Dye Class

This week I held a small dyeing class for my friends.  This was just to go over the basics of dyeing and then trying out a few manipulations and a two colour gradation.  

This photo is either of me explaining the safe use of dyes and mixing containers, or demonstrating just how difficult it was for me to drink two glasses of wine with the face mask on!

We pretty much it got it down to my acting as instructor, Sue as the photographer and Iris as the mad scientist student.

After working on various ways to manipulate the fabric, we got down to the fun and dirty stuff.  Iris dyed her fabric in ziplock bags, which I haven't used myself, preferring to use recycled containers, so the dyeing had a bit of a guesswork element.

Having very carefully explained how to do a two cup gradation I was feeling pretty smug, I had kept control of my student.  But then the mad scientist part of Iris grabbed a spoon and started moving dye around from one bag to the next, totally out of control!

I kept trying to stop her, after all, what colour would she end up with?  How would she replicate those colours?  Would she just get (yikes!) mud?  Nothing deterred Iris as she continued to mix her potions in her bags.  Then, like a woman possessed, she grabbed every piece of fabric she had been working on and started shoving them into the bags and adding more dye.  The photo above nicely sums us up.  I am the control freak and Iris the anarchist.  Neither right nor wrong, but both of us equally able to enjoy the way we work.   

These are the results of Iris' dye session.  As you ca see, she DIDN'T end up with mud.  I love the gradation, into which I think she dropped a few spoons of black (see, there IS a reason you need to keep track!).  On the right are her manipulations.

Here are some of the manipulations unfolded.  The top left is the result of sewing a design into the fabric.  Below it is the rectangle fold, which to my mind is now crying out for a bit of over dyeing to further enhance the surface.  The next one along is from pinching.  Top right looks like folding and rolling.  I have never particularly been interested in this sort of manipulation, but seeing these has suddenly given me ideas about how I could use them, so I may just have a little bit of a play with them myself.

Interestingly one of Iris' fabrics was a pre-printed white on white fabric.  If you click on the photo and look closely, you will see that it has a lovely texture sitting underneath the dye.  I am going to try that one myself also.

I hope Iris is pleased with her fabric.  Knowing Iris, we can expect some interestingly dyed fabric from her in the future as I know she has lots of colours just screaming to be used.

Meanwhile, we await Sue's dyeing results.  Last heard from she had been to the supermarket to buy herself lots of supplies and then she started digging a fish pond.  I am not sure just how much fabric Sue is intending to dye, but a pond full does seem a tad excessive!