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Monday, March 31, 2008
I cannot find information as to the exact meaning of "fiber reactive dye" and how it differs from an "acid dye".
Friday, March 28, 2008
how to tie-dye a marijuana leaf shape
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Please tell me the structure and properties of two acid dyes
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Are you suppose to wash the t-shirt before you tie-dye it?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
What is the best dye to use in making Batik cotton fabric for use in children's clothing?
Monday, March 24, 2008
I have a lot of dye left over. How long will it last?
Sunday, March 23, 2008
dyeing bamboo velour cloth diapers
Friday, March 14, 2008
Bleach would destroy this beautiful creation. Is it possible to chemically make the materials white?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
advice for serious students of textile dyeing, plus questions about dyeing devore in two colors
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
What would be the best way to permanently dye canvas drop-cloths that painters use?
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I want to paint a solid, smooth design on the back pockets of a pair of jeans
Sunday, March 09, 2008
If I want to "write a phrase" on the shirt and not have it get tye dyed...how do I do that?
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Would it be safe to put my indigo bedspread in the washing machine with a product like Retayne? I don't want to ruin this unique handmade item!
Friday, March 07, 2008
dip dyeing for an ombré gradient effect
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Can I redye a raffia hat?
Monday, March 03, 2008
I am trying to make the colour turquoise. What must I do?
Saturday, March 01, 2008
how to dye a quilt piece black, leaving some parts white, to look like a playing card
cutting down on water usage in washing out after dyeing
Message: Hi Paula,
first let me tell you that you have the best site. Learned practically everything I know from your site!! Thanks for sharing with us :-).
Anyway,
I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something?
I always use procion dyes and usually don't have a problem,but since moving house, the dyes take soooooo much water to rinse them. I have to wash about 5 times to get the excess dye out. Colours are still bright at the end, but since we are on severe water restrictions, I will end up getting into trouble from the council.
Do you think it's because I haven't been using the salt. I didn't at the last place, as when I tried without, they still came out perfect.
Any help would be greatfully received.
Thanks very much for reading.
kind regards,
Bev from Australia.
Hi Bev,
I wonder if your hot water temperature is lower in your new house. The most important thing in efficiency in washing out excess Procion MX dye, or really any dye, is the temperature of the water. What I would suggest is that you do a single rinse in cool or lukewarm water, to get rid of the soda ash and some of the loose dye, then fill an inexpensive insulated cooler with enough hot water to cover the fabric. You might want to heat the water on your kitchen stove in a large pot if your water heater doesn't get very hot. I always recommend that people use water that is at least 60°C (140°F) to wash out excess Procion MX dye, but hotter temperatures are even more efficient. Even boiling water is okay for this purpose, as properly attached Procion MX dye will not come out even when boiled. To make the best use of this hot water, soak your dyed material in it for several hours. After this, put it in your washing machine to rinse one more time and to remove extra water. Except for the initial rinse, you can use any detergent, or you can use Synthrapol or its equivalents such as Hitech Washoff or Dharma Professional Textile Detergent even in the first rinse, as well as subsequent washings. These special dye removal detergents are very concentrated; see "What is Synthrapol?" for more information.
Another possibility is that you have hard water, containing calcium or magnesium salts. Hard water is healthier for drinking than soft water is, but it's a problem for dyeing. The loose dyes can form a complex with calcium that is very difficult to wash out. There are two possible solutions for this: you can dye with softened or distilled water, or you can add a chemical that is commonly used in dyeing, sodium hexametaphosphate. This chemical is commonly known as Calgon T, but it's not the same as the phosphate-free liquid Calgon products you may see at the grocery store. Those contain a different chemical which is not suitable for dyeing. You might find it labeled "water softener" or "metaphos" or "metaphosphate". I don't see it in the online catalogs for Batik Oetoro or Kraftkolour, but it would be surprising if they do not have it. I know that the dye companies here in North America and in England carry it. I hope it has not been legislated against in your area; large amounts of phosphates in the streams are a bad thing, but small amounts for household dyeing are insignificant. It would be worth calling them to ask about it. If your water is very hard, you should use softened water for washing out as well as for dyeing in, but using distilled water would be far too much trouble for that purpose. Hexametaphosphate is much easier to use during washing out. See "Dyeing with hard water".
I don't think that not using salt would be responsible for the dye wash-off problem. Salt is useful when you dye in a high-volume waterbath, when dyeing a solid color, because it helps to drive the dye out of the water into close proximity to the fiber, where it can react. It does nothing to cause the dye to actually fix to the fiber. It makes the dye more efficient so you don't have to use as much as you otherwise would, but it's not necessary for tie-dyeing or low water immersion dyeing, because the volume of water is so much lower.
In some cases, industrial dyeing mills use a cationic dye fixative, similar to Retayne or DyeFix (the latter is Batik Oetoro's name), in place of proper washing-out of excess dye. Normally I do not recommend this, because properly fixed and washed out Procion MX dye is more washfast than excess Procion MX dye that has been glued into place by dye fixative, but it is one last option to consider while your water supply is limited, if all else fails. Wash the dye out once or twice before applying the cationic dye fixative, and after the fixative treatment, wash the treated material in cool water only, or as directed by the manufacturer of the fixative, and label any dyed fabric or clothing that you sell accordingly.
You might want to consider switching to another class of reactive dye. Procion MX is known for being the hardest to wash out of all of the reactive dyes. I don't myself experience that much difference between different types of fiber reactive dyes, but the difference is said by reputable sources to exist. Drimarene K and Remazol dyes are two different classes of fiber reactive dye which are available by mail-order in Australia. (Be careful to make sure that the initial rinse after dyeing with Remazol dyes is done in cool water.)
One last possible cause of difficulties in washing out excess dye is finishes on the fabric, such as starch, which is used as sizing. You can detect starch with an iodine test. Starch bonds to Procion MX dye just about as well as the cotton does, but the dyed starch washes out of the cotton only very gradually.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
I cannot find information as to the exact meaning of "fiber reactive dye" and how it differs from an "acid dye".
Name: Sharon
Message: I worked for many years as a Histochemist and am now a tapestry weaver wanting to dye my own wool. I cannot find information as to the exact meaning of "fiber reactive dye" and how it differs from an "acid dye". Also, there doesn't seem to be a correlation between "MX" codes and certified index numbers. I would like more scientific information re the mixing of the colors. Procion dyes seem to be different with each company.
Buy Jacquard Acid Dyes from MisterArt.com
The world's largest online discount art & craft supply store!
Try this page, "About Fiber Reactive Dyes":
Acid dyes bond to textile fibers in a different, less permanent way. For more details, see "What kinds of chemical bonds attach dyes to fibers?":
You may also be interested to see my page showing chemical structures for Procion MX dyes, and compare them to acid dyes, as for example on the page "What is Kool-Aid colored with? Is it colored with Procion dyes?".
Note that Procion dyes, both Procion MX dyes (the dichlorotriazines) and Procion H dyes (the monochlorotriazines), can be used as acid dyes if they are used according to an acid dyeing recipe, on a protein fiber such as wool or silk, or on nylon, when used with heat and an acid such as citric acid or vinegar. (See Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers.) When Procion dyes are used with acid, they attach via hydrogen bonds and/or salt linkages in the colored, chromophore section of the dye molecule, not via the more permanent covalent bonds formed by the reaction between the fabric and the dye's reactive section. In order to get a fiber reactive dye to act as a true fiber reactive dye on cotton or any other cellulose fiber, you must use a high pH, such as with soda ash.
Only ten to twenty of the available Procion MX dyes are pure, unmixed, single-hue dyes. The remainder are mixtures and therefore have no Colour Index names. Which single-hue Procion dyes your dye supplier sells, and what names they are sold under, varies according to your choice of dye supplier. The MX codes and Colour Index names are listed, along with the common names and catalog numbers at a number of different dye suppliers, on my page "Which Procion MX colors are pure, and which mixtures?". I find the Colour Index names (e.g., "reactive orange 4") more useful than the Colour Index numbers (e.g., "CI 18260").
All of the single-hue unmixed Procion MX dyes are the same regardless of where you buy them, but each dye company also sells proprietary mixtures, which are completely different at different retailers, even if they have the same common name (e.g., "chocolate brown"), plus a few manufacturer's mixtures, which are the same everywhere unless they have been replaced by proprietary mixtures. Single-hue unmixed dyes have MX codes, but so do the manufacturer's mixes and, in a few cases, the proprietary mixtures that have been introduced to replace a manufacturer's mix during a period of low availability. Here's a link to an explanation of how to interpret the original meanings of MX codes.
There are far more acid dyes in the world than reactive dyes. I list Colour Index names on the "Leveling Acid Dyes" page, on "Which Washfast Acid colors are pure, and not mixtures?", and on "Lightfastness of Different Types of Dyes", among other pages.
When you use Procion dyes on wool at a low pH, they do not bond as fiber reactive dyes. However, there are true fiber reactive dyes that are formulated to react with wool at low pHs. As a result, they are more washfast than acid dyes. See "About Lanaset Dyes", and "Vinyl Sulfone (Remazol) Fiber Reactive Dyes" . The latter work at a wide range of pHs on protein fibers, but can be used only at high pH on cotton and other cellulose fibers.
I would like to encourage you to join the Dye Forum. It's an ideal place to ask and discuss more detailed questions.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: I worked for many years as a Histochemist and am now a tapestry weaver wanting to dye my own wool. I cannot find information as to the exact meaning of "fiber reactive dye" and how it differs from an "acid dye". Also, there doesn't seem to be a correlation between "MX" codes and certified index numbers. I would like more scientific information re the mixing of the colors. Procion dyes seem to be different with each company.
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Jacquard Green Label
Silk Colors
Buy Jacquard Acid Dyes from MisterArt.com
The world's largest online discount art & craft supply store!
Jacquard Acid Dyes are concentrated, powdered, hot water dyes that produce the most vibrant possible results on protein fibers including mohair, silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca, feathers, and most nylons.
