Recently the dye in my pole wrap shibori is not pentrating thru the silk crepe fabric--why not?

Name: Joan

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Message: I have done pole wrap many times--recently my pole wrap is not pentrating thru the silk crepe fabric--it is only on the top surface--why---have no idea what I am doing wrong--I am submerge dying the pole..any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated...Joan

It's very common to see dye not penetrating through to inner layers of the wrapping. Inner layers usually receive noticeably less dye. This is why people devise pole-wrapping setups with large-diameter pipes and plastic trash cans, so that they don't have to place one layer of fabric on top of another. (For example, see this wonderful crank turn version that was posted on the dye forum.)

Traditional Japanese shibori fabric, as used in kimonos, is limited to 14" widths, if I recall correctly. A 14" width of fabric can be accommodated without overlapping layers on a pole whose diameter is only 4.5". With the much greater widths of modern fabrics, we no longer wish to be limited to this size. An eight-inch diameter pipe will accommodate fabric up to 25 inches wide.

Materials that can be used for larger poles depend on your dyeing methods. Dyes that do not require high heat can easily be applied on fabric wrapped around PVC poles, but steaming may soften the plastic. Metal pipes are unsuitable if they are made from reactive metals, such as aluminum or (non-stainless) steel, which will react with the acids used with acid dyes or with the bases used with fiber reactive dyes, with resulting stains and/or alterations in the colors that dyes produce. A Lucite tube will allow you to look inside the pipe to see how well the dye has penetrated. A small stainless steel trash can might work.

Since you have previously been successful in getting the dye to penetrate to the inner layers of your pole wrapping, the best thing to look at now is whether anything has changed in your methods.

• The first possibility to consider is whether your fabric is different from the fabric you use to use. Is it from the same source? Could there have been a change in the processing of the fabric, with different sizings used in manufacture? Of course a thicker fabric, which weighs more grams per yard, will not allow the dyes to travel through it as freely as a thinner, more sheer silk. Do you have any of the old fabric that you used to use, to try for a comparison?
  
  
• Are you wrapping or scrunching your fabric more tightly than before? More tightly wrapped fabric will resist dye penetration more effectively. Even loosely wrapped fabric will tend to get more dye on the outer layers than on inner layers, though.
  
  
• Are you dampening the bound fabric before you apply the dye? Water will resist dye. Dry fabric will absorb more dye. Without presoaking, inner layers will absorb more dye, though not as much as outer layers do. 
  
  
• What kind of dyes are you using? Are you using acid dyes, and if so, what brand? Are you using the same colors as before? Different dye colors, even within a single line of dye, are based on different dye molecules, which means they have slightly different properties.
  
  
• Is your dyebath water the same temperature as before? The molecules in hot water move more rapidly and may more easily carry the dye farther.
  
  
• Dyes will penetrate further with the assistance of a wetting aid, such as a drop of detergent, or the photographer's surfactant Photoflo. Did you ever use any detergent in your dye mixture before? Some dyes dissolve better with a single drop of Synthrapol or of a hand dishwashing detergent such as Dawn.

If you can figure out what's changed in your techniques, you may be able to return to getting results more similar to what you used to get.

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