A Little Friday Night Dye Lot

For my upcoming project I am going to incorporate a wide tonal range of fabric scraps to create texture and volume in my textiles.  What better to do on a rainy Friday night than a huge dye lot?  I did not use natural dyes for these batches as I wanted deep hues of blacks and browns.  I had presoaked various fabrics in soda ash so they were ready to go.

My dyes ranged from ecru to brown to silver grey to black.

I dissolved the dye powder in a jar with some water before so that when added to the pot it would disperse evenly.

In the pot, I simmered the fabric in the dye on the stove for about half an hour then let it cool down for another half hour.  Heat is key to getting deep colors.

This is the result from the black dye lot.  Each fabric took the color differently giving me a wide tonal range.

For the brown dye lot I twisted my fabric and it created this great shibori pattern.  I am very excited with this!

More dye lots to come, this was just the tip of the iceberg.  As I continue to gather my natural dye stuffs I will do more natural dyeing, which is what I prefer.

Be Inspired. Be Bold. Be Natural.

peace&love

Rebecca