Try this page, "About Fiber Reactive Dyes":
"Fiber reactive dye is the most permanent of all dye types. Unlike other dyes, it actually forms a covalent bond with the cellulose or protein molecule. Once the bond is formed, what you have is one molecule, as the dye molecule has become an actual part of the cellulose fiber molecule. "There is a great deal of information about different fiber reactive dyes on that page. Note in particular the table at the bottom on the right side.
Acid dyes bond to textile fibers in a different, less permanent way. For more details, see "What kinds of chemical bonds attach dyes to fibers?":
"The attachment between acid dyes and the protein fibers that they join to are the most complex of all. Proteins are made of up to twenty different amino acids, each of which has a different side chain. At different pHs, different dyes can form rather strong hydrogen bonding to various of these side chains. Many acid dyes contain a sulfonic group, or, in some cases, a carboxylic group, which can form a strong 'salt linkage' to a basic group in the wool molecule....A salt linkage is an ionic bond between fixed ions of opposite charges, due to Coulombic interaction."Also see "About Acid Dyes", and the various pages on my site about specific classes of acid dyes.
You may also be interested to see my page showing chemical structures for Procion MX dyes, and compare them to acid dyes, as for example on the page "What is Kool-Aid colored with? Is it colored with Procion dyes?".
Note that Procion dyes, both Procion MX dyes (the dichlorotriazines) and Procion H dyes (the monochlorotriazines), can be used as acid dyes if they are used according to an acid dyeing recipe, on a protein fiber such as wool or silk, or on nylon, when used with heat and an acid such as citric acid or vinegar. (See Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers.) When Procion dyes are used with acid, they attach via hydrogen bonds and/or salt linkages in the colored, chromophore section of the dye molecule, not via the more permanent covalent bonds formed by the reaction between the fabric and the dye's reactive section. In order to get a fiber reactive dye to act as a true fiber reactive dye on cotton or any other cellulose fiber, you must use a high pH, such as with soda ash.
Only ten to twenty of the available Procion MX dyes are pure, unmixed, single-hue dyes. The remainder are mixtures and therefore have no Colour Index names. Which single-hue Procion dyes your dye supplier sells, and what names they are sold under, varies according to your choice of dye supplier. The MX codes and Colour Index names are listed, along with the common names and catalog numbers at a number of different dye suppliers, on my page "Which Procion MX colors are pure, and which mixtures?". I find the Colour Index names (e.g., "reactive orange 4") more useful than the Colour Index numbers (e.g., "CI 18260").
All of the single-hue unmixed Procion MX dyes are the same regardless of where you buy them, but each dye company also sells proprietary mixtures, which are completely different at different retailers, even if they have the same common name (e.g., "chocolate brown"), plus a few manufacturer's mixtures, which are the same everywhere unless they have been replaced by proprietary mixtures. Single-hue unmixed dyes have MX codes, but so do the manufacturer's mixes and, in a few cases, the proprietary mixtures that have been introduced to replace a manufacturer's mix during a period of low availability. Here's a link to an explanation of how to interpret the original meanings of MX codes.
There are far more acid dyes in the world than reactive dyes. I list Colour Index names on the "Leveling Acid Dyes" page, on "Which Washfast Acid colors are pure, and not mixtures?", and on "Lightfastness of Different Types of Dyes", among other pages.
When you use Procion dyes on wool at a low pH, they do not bond as fiber reactive dyes. However, there are true fiber reactive dyes that are formulated to react with wool at low pHs. As a result, they are more washfast than acid dyes. See "About Lanaset Dyes", and "Vinyl Sulfone (Remazol) Fiber Reactive Dyes" . The latter work at a wide range of pHs on protein fibers, but can be used only at high pH on cotton and other cellulose fibers.
I would like to encourage you to join the Dye Forum. It's an ideal place to ask and discuss more detailed questions.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Friday, March 28, 2008
how to tie-dye a marijuana leaf shape
Name: Lily
Message: Dear Paula,
I have been trying (without success) to tie-dye a marijuana leaf on a square sheet of cotton fabric to make a wallhanging.
It's
for a school project in my art class. Basically, I'm not sure how to fold or dye
the fabric to achieve the shape I want. Already I know how to mix dyes properly
and use soda ash fixative, but I am stuck for marijuana leaves. There is a
particular design I was inspired by from this website [shown to the
right].
Hopefully you could help me? If you could, please let me know how you think the folding would be done, as well as the consistency of dyes and choice of colour. I live in Sydney, Australia and there are very few places here where you can actually get Procion MX dyes - in fact I had to order mine in from a very expensive supplier - Batik Oetoro....Geez, it's all getting very frustrating.
Another source for mail-ordering Procion MX dyes in Australia is Kraftkolour, though I don't know how much more shipping from Melbourne might cost, but it costs even more than Batik Oetoro. Fifty grams of Procion MX dye costs AUS$10 from Batik Oetoro, and half a kilogram AUS$70, 10% GST included, whereas at Kraftkolour it costs $11 for 50 grams or $77 for half a kilo. That is two to three times the cost from the least expensive US retailers, not including tax or shipping, which run about US$20-25 a pound, or $4-5 per 58 grams. Many people happily buy dyes in shops for $3 for about 5 grams of dye, just enough to dye half a pound of fabric, though, so it's not as though cheap dye is the norm even here in the US.
That's a beautifully dyed shirt by Weef. You can see that it requires skill and experience to get the ideal design. You will have to make a number of less-than-satisfactory practice banners before you get one that looks the way you want it to. I would like to encourage those reading this blog to consider buying from Weefcraft, where they have already invested the time and effort to work this out. I can give you some pointers on how to start, but only a great deal of trial and error will enable you to achieve perfect results.
For the marijuana leaf question, the key point is the symmetry, or rather, partial symmetry. First think of dyeing a completely symmetrical leaf, dyeing each of (usually) seven leaflets plus the stem, for a total of eight points. Later you can think about applying the dye a little unevenly to make the center leaflet longer, the opposite stem shorter, and the other leaflets intermediate in length. First fold the fabric into sixteenths, but do not enclose some of the folds within others, more than necessary. Instead, first fold the fabric in half, and then do a sort of accordian fold, up-down-up-down-up, using a method like that shown in the picture below which I drew for my page on "How to Tie Dye Mandalas and Stars":
Clearly, once you've folded the fabric into sixteens, the goal will be to apply the green dye, probably thickened first with some sodium alginate, to one side of the bundle, so as to make eight spokes radiating from the center. Using alginate will reduce the tendency of your dye to spread, allowing greater control. See my dye thickener page.
I recommend that you use a very thin fabric, such as a fine rayon (which is a cellulose fiber that can be dyed just like cotton, though you should be gentle with it, because rayon is weak when it is wet). Thick jerseys will make it difficult to obtain fine details. If you tie the leaves off from the rest of the design, you should first draw a guideline (pencil is safest) that extends at a sharp angle, from a point not far from the center point of the folded fabric,to a point on the opposite side of the fabric several inches away from the center. The dye you place immediately adjacent to the leaves should probably be yellow, since this will not ruin the laves if it creeps into them.
I don't know of any step-by-step instructions online for how to dye a marijuana leaf, but there are some excellently illustrated instructions on dyeing a shamrock, with three-fold symmetry. Look at these instructions for tie-dyeing a shamrock by Kathy of Desert Dyeworks.
The instructions in the True Tie Dye video, Tie Dye 303,
part
of the Advanced Tie Dye Techniques Set, does not, as far as I recall, include a
palmately divided leaf, but their mandala and star folding examples are
certainly helpful in learning how to think about and make patterns with radial
symmetry. The DVDs are available in the PAL format used in
Australia and Europe, as well as the NTSC format used in the Americas and
Japan.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: Dear Paula,
I have been trying (without success) to tie-dye a marijuana leaf on a square sheet of cotton fabric to make a wallhanging.
It's
for a school project in my art class. Basically, I'm not sure how to fold or dye
the fabric to achieve the shape I want. Already I know how to mix dyes properly
and use soda ash fixative, but I am stuck for marijuana leaves. There is a
particular design I was inspired by from this website [shown to the
right].Hopefully you could help me? If you could, please let me know how you think the folding would be done, as well as the consistency of dyes and choice of colour. I live in Sydney, Australia and there are very few places here where you can actually get Procion MX dyes - in fact I had to order mine in from a very expensive supplier - Batik Oetoro....Geez, it's all getting very frustrating.
Another source for mail-ordering Procion MX dyes in Australia is Kraftkolour, though I don't know how much more shipping from Melbourne might cost, but it costs even more than Batik Oetoro. Fifty grams of Procion MX dye costs AUS$10 from Batik Oetoro, and half a kilogram AUS$70, 10% GST included, whereas at Kraftkolour it costs $11 for 50 grams or $77 for half a kilo. That is two to three times the cost from the least expensive US retailers, not including tax or shipping, which run about US$20-25 a pound, or $4-5 per 58 grams. Many people happily buy dyes in shops for $3 for about 5 grams of dye, just enough to dye half a pound of fabric, though, so it's not as though cheap dye is the norm even here in the US.
That's a beautifully dyed shirt by Weef. You can see that it requires skill and experience to get the ideal design. You will have to make a number of less-than-satisfactory practice banners before you get one that looks the way you want it to. I would like to encourage those reading this blog to consider buying from Weefcraft, where they have already invested the time and effort to work this out. I can give you some pointers on how to start, but only a great deal of trial and error will enable you to achieve perfect results.
For the marijuana leaf question, the key point is the symmetry, or rather, partial symmetry. First think of dyeing a completely symmetrical leaf, dyeing each of (usually) seven leaflets plus the stem, for a total of eight points. Later you can think about applying the dye a little unevenly to make the center leaflet longer, the opposite stem shorter, and the other leaflets intermediate in length. First fold the fabric into sixteenths, but do not enclose some of the folds within others, more than necessary. Instead, first fold the fabric in half, and then do a sort of accordian fold, up-down-up-down-up, using a method like that shown in the picture below which I drew for my page on "How to Tie Dye Mandalas and Stars":
Clearly, once you've folded the fabric into sixteens, the goal will be to apply the green dye, probably thickened first with some sodium alginate, to one side of the bundle, so as to make eight spokes radiating from the center. Using alginate will reduce the tendency of your dye to spread, allowing greater control. See my dye thickener page.
