Fabrics To Dye For
I hope these instructions bring you the results you are after. It's a wonderful hobby and a great way to produce a lot of beautiful quilting and sewing fabric at a reasonable cost. If you find you like to experiment, you might just end up with enough fabric to sell the surplus to friends, or quilt shops, or online. I dye fabrics to then use for garments that I sell so that is also another way to use your beautiful dyed fabrics.
I do suggest you read everything before getting started so that you do not skip over a vital detail that may determine the success the of your fabric dyeing. I've included a lot of tips and tricks as well, and, if you follow along, in the end you will be able to dye any color you want and duplicate that color over and over again with consistent results. This is a gold mine for fabric lovers! Once you've dyed fabric a few times, you will find it very simple to do.
The instructions I offer will show you how to create your own beautiful hand-dyed cotton fabrics in your home using Procion MX dyes (available at dye, quilt, and art shops) in a frugal and efficient manner.
A simple system can be set up in your work space and used repeated to allow you the experience and fun of this wonderful way to be creative with color.
Your most important decision before you get started with dyeing fabric is how you are going to use the end fabrics. That will determine the fabric piece sizes and amount that you will need to dye. Having this information before you begin will allow you to experience success and use what you have created so you can have that satisfaction of completion.
As with other things, you want to avoid the disappointment of needing just a few inches more and not having it available until you do another set of dyed fabric. The disappointment in this case is time delay and not that the fabric you need is no longer available. Smart planning ahead of time will allow you to bypass this delay issue also so you can get into the creative process and finish it while you are in the creative groove.
It will be important to keep track of your recipes so if you do run out of fabric you can duplicate the color again. Mark your fabric as well so you will know which of the fabric pieces belongs to which color formula.