Part 2

So, I rinsed and washed/dried everything this morning. I’m pleased with most of it but one piece is going to get another dye treatment. What I’m going to try to do is pair stage 1 with stage 2 pics. It’s amazing how hard it is to tell which is which so I guess that means I need to add more labeling to the works in progress.

I just learned that the best labels for dyeing fabric is to cut up used Tyvek envelopes and write on them with a permanent marker. I staple the label to the edge of the piece a couple times and the writing does not come off in the wash. It makes me wish I had saved all those envelopes I got in years prior!

This is a different brand of linen called Legacy. I love the way it dyed.

This is Zweigart Murano which is a cotton/modal blend even weave. I wasn’t sure it would dye well but it did. The actual color is a little more green and does have pale violet areas which I love. This is going to live with Judy.

I don’t totally love the one shown above (It’s 18 count Zweigart aida) so tomorrow I’ll add another layer of color. I used Mist Gray for the second round and it added some textural contrast but I think it needs more so I’ll probably over-dye with Silver Lining and we’ll see what happens with it. I may do a pre-wet with the soda ash/salt solution and spray the dye onto the fabric, scrunching it all together before placing it in the baggie to. process.

You can add more layers of color until the molecules in the fabric are saturated with color. Then it’s pointless to try more.

I really like this one shown above. This is 18 count Zweigart aida. It’s a little more green with wonderful yellow strikings along with dark gray.

This is Zweigart Lugano which is a cotton/viscose even weave fabric. It dyes nicely with Procion MX dyes (fiber reactive). However, I won’t buy it again because harvesting viscose for clothing, fabrics, etc. is a danger to native forests and the wildlife & people that depend on that environment. This is also going to live with Judy.

The picture on the right is actually a little greener with some violet tones than shown.

The second dyeing round really makes a difference. It can soften colors from the first round. You can get some unexpected colorations. Is that a word?

There’s actually an additional piece but I’m too pooped to photograph it. It’s a lot of work but I love playing with dyes on fabric.