I recommend that you use a very thin fabric, such as a fine rayon (which is a cellulose fiber that can be dyed just like cotton, though you should be gentle with it, because rayon is weak when it is wet). Thick jerseys will make it difficult to obtain fine details. If you tie the leaves off from the rest of the design, you should first draw a guideline (pencil is safest) that extends at a sharp angle, from a point not far from the center point of the folded fabric,to a point on the opposite side of the fabric several inches away from the center. The dye you place immediately adjacent to the leaves should probably be yellow, since this will not ruin the laves if it creeps into them.
I don't know of any step-by-step instructions online for how to dye a marijuana leaf, but there are some excellently illustrated instructions on dyeing a shamrock, with three-fold symmetry. Look at these instructions for tie-dyeing a shamrock by Kathy of Desert Dyeworks.
The instructions in the True Tie Dye video, Tie Dye 303,
part
of the Advanced Tie Dye Techniques Set, does not, as far as I recall, include a
palmately divided leaf, but their mandala and star folding examples are
certainly helpful in learning how to think about and make patterns with radial
symmetry. The DVDs are available in the PAL format used in
Australia and Europe, as well as the NTSC format used in the Americas and
Japan.(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Please tell me the structure and properties of two acid dyes
Please tell me the structure and properties of 2 dyestuffs:
moderacid black MD & moderacid sky
blue?
The world's largest online discount art & craft supply store!
The first thing you have to do is find the generic names of your dyes. This takes just a little web searching. Moderacid Sky Blue RB is Colour Index Acid Blue 62. Unfortunately, Moderacid Black MD is a mixture of two or more dyes, so the structure and properties cannot be determined without more information from the manufacturer.
Once you have your Colour Index names, you can search for more information much more easily. Search with "Acid Blue 62", using the quotes. You can find that this dye is a member of the class of dyes referred to as leveling acid dyes. This class of acid dyes is relatively poorly washfast, so items dyed with it should be hand-washed in cold water only, or, preferably, dry cleaned only. However, due to the same properties it is easy to get a single solid level color when dyeing with this dye.
Even though you don't, at this point, know exactly what dyes are found in your Moderacid Black MD dye mixture, you can bet that they are leveling acid dyes, since they have been labeled with the same trade name as the blue dye that you know is one.
Colour Index Acid Blue 62 is sold to artists under the name "623 Brilliant Blue" by Jacquard Products. They include some information about its properties on their web site. More figures are available on the lightfastness page. Its washfastness is rated as being rather poor in cool water (40°C), at only 2 to 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. Its lightfastness is 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 8.
For more information still, try to find the US CAS number. For acid blue 62, a quick internet search rapidly turns up CAS# 4368-56-3, and the Colour Index Number is CI 62045. (Put the number "4368-56-3" in quotes when you search with it, so that the search engine does not break the number at the dashes.) Acid Blue 62's molecular formula turns out to be C20H19N2Na2O5S. Its full chemical name is sodium 1-amino-4-(cyclohexylamino)- 9,10-dihydro- 9,10-dioxoanthracene- 2-sulphonate. In addition to its usage in the textile industry, it is also used in hair dyeing.
You can use the name to draw the chemical structure, or you can do more web searching using the numbers above to look for someone else's drawing of it.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
[This answer was originally posted by me on Yahoo Answers on March 27, 2008.]
—ADVERTISEMENT—
Buy Jacquard Acid Dyes from MisterArt.comThe world's largest online discount art & craft supply store!
Jacquard Acid Dyes are concentrated, powdered, hot water dyes that produce the most vibrant possible results on protein fibers including mohair, silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca, feathers, and most nylons.
The first thing you have to do is find the generic names of your dyes. This takes just a little web searching. Moderacid Sky Blue RB is Colour Index Acid Blue 62. Unfortunately, Moderacid Black MD is a mixture of two or more dyes, so the structure and properties cannot be determined without more information from the manufacturer.
Once you have your Colour Index names, you can search for more information much more easily. Search with "Acid Blue 62", using the quotes. You can find that this dye is a member of the class of dyes referred to as leveling acid dyes. This class of acid dyes is relatively poorly washfast, so items dyed with it should be hand-washed in cold water only, or, preferably, dry cleaned only. However, due to the same properties it is easy to get a single solid level color when dyeing with this dye.
Even though you don't, at this point, know exactly what dyes are found in your Moderacid Black MD dye mixture, you can bet that they are leveling acid dyes, since they have been labeled with the same trade name as the blue dye that you know is one.
Colour Index Acid Blue 62 is sold to artists under the name "623 Brilliant Blue" by Jacquard Products. They include some information about its properties on their web site. More figures are available on the lightfastness page. Its washfastness is rated as being rather poor in cool water (40°C), at only 2 to 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. Its lightfastness is 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 8.
For more information still, try to find the US CAS number. For acid blue 62, a quick internet search rapidly turns up CAS# 4368-56-3, and the Colour Index Number is CI 62045. (Put the number "4368-56-3" in quotes when you search with it, so that the search engine does not break the number at the dashes.) Acid Blue 62's molecular formula turns out to be C20H19N2Na2O5S. Its full chemical name is sodium 1-amino-4-(cyclohexylamino)- 9,10-dihydro- 9,10-dioxoanthracene- 2-sulphonate. In addition to its usage in the textile industry, it is also used in hair dyeing.
You can use the name to draw the chemical structure, or you can do more web searching using the numbers above to look for someone else's drawing of it.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
[This answer was originally posted by me on Yahoo Answers on March 27, 2008.]
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Are you suppose to wash the t-shirt before you tie-dye it?
Are you suppose to wash the t-shirt before you tie-dye
it?
i have a brand new white t-shirt that i am going to tie-dye.
i don't have insrtuctions, so i don't know what to do.
do i wash it first in the washing machine with soap.
or nothing.
Yes. Always wash clothing before dyeing it. Otherwise, you may get pale splotches where invisible finishes from the manufacturing process remain to repel the dye.
Use hot water and detergent, and run the washing machine as you usually do for laundry. If you have extra soda ash or washing soda, add a little when you do the prewashing, to make the detergent more effective.
Don't ever try to dye a stain-resistant t-shirt. The results are disappointing. Also, dye only 100% natural fibers, such as cotton. If you dye 50% cotton/50% polyester, you will get pale colors, and if you dye 100% polyester, the dye will wash out almost completely.
i have a brand new white t-shirt that i am going to tie-dye.
i don't have insrtuctions, so i don't know what to do.
do i wash it first in the washing machine with soap.
or nothing.
Yes. Always wash clothing before dyeing it. Otherwise, you may get pale splotches where invisible finishes from the manufacturing process remain to repel the dye.
Use hot water and detergent, and run the washing machine as you usually do for laundry. If you have extra soda ash or washing soda, add a little when you do the prewashing, to make the detergent more effective.
Don't ever try to dye a stain-resistant t-shirt. The results are disappointing. Also, dye only 100% natural fibers, such as cotton. If you dye 50% cotton/50% polyester, you will get pale colors, and if you dye 100% polyester, the dye will wash out almost completely.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
What is the best dye to use in making Batik cotton fabric for use in children's clothing?
What is the best dye to use in making Batik cotton fabric for use
in children's clothing? Safest, less likely to bleed, etc. Using 100% cotton.
Thank
you.
Use Procion MX dye. It is a cool water fiber reactive dye that can be used in water as low as 70°F, and it is among the most permanent of all dye types on cotton, which makes it very safe for use on baby clothes. Procion MX is easily fixed using soda ash (a common ingredient in laundry detergents, but you need to buy the pure stuff). It is available in wide range of different colors.
Do NOT use all-purpose dye, because it is a hot water dye, and the hot water will melt the wax used in batik, plus it tends to bleed badly in the laundry.
Some very good crafts stores sell Jacquard brand Procion MX dye, but you will get the best prices if you mail order it in jars of two ounces or larger from a dye supplier such as Colorado Wholesale Dyes, PRO Chemical & Dye, or Dharma Trading Company.
See "How to Batik" for more information.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
Use Procion MX dye. It is a cool water fiber reactive dye that can be used in water as low as 70°F, and it is among the most permanent of all dye types on cotton, which makes it very safe for use on baby clothes. Procion MX is easily fixed using soda ash (a common ingredient in laundry detergents, but you need to buy the pure stuff). It is available in wide range of different colors.
Do NOT use all-purpose dye, because it is a hot water dye, and the hot water will melt the wax used in batik, plus it tends to bleed badly in the laundry.
Some very good crafts stores sell Jacquard brand Procion MX dye, but you will get the best prices if you mail order it in jars of two ounces or larger from a dye supplier such as Colorado Wholesale Dyes, PRO Chemical & Dye, or Dharma Trading Company.
See "How to Batik" for more information.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Monday, March 24, 2008
I have a lot of dye left over. How long will it last?
Name: Krysten
Message: Hi! I've spent a lot of time on your websites lately and successfully tie-dyed a batch of cotton onesies with Procion dyes. (Yay! Thanks you!) I have a lot of dye left over - I poured it all into jars and hope to use it again. (I didn't use urea.) How long will it last?
If any soda ash has gotten into your Procion MX dye, then it will only last about two hours, because soda ash makes the dye react quickly with fabric OR with the water it's dissolved in. If there is not even a drop of soda ash in your dye yet, then it will probably last about three weeks at room temperature, or longer if you refrigerate it. (Some people have highly alkaline water that causes the dye to hydrolyze quickly in water, but most water supplies are fine.) As it ages, the dye will gradually get weaker and make slightly paler colors.
Once your Procion MX dyes have completely reacted with the water, so that they are no longer any good for dyeing cotton, they can still be used for dyeing silk or wool, using vinegar or another acid instead of soda ash. (See "Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers".) They'll be good for that for as long as they remain liquid and appear to be unchanged, long after they are unable to react with cotton and unable to react with silk in the presence of soda ash.
I'm glad you were able to use my site to successfully dye your baby clothes. It's a lot of fun, isn't it?
