One of my favourite textile based pastimes is dyeing fabric and lace. I can happily spend hours folding up pieces of cloth into bundles, and dropping dye on to it, to create unique patterns.
That's what I spent Wednesday afternoon, and most of today, doing. In the past I've shared photos of my dye day results here. Those pieces were done with cold water procion dyes, which are fixed with soda ash to make them colour fast. My latest experiments have been with Dylon hand dyes, which require heat. I've been using an old microwave that I got free, via Freecycle, to provide the heat. I have to say I think I prefer the procion dyes. I do however have a batch of Dylons made up, and I'm not going to waste it!
My current experiments with these are not just for fun. I've decided that I want to make my cousin and his fiancée a patchwork quilt as a wedding gift, and being me I want to hand dye the fabric for it. So I shall spend the next few days trying out different combinations, and hopefully I'll achieve the desired results. If not I may have to resort to plan B, and buy the fabric ready printed. Wish me luck.
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