors are so lovely ! The tutorial makes dyeing your own fabric so simple ! Thank you :)
Great tutorial. I think I can even do this! Beautiful colors.
Great tutorial, Sharon! Your photos and detailed instructions make it all seem very do-able!
I'm happy that your weekend has been going so well for you, and that you are feeling fulfilled in your stitching quests!
You get extra brownie points for taking the time to show all of us each step of your dye session! Now I hope to get the good results that you do!
Thanks so much, i will try this :) and thanks for the fun way of saying it lol.
This is FANTASTIC!!! Thank you so much for the demostration. I hope you don't mind that I'm going to save this on my sidebar and label it Daffy's Dye. :o)
Thanks for this. This looks to be easy, till i try i guess:)
Beautifully dyed fabrics!
Thank you for a great dyeing class, it's really fun and your fabric looks fantastic!
lovely colours
It looked like such fun! Great pics !
Micki
Great fun - maybe I'll have a go... do you have a favourite brand of dye? (I don't know why I'm asking, as they will different over here anyway, but it's good to know!!). Love your colours.
Beautiful colours, and you make it look so easy! I have a horrible feeling that if I tried it everything in a 5 yard radius would have an attractive purple polks dot effect
Love your colours. Even I could dye some fabric this way so I may just have to give it a go at some point
What a great demo. The fabrics look so pretty. I'm way too messy with liquids and live in a pretty small space, so I don't think I would try this, but your photo-tute is excellent.
Great tutorial, lovely colours this time.
Looking forward to seeing Crabby this month.
Awesome Sharon! I didn't realize it was that easy :o) You've got some nice colored fabric there. Great job!
Those look great. I've also dribbled a little thinned bleach to get an even more mottled affect. If the bleach is thin and you soak the fabric in the dye long enough, you shouldn't get any white, just some much lighter color.
Great explanation and pictures. I often look at dye colors in the store and wonder how to use it. Now I know. Thanks Sharon!
Great photos - I didn't realise how easy it was - I might even have a go one day.
I love the colours you used too :)
thank you so much for the tutorial. Your fabric is stunning!!!
The fabrics turned out gorgeous! Thanks for sharing with us the photos and instructions on how to dye!
Daffy, awesome pictorials and explanations on dying! Glad you had fun! lovely purples!
Awesome tutorial! Thanks, now I really have to give this a try again but your way :)
Very nice! Thanks for sharing:) Very pretty colors too!
cool thanks for doing this :) i might even attempt something other than tea dying some day now :)
Great tutorial & much simpler to do than I thought. TFS. :0)
I might have to try that (and I won't even mention that now I'm two months behind on Crabby....) :)
Beautiful fabric!
Wow!
What a great tutorial, thank you so much for sharing it.
And the colours are just fantastic that you get to come out!
Amazing.
What pretty colors, thanks for sharing your know how! I haven't tried dying anything (yet!), but I want to try the coffee technique I've seen around too. Great work :)
What beautiful vibrant colors! Great job and thanks for the tutorial!
love the tutorial, look easy thank to your pictures.
Thank you for sharing your know-how! Trying the dyeing process would be fun thing. Love your fabrics!!
Oh wow... I don't know... I think I'd still be a chicken... your fabric came out beautifully!
Stacy
Wow you did a gorgeous job!!!
Ohhh myyyy...Sharon, these are beautiful...are these pieces in the middle pink or purple??? Well, I have the Biscornu in my stash too...I still haven´t decided what fabric to use...
Have fun stitching;-)
Hugs,
Gaby
That is a GREAT tutorial!! I think I am going to have to try this. And I absolutely LOVE the colors!!
Thanks so much for sharing!!
Happy Stitching!
Jen
Hi Sharon,
Very pretty fabrics and it looks like lot's of fun!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Brilliant! You make it look so easy
Great post! Thx for sharing:)
Stitchin Sweet Sue
Thank you for the tut and the inspiration, will try it out later today, I was given 1 meter of ivory evenweave and would love to be bold with it! going to try batik, and see what happens x
I love your tutorial! It seems so easy! Have you ever stained fabric with 2 separate colors? I'm going for purple and green splotches. Suggestions?
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