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: Hi! I've spent a lot of time on your websites lately and successfully tie-dyed a batch of cotton onesies with Procion dyes. (Yay! Thanks you!) I have a lot of dye left over - I poured it all into jars and hope to use it again. (I didn't use urea.) How long will it last?
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
If any soda ash has gotten into your Procion MX dye, then it will only last about two hours, because soda ash makes the dye react quickly with fabric OR with the water it's dissolved in. If there is not even a drop of soda ash in your dye yet, then it will probably last about three weeks at room temperature, or longer if you refrigerate it. (Some people have highly alkaline water that causes the dye to hydrolyze quickly in water, but most water supplies are fine.) As it ages, the dye will gradually get weaker and make slightly paler colors.
Once your Procion MX dyes have completely reacted with the water, so that they are no longer any good for dyeing cotton, they can still be used for dyeing silk or wool, using vinegar or another acid instead of soda ash. (See "Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers".) They'll be good for that for as long as they remain liquid and appear to be unchanged, long after they are unable to react with cotton and unable to react with silk in the presence of soda ash.
I'm glad you were able to use my site to successfully dye your baby clothes. It's a lot of fun, isn't it?
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
dyeing bamboo velour cloth diapers
Name: Amanda
Message:
First
off, I have never dyed ANYTHING other than 100% wool items (longies) using
koolaid. However, I would like to try something new, particularly cloth
diapers. They are made of nine layers of bamboo velour. Someone forwarded me a
picture of the diapers dyed, and I noticed that the tag is still white. How do I
do this? Is this low water immersion dying? Do you think perhaps the dye was
applied by hand, using a dropper of some sort, and avoiding the tag? Or is there
something you can cover the tag with to keep it from taking the dye? I will
include a picture of the already dyed diapers, and perhaps you can offer some
advice on how I could achieve this effect. I would really appreciate it. I
would just practice and learn by trial and error, except these diapers are very
expensive and I don't want to ruin them!
LOL.
Soda Ash
I recommend that you buy some Procion MX dyes for your bamboo. Bamboo, like cotton, dyes well with cool water fiber reactive dyes. Procion MX are the most popular of the fiber reactive dyes, and they are even the least expensive, if you mail-order them from a company such as Colorado Wholesale Dyes, PRO Chemical & Dye, or Dharma Trading Company. (See Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World for contact information.) They have the lowest reaction temperature of all of the fiber reactive dyes, so they can be used at room temperatures as low as 70°F. You will also need soda ash, to fix the dye. Urea, salt, and sodium alginate are optional, depending on the technique you choose.
The tags in the picture you sent did not dye because they are made of polyester. Polyester does not take fiber reactive dye, so it stays white. The same is true, in general, of stitching. Most cotton garments are sewn together with polyester thread. Some "PFD" (Prepared For Dyeing) garments are sewn with cotton thread for better dyeing. The diapers in the picture you sent each appear to have been sewn with a single color of thread, which implies that they were not dyed with the fabric. For example, in the leftmost example, the thread on even the green sections of fabric is quite purple. These covers must have been sewn from pre-dyed fabric, or else sewn with colored polyester thread before dyeing. Otherwise, there would be more variation in the color of the thread from differently-colored sections of one diaper cover. I cannot be quite sure of this, but you can tell by closely inspecting the covers to see if the thread is exactly the same color throughout. Rayon dyes very brightly with the same dyes as cotton and bamboo (most bamboo fabric, in fact, is made from bamboo-derived rayon), so if clothing labels are made from rayon, they will dye the same colors as the garments.
I believe that the snaps in the picture were not dyed at the same time as the diaper covers. Instead, I think that they were painted to match before they were applied. It is possible to dye nylon snaps, but you don't want to try to dye acrylic snap covers, and most other plastics cannot be dyed at all.
The fabric does look as though it were dyed by low water immersion dyeing. This is my favorite was to dye anything, because it is even easier than tie-dyeing, and the results are more beautiful and more subtle. I would recommend that you try dyeing just one diaper cover, using low water immersion, to see how well it works. I predict that the results will be very nice, but you will want to be sure before you invest a lot of them into this project.
If you have not already done so, check out the blank baby clothes at Dharma Trading Company, They don't sell diapers or diaper covers, but they do sell almost every other sort of baby clothing, usually sewn with cotton thread for better dyeing. The quality is sometimes excellent and sometimes not as good, but the prices are very reasonable and the styles very cute.
Message:
First
off, I have never dyed ANYTHING other than 100% wool items (longies) using
koolaid. However, I would like to try something new, particularly cloth
diapers. They are made of nine layers of bamboo velour. Someone forwarded me a
picture of the diapers dyed, and I noticed that the tag is still white. How do I
do this? Is this low water immersion dying? Do you think perhaps the dye was
applied by hand, using a dropper of some sort, and avoiding the tag? Or is there
something you can cover the tag with to keep it from taking the dye? I will
include a picture of the already dyed diapers, and perhaps you can offer some
advice on how I could achieve this effect. I would really appreciate it. I
would just practice and learn by trial and error, except these diapers are very
expensive and I don't want to ruin them!
LOL.—ADVERTISEMENTS—
Soda Ash
I recommend that you buy some Procion MX dyes for your bamboo. Bamboo, like cotton, dyes well with cool water fiber reactive dyes. Procion MX are the most popular of the fiber reactive dyes, and they are even the least expensive, if you mail-order them from a company such as Colorado Wholesale Dyes, PRO Chemical & Dye, or Dharma Trading Company. (See Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World for contact information.) They have the lowest reaction temperature of all of the fiber reactive dyes, so they can be used at room temperatures as low as 70°F. You will also need soda ash, to fix the dye. Urea, salt, and sodium alginate are optional, depending on the technique you choose.
The tags in the picture you sent did not dye because they are made of polyester. Polyester does not take fiber reactive dye, so it stays white. The same is true, in general, of stitching. Most cotton garments are sewn together with polyester thread. Some "PFD" (Prepared For Dyeing) garments are sewn with cotton thread for better dyeing. The diapers in the picture you sent each appear to have been sewn with a single color of thread, which implies that they were not dyed with the fabric. For example, in the leftmost example, the thread on even the green sections of fabric is quite purple. These covers must have been sewn from pre-dyed fabric, or else sewn with colored polyester thread before dyeing. Otherwise, there would be more variation in the color of the thread from differently-colored sections of one diaper cover. I cannot be quite sure of this, but you can tell by closely inspecting the covers to see if the thread is exactly the same color throughout. Rayon dyes very brightly with the same dyes as cotton and bamboo (most bamboo fabric, in fact, is made from bamboo-derived rayon), so if clothing labels are made from rayon, they will dye the same colors as the garments.
I believe that the snaps in the picture were not dyed at the same time as the diaper covers. Instead, I think that they were painted to match before they were applied. It is possible to dye nylon snaps, but you don't want to try to dye acrylic snap covers, and most other plastics cannot be dyed at all.
The fabric does look as though it were dyed by low water immersion dyeing. This is my favorite was to dye anything, because it is even easier than tie-dyeing, and the results are more beautiful and more subtle. I would recommend that you try dyeing just one diaper cover, using low water immersion, to see how well it works. I predict that the results will be very nice, but you will want to be sure before you invest a lot of them into this project.
If you have not already done so, check out the blank baby clothes at Dharma Trading Company, They don't sell diapers or diaper covers, but they do sell almost every other sort of baby clothing, usually sewn with cotton thread for better dyeing. The quality is sometimes excellent and sometimes not as good, but the prices are very reasonable and the styles very cute.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Bleach would destroy this beautiful creation. Is it possible to chemically make the materials white?
Name:
Stella
Message: I am creating a gown for stage from multiple sources...mostly older remnants that have a ecru/cream or yellowed color that I would like to make white. I have learned from this site that bleach would destroy this beautiful creation and wondered if it is possible to chemically make the materials white. I am only in construction phase, (final product not due until March 26, 08)and the pieces have not yet been sewn together in case I had to use different methods to wash out the yellowed appearance from each. The main dress is 55% cotton, 15% Poleyester and 30% rayon.
The sleeves will be 100 % polyester...the fabric for the bell effect
on the sleeve is 52% cotton and 48% polyester...what do I do? Is it possible? Or should I just use what I have as a pattern and go buy the materials in white...an expense I hope I don't have to do.
You can try using Rit Color Remover. It is less damaging to fibers than chlorine bleach. Jacquard Color Remover is a different chemical which works by the same principal and will give similar results.
It is impossible to predict whether or not it will work, until you try it. Some dyes cannot be removed no matter what you do, and you don't know what dyes were used in your fabrics. The Color Remover might work on some of your fabrics, but not others.
Rit Color Remover works better when used on the stovetop, to achieve hotter temperatures, but you should be careful not to use more heat than your fabrics can tolerate. Polyester can stand heat, but spandex cannot, and different fabrics will shrink to different degrees. It is easier to use this product in the washing machine, though the temperature of hot tap water does not work as well.
See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
Rit Color Remover Removes DyesMessage: I am creating a gown for stage from multiple sources...mostly older remnants that have a ecru/cream or yellowed color that I would like to make white. I have learned from this site that bleach would destroy this beautiful creation and wondered if it is possible to chemically make the materials white. I am only in construction phase, (final product not due until March 26, 08)and the pieces have not yet been sewn together in case I had to use different methods to wash out the yellowed appearance from each. The main dress is 55% cotton, 15% Poleyester and 30% rayon.
The sleeves will be 100 % polyester...the fabric for the bell effect
on the sleeve is 52% cotton and 48% polyester...what do I do? Is it possible? Or should I just use what I have as a pattern and go buy the materials in white...an expense I hope I don't have to do.
You can try using Rit Color Remover. It is less damaging to fibers than chlorine bleach. Jacquard Color Remover is a different chemical which works by the same principal and will give similar results.
It is impossible to predict whether or not it will work, until you try it. Some dyes cannot be removed no matter what you do, and you don't know what dyes were used in your fabrics. The Color Remover might work on some of your fabrics, but not others.
