Annz

I dye my bras (yea) don't tell anyone and I sometimes dye a white blouse if I like it and cann't find it in a color I like but I have not tried dying fabric yet, but I know I will someday.

sewmom

took a class 10 years ago from a local artist. i was barely into quilting so i didn't do anything with the fabric pieces. last summer i did cut strips for a quilt but haven't gotten back to it yet.

RainbowK

I love to dye and there are very few things that are still white left in our house. I hunt for fabric at thrift stores to save some money. It is a messy but very addictive and exciting activity.
If you use the Procion dyes (from Dharma or Prochem), be sure to wear a mask when you are measuring and mixing the dry powders since breathing them can be toxic (ditto for soda ash if you're sensitive), but once it's mixed up you're good to go.
Paula Burch's website is the most helpful I have found, <www.pburch.net/dyeing.shtml>. I believe she is both a chemist and a dyer so she provides very good information and explanations.
I try to include some of my hand dyed fabrics in each of my quilts, but I also make clothes and bags out of them, too. I snow dyed last winter and hated some of my results but somehow found exactly the right fabrics to go along with it and make it look really pretty. Plus, I learned what not to do and that is invaluable.
Have fun and make a mess!

Gal

Botanicalbabe, not sure what age group you are teaching but beetroot (fresh) onion skins, mulberries, Gum bark or leaves would be a good place to start as these are readily available, the only danger would be the boiling process, fill a large stock pot with say onion skins and cover with water, a large pot is required and about 3/4 of an hour is required to boil out the colour, strain and cool. I put the dye into plastic bottles for when I want to dye the fabric. I dye about 1 to 2 mts of fabric at a time and you have to simmer this for about the same amount of time, this can vary but to test, you just check the water after a time as it will clear a the colour goes into the fabric. Set colour as I have already described and heat (iron) set when dry. All fabric was dyed with natural ingredients prior to modern dyes being developed , these were developed over time of course.
A good reference would be the tartan and plaid makers from the Isle of Sky (Scotland) who still work with traditional methods to dye wool using sea weeds and heather from the hills for the most beautiful colours imaginable. It is very time consuming but the results are to die for!!!
My Father was a modern textile dyer and textile chemist from Scotland who's training included the history of this craft although his work was with modern dyes in huge industrial dye plants dying wool for carpets and furnishings etc.

Gal

teacherbailey

Gal, using the method you describe-----I don't need any chemicals to prepare the fabric or to set it????? If not, yours are the directions I've been looking for, for years and years so I can do this kind of thing with my classes of 11-12 year olds! Thanks!

Gal

Yes that is right, no chemicals, just remember though that a lot of plant matter is required to obtain colour and that natural dying by this method will yield soft colours only. To obtain a stronger colour you must over dye several times letting each step dry between dying and heat setting. You can buy from your local craft store 'Mordant' which gives a better dye set but there are several kinds and I would not be able to tell you the content obviously, some are quite harmless like wood ash and so on so it may pay to inquire what is available near you. Your library or on line might give some recipes, some plants give beautiful yellows but one needs to know when and where to harvest etc, gathering plants in the wild is so time consuming no wonder folks opted for chemical dyes when they became available along with mechanization!

Gal

QuilterInVA

Just wash the fabric and you are ready to dye with the natural dyes method. Be sure the kids wear aprons or old clothes!

stitchhappy

Can you dye fabrics with the Rit dye from the store? Or is it a different kind of dye? And how do you get the mottled effect? Do spray it on instead of dipping the fabric in?

QuilterInVA

You get the mottled effect by scrunching up the fabric, put it in a tight container and cover it with the dye.

Just one word of caution about dying - never use the container for food again!

stitchhappy

Thank you. I love the hand dyed fabrics. I'm going to try it.