Name: nikki

Message: Hi there, the problem that I have been having when I'm trying to immersion dye for even color. I usually dye one yard in a bucket and I agitate and stir as directed but I cannot find any recipes that call for 1 yard. So usually the end result is certain areas are lighter. What am I doing wrong? Hope to hear from you soon. Peace Nikki

What kind of dye are you using? Since you didn't specify, I will assume that you are using a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. Not all of these suggestions will be equally suitable for other types of dye, such as all-purpose dye. There are a number of different details in how you do your dyeing that will help you to get all of your fabric to dye the exact same shade. 

How much does your fabric weigh per yard, when dry? The amount of ingredients you need in your dyebath depend on the weight of the fabric, rather than on how many yards long it is. Depending on the thickness of the fabric, it may weigh only a few ounces per yard. Dharma Trading Company has instructions for dyeing eight ounces of fabric. For dyeing four ounces of fabric, you could follow these directions exactly in water volume, but cut the amount of dye and Calsolene oil in half.

I don't usually use Calsolene oil, but if you're having troubles getting your dye to be level (level means dyeing to a single solid shade throughout), it would be a good idea to try it. Calsolene oil is a surfactant which helps the dye to penetrate the fabric more evenly.

How frequently do you stir your fabric? Very frequent stirring, especially continuous stirring for the first ten or fifteen minutes after you add the dye and after you add the soda ash, is very important.

How are you adding your soda ash? You will get the most level results by first stirring the fabric in the dyebath with the dye and for a while, then adding the soda ash only a little at a time. Never pour soda ash directly on your fabric, and do not add it all at once. Some dyers prefer to remove the fabric from the dyebath altogether while adding the soda ash, while others find it sufficient (and less messy) to just hold the fabric to one side of the bucket with a stick while stirring the soda ash into the rest of the dyebath. Always predissolve your soda ash in water before adding it. Add one third of the soda ash, stir the fabric for five minutes, add more soda ash, stir more, and so on.

How big is your bucket? A larger bucket and a larger volume of water helps in getting a more smoothly solid color. A three-gallon bucket is better than a gallon-and-a-half bucket, when level dyeing is important. If adding Calsolene oil is not sufficient to improve your results, using a larger volume of water may do the trick.

Proper prewashing is important in prevent uneven results. Prewash your fabric in very hot water with Synthrapol and some extra soda ash to help remove sizing and other fabric treatments which interfere with level dyeing. If your water supply is not hot enough, consider doing this in a cooking pot on the stove, to make sure that your water is at least 140°F (but do not use soda ash in an aluminum pot). Some treatments, such as permanent press, stain resistance, and starch sizing, are difficult or impossible to remove even with boiling, in which case you are better off with PFD fabric, which has been prepared specifically for dyeing.

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