Rit Color Remover works better when used on the stovetop, to achieve hotter temperatures, but you should be careful not to use more heat than your fabrics can tolerate. Polyester can stand heat, but spandex cannot, and different fabrics will shrink to different degrees. It is easier to use this product in the washing machine, though the temperature of hot tap water does not work as well.
See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
advice for serious students of textile dyeing, plus questions about dyeing devore in two colors
Name: henny
Message: I read an answer on the blog written by you....you're enormously knowledeable! I am at the beginning of a textile and surface design degree and would like to know what you would recommend for me to read on the ways to dye different types of fabric....the ph values etc. For example I have tried to dye my devore two tone with a procion and an acid dye mixed together...I used both acid and procion fixatives and think this must have been why my devore was just one colour!! :( instead of two tone. Also I can't get my polyester satin to dye at all!! So what would you recommend to increase my knowledge? Thank you so very very much for your time and help.
The book I most recommend for serious students of dyeing is Giles's Laboratory Course in Dyeing. See the 'Scientific and technical books on dyeing' section at the bottom of my page of book reviews. Order this book directly from the website of the Society of Dyers and Colourists. I also strongly recommend David M. Lewis's book, Wool Dyeing, John Shore's books, Cellulosics Dyeing and Blends Dyeing, from the same source. They each cost £9, very reasonable considering how valuable they are. [Update 1/05/2010: the prices have since increased to £35 and £29, plus shipping; the books are still worth their cost, but no longer so inexpensive.]
Also, get yourself some pH paper as soon as you can. Your dye supplier should carry this, or look for a supplier for chemistry teachers. Buy a wide range pH paper that covers the whole range, from a pH of 1 or 2 to a pH of 13 or 14. If you prepare your dyebath with every ingredient except for the dye itself, you can test its pH, and know just what you're getting into. Doing this on a number of mixtures and household chemicals is probably the fastest way to get a good feeling for how pH works. You want a pH of 10 or 11 to fix fiber reactive dyes on cotton, rayon, or other cellulose fibers, and a pH of 4 to 6 for an acid dye for a protein fiber such as silk or wool, depending on the class of acid dye you are using.
Using both the acid fixative for acid dyes and the soda ash fixative for fiber reactive dyes would give you a neutral pH, which won't fix anything at all! Pick just one fixative to use at a time.
Actually, Procion MX and other fiber reactive dyes will act as acid dyes when used with an acid pH. Fiber reactive dyes are constructed like acid dyes, but with an added reactive section that can form covalent bonds to the fiber molecule. See "Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers".
Complicating things further, silk dyes very well with fiber reactive dyes at a pH of 10 or 11, with soda ash. You do not dye wool at a high pH like that only because it would be damaged. Nylon cannot be dyed at high pH, but silk and wool can be, since they are more complex, chemically, than nylon is. They are all polyamides, but the natural protein fibers contain many amino acid side chains, as well, which are not found in nylon.
To dye devoré two different colors at once, one color on the silk and another color on the rayon, you have two choices. One is a rather overpriced system called Alter Ego, made by the H. Dupont company. In the UK, one good mail-order source is Fibrecrafts. It contains an acid dye to dye the silk but not the cellulose, a direct dye which dyes both silk and cotton, and a reserving agent which prevents the direct dye from dyeing silk. You can choose contrasting colors to dye the two different fibers in the blend. The other option, less predictable and also less expensive and more washfast, is to use two or more colors at once of Procion MX dye, with soda ash, using two colors which 'take' to different degrees of efficiency on silk and on cellulose. See these three discussions on the Dye Forum: Dyeing silk/rayon blends two different colors, "Alter Ego" dyes and dyeing rayon/silk velvet devoré. If you use acid dyes to dye only the silk component of the blend, keep in mind that they may stain the cotton, and apply in a separate step, before the fiber reactive dyes.
To dye polyester, you must use disperse dye, not any other type of dye. You will need to buy this dye by mail-order. See my list of Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World. For more information about dyeing polyester, see "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes". A good book to consult is Holly Brackmann's The Surface Designer's Handbook .
Message: I read an answer on the blog written by you....you're enormously knowledeable! I am at the beginning of a textile and surface design degree and would like to know what you would recommend for me to read on the ways to dye different types of fabric....the ph values etc. For example I have tried to dye my devore two tone with a procion and an acid dye mixed together...I used both acid and procion fixatives and think this must have been why my devore was just one colour!! :( instead of two tone. Also I can't get my polyester satin to dye at all!! So what would you recommend to increase my knowledge? Thank you so very very much for your time and help.
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
The book I most recommend for serious students of dyeing is Giles's Laboratory Course in Dyeing. See the 'Scientific and technical books on dyeing' section at the bottom of my page of book reviews. Order this book directly from the website of the Society of Dyers and Colourists. I also strongly recommend David M. Lewis's book, Wool Dyeing, John Shore's books, Cellulosics Dyeing and Blends Dyeing, from the same source. They each cost £9, very reasonable considering how valuable they are. [Update 1/05/2010: the prices have since increased to £35 and £29, plus shipping; the books are still worth their cost, but no longer so inexpensive.]
Also, get yourself some pH paper as soon as you can. Your dye supplier should carry this, or look for a supplier for chemistry teachers. Buy a wide range pH paper that covers the whole range, from a pH of 1 or 2 to a pH of 13 or 14. If you prepare your dyebath with every ingredient except for the dye itself, you can test its pH, and know just what you're getting into. Doing this on a number of mixtures and household chemicals is probably the fastest way to get a good feeling for how pH works. You want a pH of 10 or 11 to fix fiber reactive dyes on cotton, rayon, or other cellulose fibers, and a pH of 4 to 6 for an acid dye for a protein fiber such as silk or wool, depending on the class of acid dye you are using.
Using both the acid fixative for acid dyes and the soda ash fixative for fiber reactive dyes would give you a neutral pH, which won't fix anything at all! Pick just one fixative to use at a time.
Actually, Procion MX and other fiber reactive dyes will act as acid dyes when used with an acid pH. Fiber reactive dyes are constructed like acid dyes, but with an added reactive section that can form covalent bonds to the fiber molecule. See "Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers".
Complicating things further, silk dyes very well with fiber reactive dyes at a pH of 10 or 11, with soda ash. You do not dye wool at a high pH like that only because it would be damaged. Nylon cannot be dyed at high pH, but silk and wool can be, since they are more complex, chemically, than nylon is. They are all polyamides, but the natural protein fibers contain many amino acid side chains, as well, which are not found in nylon.
To dye devoré two different colors at once, one color on the silk and another color on the rayon, you have two choices. One is a rather overpriced system called Alter Ego, made by the H. Dupont company. In the UK, one good mail-order source is Fibrecrafts. It contains an acid dye to dye the silk but not the cellulose, a direct dye which dyes both silk and cotton, and a reserving agent which prevents the direct dye from dyeing silk. You can choose contrasting colors to dye the two different fibers in the blend. The other option, less predictable and also less expensive and more washfast, is to use two or more colors at once of Procion MX dye, with soda ash, using two colors which 'take' to different degrees of efficiency on silk and on cellulose. See these three discussions on the Dye Forum: Dyeing silk/rayon blends two different colors, "Alter Ego" dyes and dyeing rayon/silk velvet devoré. If you use acid dyes to dye only the silk component of the blend, keep in mind that they may stain the cotton, and apply in a separate step, before the fiber reactive dyes.
To dye polyester, you must use disperse dye, not any other type of dye. You will need to buy this dye by mail-order. See my list of Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World. For more information about dyeing polyester, see "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes". A good book to consult is Holly Brackmann's The Surface Designer's Handbook .
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
What would be the best way to permanently dye canvas drop-cloths that painters use?
Name: Wes
Message: What would be the best way to permanently dye canvas drop-cloths that painters use? The ones I have are white and they are normally used by painters. I want to try using them for photography backgrounds. Thank you very much.
Low water immersion dyeing is the best way to make subtly mottled backgrounds. See "How to Do Low Water Immersion Dyeing". You will want to experiment to see how pale or intense in color you like your backdrops. If you find that you've made one that is too pale, you can always dye it over again.
Use Procion MX dye, or another fiber reactive dye, not an all-purpose dye such as Rit. You will probably need to buy this dye by mail-order; see "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World".
Use canvas or wide muslin that is made of 100% cotton or another natural fiber, such as linen or hemp. You will also need soda ash, to set the dye; you can buy soda ash from your dye suppliers or from a hardware store.
Since it is difficult to get dye to penetrate tightly-woven canvas, presoak the fabric in water to which you've added a single drop of detergent, either the dyer's detergent Synthrapol, or hand dishwashing detergent, or another surface tension reducer such as Photo-Flo.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: What would be the best way to permanently dye canvas drop-cloths that painters use? The ones I have are white and they are normally used by painters. I want to try using them for photography backgrounds. Thank you very much.
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
Soda AshLow water immersion dyeing is the best way to make subtly mottled backgrounds. See "How to Do Low Water Immersion Dyeing". You will want to experiment to see how pale or intense in color you like your backdrops. If you find that you've made one that is too pale, you can always dye it over again.
Use Procion MX dye, or another fiber reactive dye, not an all-purpose dye such as Rit. You will probably need to buy this dye by mail-order; see "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World".
Use canvas or wide muslin that is made of 100% cotton or another natural fiber, such as linen or hemp. You will also need soda ash, to set the dye; you can buy soda ash from your dye suppliers or from a hardware store.
Since it is difficult to get dye to penetrate tightly-woven canvas, presoak the fabric in water to which you've added a single drop of detergent, either the dyer's detergent Synthrapol, or hand dishwashing detergent, or another surface tension reducer such as Photo-Flo.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I want to paint a solid, smooth design on the back pockets of a pair of jeans
Name: Arnold
Message: Hi there,
I want to paint a design on the back pockets of a pair of jeans and I want to achieve a solid, smooth finish and I was wondering what type of paint I should use. The after effect I wish to achieve is similar to this pattern .
thanks!
That looks like the effect you can get with "slick" fabric paint. You can buy this paint in most crafts stores and some fabric stores.
When you have used slick fabric paint on clothing, it's best to line-dry the clothing rather than machine drying it. I've found that the slick surfaces tend to stick together due to the heat of the dryer. We were able to peel the surfaces apart, though, so it was okay.
