teacherbailey

I just spent a good part of Sunday using 3 colors (a red, blue and yellow) to dye 24 half yards of fabric based on a "recipe" that I pulled out of a magazine years ago. I am so disappointed! I was supposed to end up with 24 different colors of fabric; several shades each of yellow/orange/red/green/blue/purple. Instead, I have three of almost the exact shade of green, three reds that you can barely tell apart, two orange-yellows that are barely one shade apart.....you get the picture. Never mind the cost and time I spent; I was looking forward to using these for a quilt pattern with many sizes of stars!!!!

Does anybody have a list of 18 or 20 or 24 colors that can be made from three that you have used and liked? And if so, can you send me to the website or magazine back issue or whatever? (I have a "recipe" for 12 from the summer 2014 Quilting Arts and they are gorgeous colors but I was looking for more!)

I am willing to try again but not without somebody else saying "I used these directions and was happy". I trust you folks on here so please help me out if you can!!!!!

Thanks, Teacherbailey

PaperPrincess

what product did you use?

ckcowl

The book (Fabric to Dye for) is a great one that takes you through great gradations and color runs. It has been a mainstay in my library for years, my check here first, when I decide to dye some more fabric ( one of my favorite activities) another (would be lost without it) book is *The Fabric Dyer's Dictionary* both books can usually be found at Dharma Trading Company which is my go to place for all dyeing supplies

GrannieAnnie

Red, blue and yellow are the PRIMARY colors. Remember elementary school? Every single color you'll ever see is a combo of 2 or 3 of these colors. Just got to be very careful in your administration.

SweatyPie

One must prepare the fabric most assiduously. I find that the prepared to dye designation in store bought fabrics is misleading at best, criminal if you ask me. IF you have access to a loom and can weave your own lengths, I do believe you will be more pleased with the outcomes.

Peckish

What happened that provokes you to say this? I'm curious (and hoping not to repeat your experience).

I bought a bolt of PFD fabric a while back, sent a chunk of it to my friend Cindi in Michigan. She dyed up a storm and was quite happy with her results.

ghostrider

PFD is simple to accomplish on your own with any fabric...just wash it, with Synthrapol if you have it, and don't add any fabric softeners or dryer sheets along the way. PFD is just fabric that's been 'scrubbed' of all chemicals so that the fibers are optimally receptive to the dyes.

ManiacQuilter2

Sorry, I never tired dying stuff. You might check out the website Quilting Arts becuase I have seen guess on Pokey's RV show on PBS,

teacherbailey

Light red, sky blue and a yellow from Dharma Trading. They were the shades required for the 12 colors in the summer Quilting Arts.

teacherbailey

I bought plain bleached muslin and washed it twice. I then soaked it in the soda ash solution required fory dyes. 12 yards of PDF is out of my budget unfortunately.