FIRST TIME SNOW DYING FABRIC

During our Fibre Artist’s Christmas  gift exchange I received a lovely basket from Kathleen.  She had wrapped the basket in  a lovely hand dyed yellow and light green fabric.  The basket contained a kit for dying fabric.

FIRST DAY PROJECT

      

Primary  Colours of   Red, Yellow, and Blue

 The kit contained

3 small jars with 2 tablespoons each of Mixing Red, Golden Yellow and Intense Blue powder.

A bag of urea and a bag of soda wash.

Three plastic water bottles with a pop up lid, six canning jars.

A tablespoon, a teaspoon and a ½ teaspoon, a funnel and some plastic tongs.

There were also  2 masques and some gloves. (Which I now wish I had used since my fingers are stained red, yellow and blue)

We have had lots of snow that has kept me home  so I decided to entertain myself by trying something new.

Yesterday I decided to use the kit for snow dying.  I found the Pro

Chemical and Dye instructions on the internet and dived in.

I mixed the soda wash in a plastic gallon  cranberry juice  jar. 

I mixed  the urea into a plastic smaller jar.

Then I put the fabric which was cut up from one of Leland’s worn out Sunday white shirt into a container,  poured the soda wash over it and let it soak for 20 minutes.

I  poked holes in the bottom of a thin plastic box .

I mixed the powdered dyes into the plastic water bottles.

I placed the thin plastic container on top of a rock inside a larger plastic container.  The rock elevated the container so it could drain. I wrung out the fabric and placed it into the plastic container. 

 I then went out and got the fresh  powdered snow and put it on top of the fabric.  We currently have 3’ of fresh snow just off my porch.

 I poured the dyes over the snow  in three lines.

As the snow melted I replaced it several times and then let it sit.

Then I lifted the thin plastic container up and let it drain some more. I  placed the container in a grocery bag in  a way that the fabric could still drain and put it in the oven with the light on so oven would be 70 degrees.

I woke up at 1:20 am and went out and washed the fabric out. 

 It was very colourful and pretty.  I hung it to dry and went back to bed. 

In the morning I Used Bubble Jet Rinse detergent to  rinse it in.

  

 This morning I put into the washing machine with some clothes that would not be damaged if some dye faded on them.

Here is the finished product.  Made with Red, Yellow and Blue.  It is very colourful and pretty.

                                           Second Day Project         

                              Secondary  Colours of Orange, Green, Violet  

          Today  I mixed the red with the yellow to make orange and red with blue to make purple, I mixed the blue with yellow for green into 3 new water bottles

          I followed the same dying method I used for the primary colours.  The only variation was that I left the container in the oven overnight.

This morning I rinsed the fabric until no colour came out of it. Then I put in a cap full Bubble Jet Rinse and washed it in the washing machine. 

Here is the finished  product.  The colours are softer and more earthy.

All in all this was a good experience.  I didn't make a mess.  Now I need to find a project  that calls for these colourful fabrics.