Actually, all fabric paint tends to wear rather badly in the laundry. Try to remember to always turn your painted clothing inside-out before washing. This reduces the amount of abrasion suffered by the painted surfaces.
Read the label to make sure whether the paint requires heat-setting with an iron. You'll want to follow the instructions closely.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: Hi there,
I want to paint a design on the back pockets of a pair of jeans and I want to achieve a solid, smooth finish and I was wondering what type of paint I should use. The after effect I wish to achieve is similar to this pattern .
thanks!
—ADVERTISEMENT—
That looks like the effect you can get with "slick" fabric paint. You can buy this paint in most crafts stores and some fabric stores.
When you have used slick fabric paint on clothing, it's best to line-dry the clothing rather than machine drying it. I've found that the slick surfaces tend to stick together due to the heat of the dryer. We were able to peel the surfaces apart, though, so it was okay.
Actually, all fabric paint tends to wear rather badly in the laundry. Try to remember to always turn your painted clothing inside-out before washing. This reduces the amount of abrasion suffered by the painted surfaces.
Read the label to make sure whether the paint requires heat-setting with an iron. You'll want to follow the instructions closely.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Sunday, March 09, 2008
If I want to "write a phrase" on the shirt and not have it get tye dyed...how do I do that?
Name: Sue
Message: If I want to "write a phrase" on the shirt and not have it get tye dyed...how do I do that?
You need to use some sort of resist to write your phrase before applying the dye. There are several good choices for what to use for your resist. Many can be purchased only from companies that specialize in selling dye.
Two easy-to-find alternatives are batik wax (which must be heated to 230°F to penetrate the fabric well), or Elmer's Washable Blue School Gel Glue. Surprisingly, for such a prosaic material, the blue washable glue gel is very popular for this purpose among fiber artists. Apply it where you want to prevent dye from reaching, then let it dry completely. (A hair dryer helps if you are in a hurry.) Then dye with a cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, either dipping the fabric only briefly in the soda ash instead of presoaking it for fifteen minutes, or adding the soda ash with the dye instead of presoaking. (Too much soaking will remove the glue.) Be careful that the glued section does not contact another part of the shirt, as the glue can transfer to areas where you do not need it. After the dye has set, soak the shirt in cool water and then wash in hot water, to remove the glue.
Here's an example of writing that was done with Elmer's Washable Blue School Gel: "Immersion Dyeing with Water Soluble Resist". The white writing really shows up against the bright colors of the dye.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: If I want to "write a phrase" on the shirt and not have it get tye dyed...how do I do that?
—ADVERTISEMENT—
You need to use some sort of resist to write your phrase before applying the dye. There are several good choices for what to use for your resist. Many can be purchased only from companies that specialize in selling dye.
Two easy-to-find alternatives are batik wax (which must be heated to 230°F to penetrate the fabric well), or Elmer's Washable Blue School Gel Glue. Surprisingly, for such a prosaic material, the blue washable glue gel is very popular for this purpose among fiber artists. Apply it where you want to prevent dye from reaching, then let it dry completely. (A hair dryer helps if you are in a hurry.) Then dye with a cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, either dipping the fabric only briefly in the soda ash instead of presoaking it for fifteen minutes, or adding the soda ash with the dye instead of presoaking. (Too much soaking will remove the glue.) Be careful that the glued section does not contact another part of the shirt, as the glue can transfer to areas where you do not need it. After the dye has set, soak the shirt in cool water and then wash in hot water, to remove the glue.
Here's an example of writing that was done with Elmer's Washable Blue School Gel: "Immersion Dyeing with Water Soluble Resist". The white writing really shows up against the bright colors of the dye.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Would it be safe to put my indigo bedspread in the washing machine with a product like Retayne? I don't want to ruin this unique handmade item!
Name:
Helen
Message: Hi there
I have been looking through your site for information on fixing dye. I bought a queen size bedspread in Vietnam that was handmade in a local village. It is dyed with indigo. It has panels of red fabric and other coloured sections, with the main bulk of it being the indigo dyed cotton-type fabric.
The dye is not fast and my local dry cleaner said they couldn't help. Would it be safe to put the bedspread in the washing machine with a product like Retayne? I don't want to ruin this unique handmade item!
Many thanks in advance for your advice.
No, I'm sorry, indigo is the one type of dye in common use that cannot be fixed with Retayne. The problem is that, unlike most dyes, indigo and other vat dyes have a neutral electrical charge. Retayne contains positive ions which are attracted to the negative ions of most dyes, but they are not attracted to indigo.
Poorly applied indigo is not only not fast to washing; it also shows a defect known as crocking. Crocking is when dye rubs off from the dry fabric onto whatever it is touching. Indigo is the most technically demanding kind of dye to apply properly, so that it is both washfast and resistant to crocking.
It would be best to use this quilt only next to linens that will not much show the indigo that crocks off on them. Maybe you could find some blue sheets and pillowcases that will match the indigo. Material onto which the indigo crocks can best be cleaned by washing in very hot water. Do not put the quilt onto upholstered furniture or anything else which cannot be washed.
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Message: Hi there
I have been looking through your site for information on fixing dye. I bought a queen size bedspread in Vietnam that was handmade in a local village. It is dyed with indigo. It has panels of red fabric and other coloured sections, with the main bulk of it being the indigo dyed cotton-type fabric.
The dye is not fast and my local dry cleaner said they couldn't help. Would it be safe to put the bedspread in the washing machine with a product like Retayne? I don't want to ruin this unique handmade item!
Many thanks in advance for your advice.
No, I'm sorry, indigo is the one type of dye in common use that cannot be fixed with Retayne. The problem is that, unlike most dyes, indigo and other vat dyes have a neutral electrical charge. Retayne contains positive ions which are attracted to the negative ions of most dyes, but they are not attracted to indigo.
Poorly applied indigo is not only not fast to washing; it also shows a defect known as crocking. Crocking is when dye rubs off from the dry fabric onto whatever it is touching. Indigo is the most technically demanding kind of dye to apply properly, so that it is both washfast and resistant to crocking.
It would be best to use this quilt only next to linens that will not much show the indigo that crocks off on them. Maybe you could find some blue sheets and pillowcases that will match the indigo. Material onto which the indigo crocks can best be cleaned by washing in very hot water. Do not put the quilt onto upholstered furniture or anything else which cannot be washed.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Friday, March 07, 2008
dip dyeing for an ombré gradient effect
Name: katy
Message: Hi Paula,
I looked all over your site for this, but didn't find anything so please excuse if you've already answered this somewhere!
I'm a fashion designer and currently trying to dip dye/gradient some bamboo fabric (similar to these techniques).
I'm using MX reactive dyes and have experience working with them. I think I've figured out how to get multiple colors merging together, but I'm running into problems with the gradation from color to white (like the red dress in photo). I can get the gradation okay, but I'm not sure how to create that technique and still have the fabric in the dye & soda ash long enough for it to react and fix properly?
Thanks for any help! I really appreciate it and love your site!
Dylon Cold Dye is Procion MX type
Try these instructions from the February 12, 2008 posting I made on the Dye Forum:
Note that at the end of the detailed instructions in that posting is a briefer description of an easier method:
If you include urea in your mixture, as a humectant, the fabric will stay moist longer. The fabric will continue to react with the dye as long as there is unreacted dye, soda ash, and moisture in the fabric.
Message: Hi Paula,
I looked all over your site for this, but didn't find anything so please excuse if you've already answered this somewhere!
I'm a fashion designer and currently trying to dip dye/gradient some bamboo fabric (similar to these techniques).
I'm using MX reactive dyes and have experience working with them. I think I've figured out how to get multiple colors merging together, but I'm running into problems with the gradation from color to white (like the red dress in photo). I can get the gradation okay, but I'm not sure how to create that technique and still have the fabric in the dye & soda ash long enough for it to react and fix properly?
Thanks for any help! I really appreciate it and love your site!
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Three brands of Procion MX type dyeDylon Cold Dye is Procion MX type
Try these instructions from the February 12, 2008 posting I made on the Dye Forum:
- The fabric must be prescoured to remove any finishes left from spinning or weaving the fiber. Wash it in the hottest water available, with extra soda ash (to boost the cleaning) and Synthrapol or another detergent. The fabric must be 100% cotton (or another natural fiber such as silk, linen, or rayon).
- Weigh your fabric to determine how much dye you will need. For one pound of 100% cotton fabric, you will need about fifteen grams of dye. If you like, you can mark one end of your fabric by pinning a large stainless steel safety pin to it before you begin to dye it. You can also use safety pins to mark evenly spaced lines on the fabric where you will change from one dye concentration to the next. (I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that any pins be made of stainless steel, not chrome-plated steel which can rust!) Or you can sew across the fabric in a very wide basting stitch, using a contrasting color of polyester thread, which you will remove afterwards, as a marker.
- Predissolve your dye in water. (You can use Procion MX dye for up to a week or so after you have mixed it with just plain water, without any soda ash; after that time, however, the dye will gradually become slightly weaker.) Mix 6 teaspoons of dye, or 15 grams of dye, into one cup (250 ml) of water. Use more for a darker range, or less for a paler range. Knowing exactly how much to use with your color choice will require doing some testing.
- Predissolve your soda ash in water. Mix 7 tablespoons (65 grams) of soda ash with two cups (500 ml) of warm water. (It will take longer to dissolve if you use hot or cold water.) If you have hard water, add a teaspoon of water softener (sodium hexametaphosphate, see "Dyeing with Hard Water") to the water first, to prevent the formation of insoluble white calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate.
- Urea can be used to help keep fabric moist even after it is pulled out of the dyebath, allowing for further reaction between the fabric and any dye that is in it. Set aside one pound or 500 grams of urea to add to your dyebath. Urea is inexpensive, about a dollar per pound, if you buy ten pounds from your dye supplier. Using urea in this particular process is optional.
- In a large (4 or 5 gallon) plastic bucket, make a dyebath containing only enough dye to create a very pale color. Scale the following quantities up or down based on the amount of fabric you are dyeing at a time. I will assume that your entire panel of fabric weighs one pound. Mix two pounds of salt with two and a half gallons of warm or lukewarm water, stirring until it is dissolved. Add one pound of urea and stir until dissolved, then add one-eighth of a cup (two tablespoons) of your dye solution. Stir and then add your fabric. Stir the fabric constantly for five to fifteen minutes, to make sure the dye penetrates the fabric smoothly so that the color is not mottled, then move the fabric to one side of the bucket and hold it there, while adding all of your soda ash to the water. Don't pour the soda ash directly onto the fabric. Now stir the fabric constantly for fifteen minutes while the pale dyebath reacts with all of the fabric in the presence of the soda ash. The soda ash is the dye fixative. The salt does not fix the dye, but it aids the dye to leave the water and cling to the fabric temporarily.
- For the next step, you will remove that part of the fabric which you wish to keep the palest shade. Wearing long sturdy rubber gloves, locate the safety pin you used to mark one end of your fabric. Pull the end of the fabric out, leaving the majority of the fabric in the dyebath. Squeeze the wet dye from the fabric as much as is practical, for neatness's sake. Allow the fabric to hang into another bucket, or, using plastic-ended clamps or plastic clothes pins, attach the end of the fabric to a hook (such as a plastic clothes hanger) so that you can hang the fabric up somehow, leaving three-quarters of the length of the fabric in the dyebath.
- Now, while holding the fabric that is still in the dyebath to one side so that you do not pour dye directly onto it, add more of the dye to the dyebath and mix it in. For this next step, you will want double the concentration of the dye that you used in the first step. Add one-eighth cup, or two tablespoons, of your dye mixture to the dyebath, the same quantity that you added in the first step. Swish the fabric around in the bucket of dye, moving it from side to side, doing your best to allow all of the remaining fabric equal access to the dye. After another fifteen minutes, or more, depending on how impatient you are, you should, as before, pull more of the fabric out of the dyebath, squeezing the dye and water out as much as is practical. At this point you have completed two shades of the dye, the palest and the next palest. Do not allow any of the already-dyed fabric to fold over upon itself, as dye may still transfer from one section to another at this stage. Hanging it up is safest.
- For the next step, you will again double the amount of dye in the dyebath. Since you have already added a total of one-quarter cup, out of a total of one cup of dye mixture that you prepared, now you want to add another quarter of a cup. The total dye concentration is now four times the initial dye concentration in the dyebath. Swish the fabric around, as before, for fifteen minutes or longer. Pull out the third quarter of the fabric, squeezing the dye and water out as before. You now have only one-quarter of the material remaining in the dyebath.
- For the final step, you will once more double the concentration of the dye in the dyebath, by adding the remaining half-cup of dissolved dye. Hold the fabric to one side as before, so as not to pour dye directly on the fabric, and mix the dye into the dyebath. Stir the fabric back and forth to keep the color as smooth and even as possible. You may leave the fabric to react longer if you wish. Keep in mind that, while the fabric is wet with the dyebath, it looks considerably darker than it will after you have washed and dried the fabric.
- After all of the dye reaction has completed, wash the fabric to remove the excess unattached dye. Wash it once in cool water to remove the salt and soda ash, then wash it in the hottest water available, 140°F or hotter. Soaking the fabric makes a more efficient use of hot water. You may need to wash two or more times in hot water to remove all of the excess unattached dye, especially if your wash water is below 140°F.
To summarize, the first part of the fabric was dyed with 1/8 of the total amount of dye. The second section was dyed for another fifteen minutes with a total of 1/4 of the dye. The third section was then dyed for another fifteen minutes with a total of half of the dye. The last section was then dyed for a final fifteen minutes with the total dye concentration. In fact, since each increment of additional dye was applied to a smaller amount of fabric, the total effective dye concentration increased even more. This allows for a wide range, from a very pale shade to a very dark one. If you want the contrast between the first shade and the last one to be less, then you would adjust the amount of dye added in each step accordingly. If the change between the four color steps are too obvious to suit you, you'll need to remove the fabric in smaller increments, in a greater number of steps, adding a smaller amount of dye at a time.
If you will be dyeing all of your fabric from the same jar of dye, then you can do fine by measuring your dye by volume, by the teaspoonful. However, if you will be using more than one jar of dye as time passes, and yet want consistent results, you will need to weigh your dye, on a sensitive scale that distinguishes 0.5 gram or smaller differences. Dye powder is made to a standard strength per weight of dye. One dye lot may be much denser or more fluffy than another batch, so volume measurements will not be consistent from one jar of dye to another. Also, for reproducible results, make a note of the temperature of your dyebath at the beginning and the end of the dyeing process, and of exactly how many minutes you spend on each step.
Note that at the end of the detailed instructions in that posting is a briefer description of an easier method:
A simpler method is simply to make up a series of bottles of dye as for tie-dyeing, starting with one bottle that is full-strength, diluting half of it with an equal quantity of water for the half-strength bottle, diluting this one half-and-half to make the quarter-strength bottle, for as many steps as you like. Then presoak the fabric in soda ash, lay it out flat, and paint, squirt,or spray on the dye in stripes, in order, deepest to palest. The results will not be as smooth as in the method above, but it's quicker and easier. This is the method I've used most, myself.
If you include urea in your mixture, as a humectant, the fabric will stay moist longer. The fabric will continue to react with the dye as long as there is unreacted dye, soda ash, and moisture in the fabric.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Can I redye a raffia hat?
Name: Mia
Message: Hi
what a great website!
I have a lovely Helen Kaminski hat which has faded from black to a rather shabby grey. Can I re-dye this? It's 100% raffia and the Helen Kaminski shop suggested a fabric dye but couldn't suggest a brand. Can you possibly advise me on how to re-dye this black? Thanks so much, Kind regards Mia
Raffia, as a plant fiber, can be dyed with direct dyes or fiber reactive dyes. However, dyeing always requires a lot of water. The repeated rinsings necessary after dyeing would probably make your hat lose its shape, after which the hat will need to be reblocked.
If getting the hat reblocked is impractical, then you will want to use fabric paint, instead of dye, because less water is involved in the process. Some types of fabric paint, such as the slick or puffy paints you can find at the crafts store, would not be at all suitable for this. The best fabric paints will mimic fabric dye closely, with results that are difficult to feel on the fiber. Look for Dye-Na-Flow or Setacolor fabric paints. The Thread Studio is one Australian source for Setacolor fabric paints. For brands specific to your area, look for any thin fabric paint which is claimed to look like dye.
Most fabric paints are supposed to be set by heat. Ironing a hat to heat set the fabric paint would be impractical, but you could use a heat gun (like a hair dryer without the blower). There is also a catalyst, Jacquard Airfix, which can be added to any acrylic fabric paint (such as Dye-Na-Flow or Lumiere) immediately before use, in place of heat setting. A more appealing alternative is to simply leave your fabric paint to set without allowing it to get wet. It has been reported by several different people that Setacolor fabric paint will set without heat if you leave it at room temperature without getting it wet for several weeks or one month. I don't know whether this is true for any other brand besides Setacolor, but if you plan to keep the hat dry in any case, it's worth a try.
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Message: Hi
what a great website!
I have a lovely Helen Kaminski hat which has faded from black to a rather shabby grey. Can I re-dye this? It's 100% raffia and the Helen Kaminski shop suggested a fabric dye but couldn't suggest a brand. Can you possibly advise me on how to re-dye this black? Thanks so much, Kind regards Mia
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Raffia, as a plant fiber, can be dyed with direct dyes or fiber reactive dyes. However, dyeing always requires a lot of water. The repeated rinsings necessary after dyeing would probably make your hat lose its shape, after which the hat will need to be reblocked.
If getting the hat reblocked is impractical, then you will want to use fabric paint, instead of dye, because less water is involved in the process. Some types of fabric paint, such as the slick or puffy paints you can find at the crafts store, would not be at all suitable for this. The best fabric paints will mimic fabric dye closely, with results that are difficult to feel on the fiber. Look for Dye-Na-Flow or Setacolor fabric paints. The Thread Studio is one Australian source for Setacolor fabric paints. For brands specific to your area, look for any thin fabric paint which is claimed to look like dye.
Most fabric paints are supposed to be set by heat. Ironing a hat to heat set the fabric paint would be impractical, but you could use a heat gun (like a hair dryer without the blower). There is also a catalyst, Jacquard Airfix, which can be added to any acrylic fabric paint (such as Dye-Na-Flow or Lumiere) immediately before use, in place of heat setting. A more appealing alternative is to simply leave your fabric paint to set without allowing it to get wet. It has been reported by several different people that Setacolor fabric paint will set without heat if you leave it at room temperature without getting it wet for several weeks or one month. I don't know whether this is true for any other brand besides Setacolor, but if you plan to keep the hat dry in any case, it's worth a try.
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Monday, March 03, 2008
I am trying to make the colour turquoise. What must I do?
Name:
Kabape
Message: I am trying to make the colour turquoise. What must I do? I use cotton fabric for making patchwork.
While it is possible to make the color turquoise by mixing blue and yellow, you will get a much brighter, clearer, more vibrant turquoise if you buy a turquoise dye. Working on cotton, you should use some form of fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX, Drimarene K, Levafix E, Remazol, or Cibacron F.
So far, almost every turquoise dye I have looked into contains the same chromophore, that is, the same molecular structure that provides the color. It is always a copper phthalocyanine, a beautiful molecular ring structure that resembles hemoglobin (the red oxygen-carrying molecule in blood) or chlorophyll (the green molecule plants use to make energy from sunlight).
Among the Procion MX dyes, which are the most popular of all fiber reactive dyes for home dyers, the turquoise dye is called Procion Turquoise MX-G, or reactive blue 140. The equivalent among the Procion H (steam-fix) dyes is Procion turquoise H-A or Reactive Blue 71. Among the Remazol (vinyl sulfone) dyes, it would be Turquoise Blue G, also known as Reactive Blue 21. The "Vivid Turquoise" color in Dylon Permanent Dye and Dylon Machine Dye contains reactive blue 116, also known as Drimarene Turquoise K-2B CDG or Levafix Turquoise Blue EBA.
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Message: I am trying to make the colour turquoise. What must I do? I use cotton fabric for making patchwork.
While it is possible to make the color turquoise by mixing blue and yellow, you will get a much brighter, clearer, more vibrant turquoise if you buy a turquoise dye. Working on cotton, you should use some form of fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX, Drimarene K, Levafix E, Remazol, or Cibacron F.
So far, almost every turquoise dye I have looked into contains the same chromophore, that is, the same molecular structure that provides the color. It is always a copper phthalocyanine, a beautiful molecular ring structure that resembles hemoglobin (the red oxygen-carrying molecule in blood) or chlorophyll (the green molecule plants use to make energy from sunlight).
Among the Procion MX dyes, which are the most popular of all fiber reactive dyes for home dyers, the turquoise dye is called Procion Turquoise MX-G, or reactive blue 140. The equivalent among the Procion H (steam-fix) dyes is Procion turquoise H-A or Reactive Blue 71. Among the Remazol (vinyl sulfone) dyes, it would be Turquoise Blue G, also known as Reactive Blue 21. The "Vivid Turquoise" color in Dylon Permanent Dye and Dylon Machine Dye contains reactive blue 116, also known as Drimarene Turquoise K-2B CDG or Levafix Turquoise Blue EBA.
Since you're in Denmark, let me point out to you that a good source for
dyes in Denmark is Granat
Farvekompagniet. Among the dyes sold at Granat Farvekompagniet, my
choice for dyeing cotton fabric turquoise would be the Remazol dye they sell as
"Türkisblau G 133 (turquoise)", which is reactive blue 21. I have used this
same dye from another source, and it is a very bright pure turquoise blue. Ask
them what chemicals to use with it, when you order your dye. I usually use
trisodium phosphate to raise the pH, but sometimes sodium
carbonate.
If you also buy a clear cool yellow, plus a good bright magenta red, you will be able to mix a huge number of different colors. I also like to have a black.
Remazol type dyes can work very well in warm tap water, 40°C to 60°C (which is 104°F to 140°F). See the Dye Forum for some examples:
Blue and turquoise rayon shirt
Rainbow of baby shirts
Yellow and Apricot LWI shirt
Purple, blue, black, and white LWI dress
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
If you also buy a clear cool yellow, plus a good bright magenta red, you will be able to mix a huge number of different colors. I also like to have a black.
Remazol type dyes can work very well in warm tap water, 40°C to 60°C (which is 104°F to 140°F). See the Dye Forum for some examples:
Blue and turquoise rayon shirt
Rainbow of baby shirts
Yellow and Apricot LWI shirt
Purple, blue, black, and white LWI dress
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Saturday, March 01, 2008
how to dye a quilt piece black, leaving some parts white, to look like a playing card
Name:
Amy
Message: I am working on a quilt piece for my nephew's graduation quilt. I wanted to make my quilt piece like a card he designed. It is black with white a red areas. I wanted to dye the fabric black and leave the other areas white for stiching. Is there any way to do this?
Sure, you can do this. You can thicken your dye with alginate and paint it exactly where you want it. Don't try this with all-purpose dye, such as Rit dye; use only a cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye.
If you prefer, you can mask out the white area with wax, and immersion dye the whole piece, as in batik. This is a good approach for large areas of black that you want to be a perfectly smooth solid color. The crack lines in batik can be mostly avoided, if you don't like them, by choosing 100% beeswax or microcrystalline wax, with none of the paraffin that is usually added to batik wax.
Another approach would be to use fabric paint or fabric markers. Markers are too much trouble for a large area of fabric, but ideal for drawing on a small piece. A good fabric marker produces permanent pigment (not dye) marks on fabric. Some good fabric markers need to be heat set by ironing, while others do not. It's not much trouble to do the heat setting, but a bad mistake to skip it in those brands that require it, so do check the label. Don't just use a permanent marker, such as a Sharpie pen; fabric markers are much better for this purpose.
See the following links for more information:
"About Fiber Reactive Dyes"
"Sodium alginate, Superclear, and other dye thickeners
"How to batik" (for waxing)
"Beyond dye: more ideas for coloring fabric"
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Message: I am working on a quilt piece for my nephew's graduation quilt. I wanted to make my quilt piece like a card he designed. It is black with white a red areas. I wanted to dye the fabric black and leave the other areas white for stiching. Is there any way to do this?
Sure, you can do this. You can thicken your dye with alginate and paint it exactly where you want it. Don't try this with all-purpose dye, such as Rit dye; use only a cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye.
If you prefer, you can mask out the white area with wax, and immersion dye the whole piece, as in batik. This is a good approach for large areas of black that you want to be a perfectly smooth solid color. The crack lines in batik can be mostly avoided, if you don't like them, by choosing 100% beeswax or microcrystalline wax, with none of the paraffin that is usually added to batik wax.
Another approach would be to use fabric paint or fabric markers. Markers are too much trouble for a large area of fabric, but ideal for drawing on a small piece. A good fabric marker produces permanent pigment (not dye) marks on fabric. Some good fabric markers need to be heat set by ironing, while others do not. It's not much trouble to do the heat setting, but a bad mistake to skip it in those brands that require it, so do check the label. Don't just use a permanent marker, such as a Sharpie pen; fabric markers are much better for this purpose.
See the following links for more information:
"About Fiber Reactive Dyes"
"Sodium alginate, Superclear, and other dye thickeners
"How to batik" (for waxing)
"Beyond dye: more ideas for coloring fabric"
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
cutting down on water usage in washing out after dyeing
Name:
Bev
Dylon Permanent Dye is mostly Drimarene K dye, but you can also order straight Drimarene dyes from Batik Oetoro and KraftKolour in Australia
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Drimarene K fiber reactive dye
Message: Hi Paula,
first let me tell you that you have the best site. Learned practically everything I know from your site!! Thanks for sharing with us :-).
Anyway,
I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something?
I always use procion dyes and usually don't have a problem,but since moving house, the dyes take soooooo much water to rinse them. I have to wash about 5 times to get the excess dye out. Colours are still bright at the end, but since we are on severe water restrictions, I will end up getting into trouble from the council.
Do you think it's because I haven't been using the salt. I didn't at the last place, as when I tried without, they still came out perfect.
Any help would be greatfully received.
Thanks very much for reading.
kind regards,
Bev from Australia.
Hi Bev,
I wonder if your hot water temperature is lower in your new house. The most important thing in efficiency in washing out excess Procion MX dye, or really any dye, is the temperature of the water. What I would suggest is that you do a single rinse in cool or lukewarm water, to get rid of the soda ash and some of the loose dye, then fill an inexpensive insulated cooler with enough hot water to cover the fabric. You might want to heat the water on your kitchen stove in a large pot if your water heater doesn't get very hot. I always recommend that people use water that is at least 60°C (140°F) to wash out excess Procion MX dye, but hotter temperatures are even more efficient. Even boiling water is okay for this purpose, as properly attached Procion MX dye will not come out even when boiled. To make the best use of this hot water, soak your dyed material in it for several hours. After this, put it in your washing machine to rinse one more time and to remove extra water. Except for the initial rinse, you can use any detergent, or you can use Synthrapol or its equivalents such as Hitech Washoff or Dharma Professional Textile Detergent even in the first rinse, as well as subsequent washings. These special dye removal detergents are very concentrated; see "What is Synthrapol?" for more information.
Another possibility is that you have hard water, containing calcium or magnesium salts. Hard water is healthier for drinking than soft water is, but it's a problem for dyeing. The loose dyes can form a complex with calcium that is very difficult to wash out. There are two possible solutions for this: you can dye with softened or distilled water, or you can add a chemical that is commonly used in dyeing, sodium hexametaphosphate. This chemical is commonly known as Calgon T, but it's not the same as the phosphate-free liquid Calgon products you may see at the grocery store. Those contain a different chemical which is not suitable for dyeing. You might find it labeled "water softener" or "metaphos" or "metaphosphate". I don't see it in the online catalogs for Batik Oetoro or Kraftkolour, but it would be surprising if they do not have it. I know that the dye companies here in North America and in England carry it. I hope it has not been legislated against in your area; large amounts of phosphates in the streams are a bad thing, but small amounts for household dyeing are insignificant. It would be worth calling them to ask about it. If your water is very hard, you should use softened water for washing out as well as for dyeing in, but using distilled water would be far too much trouble for that purpose. Hexametaphosphate is much easier to use during washing out. See "Dyeing with hard water".
I don't think that not using salt would be responsible for the dye wash-off problem. Salt is useful when you dye in a high-volume waterbath, when dyeing a solid color, because it helps to drive the dye out of the water into close proximity to the fiber, where it can react. It does nothing to cause the dye to actually fix to the fiber. It makes the dye more efficient so you don't have to use as much as you otherwise would, but it's not necessary for tie-dyeing or low water immersion dyeing, because the volume of water is so much lower.
In some cases, industrial dyeing mills use a cationic dye fixative, similar to Retayne or DyeFix (the latter is Batik Oetoro's name), in place of proper washing-out of excess dye. Normally I do not recommend this, because properly fixed and washed out Procion MX dye is more washfast than excess Procion MX dye that has been glued into place by dye fixative, but it is one last option to consider while your water supply is limited, if all else fails. Wash the dye out once or twice before applying the cationic dye fixative, and after the fixative treatment, wash the treated material in cool water only, or as directed by the manufacturer of the fixative, and label any dyed fabric or clothing that you sell accordingly.
You might want to consider switching to another class of reactive dye. Procion MX is known for being the hardest to wash out of all of the reactive dyes. I don't myself experience that much difference between different types of fiber reactive dyes, but the difference is said by reputable sources to exist. Drimarene K and Remazol dyes are two different classes of fiber reactive dye which are available by mail-order in Australia. (Be careful to make sure that the initial rinse after dyeing with Remazol dyes is done in cool water.)
One last possible cause of difficulties in washing out excess dye is finishes on the fabric, such as starch, which is used as sizing. You can detect starch with an iodine test. Starch bonds to Procion MX dye just about as well as the cotton does, but the dyed starch washes out of the cotton only very gradually.
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