Twin Spa Pillows with Hand Dyed FabricOK! So not everyone will get the humor in the title..... I do and that's all that matters right? LOL, OK on with the guide.

This guide will provide an overview of the process of dyeing fabric. Not that any one way is best it is all a matter of expertise. You can dye fabric as a beginner with just a bottle of RIT dye and some cotton fabric, which is the  way I started out. Or over time you can become very good using many different types of dyes,inks & paints, which is where I am at now. It all depends on how involed in the process you want to become. And I mean a process. This is not for you if you require instant gratification. It is a 12 step process which can take as much as 72 hours to as little time as 3 hours, it just depends on which receipe I am using that day! Check out my pictorial below.  I have eliminated a couple of the steps in these photos to shorten your reading time.

BUT Keep Reading it's really worthwhile...

Mary Kay~

Fabric to Dye For! The Process....

Here is a picture of my supplies....

Step 1. This process is rather a boring one unless you have a great place to buy cotton fabric. I purchase high quality muslin and Kona cotton by the bolt in 30-50 yard increments from either Jo-Anns, Hancock's or my wholesale textile house. It is important that you decide ahead of time which type of fiber you will be working with as each fiber has different dye recipes. I use 100% cotton/silk so all the dye I use is for cotton/silk which are called "Procion MX". Then I cut the fabric in the sizes I need for the dye run.

Step 2. Now the real process begins by what we call scouring the fabrics. (washing the fabric in really hot water and a special detergent which has a real technical name that I can't pronounce so I just cal it "Step in the Hole" to remove dirt oil & and impurities from the production process).

Step 3. After deciding which colors I am using (that can take some time I can never make up my mind) I measure out each dye into cups then add a little water just enough to make a paste to make sure all the lumps are out of the mixture, then adding water to the desired consistancy I need for that dye color.

Step 4. Readying the work area. I usually cover the table with several layers of old newspaper, the put all my dye pots & buckets out on that.

Step 5. Now it's time to twist, bind, tie, stuff or cram the fabric as to form some kind of resisted area. The area that shows up darker has been exposed to more dye then that of the lighter shades. Photo here shows me loading the fabric into the dye pots.

Step 6. Adding the dye. This is the fun part. I usually layer the dyes starting from lighest to darkest.

Step 7. The first cure time. Depending on the process being used this time can range from 2 hours to 48 hours. First cure time is the time I let the dye interact with the natural fibers in the fabric before adding the chemical bath. In this time depending on the effect I am looking for I manipulate the fabric by poking, or turning to distribute the dye more evenly in the pot.

Step 8. All I do here is add the chemical bath to cover the entire piece in each dye pot.

Step 9. Second Cure, again depends on process I am using and can vary as much as 48 hours to as little as 90 minutes.

Please note that all the washing in this final process which may be up to 10 times if the fabric contains red or turquiose dye to as few as 5 when it's yellow, is done by my 2 little hands, NO washing machines, NO assistants. It is a very labor intense process but well worth the final outcome.

Step 12. The Reveal... The most fun. After washing off all the chemicals in cold water I wash and wash again until the water runs clear. After that I get a bucket of the hottest tap water I can get and add some detergent to that and soak each piece for another 3 hours. The last hot water wash usually neutralizes the dye.

Then finally the finished product.... What a beauties! Here I have made spa pillows from the fabric I just finshed in the picture. You can buy them now, just follow the link below....

 Hand Dyed Ocean of Dreams 2 Spa Pillow Set

I do encourage you to rewash all the hand dyed fabric you purchase from me, but it is not necessary.

Hope this guide helps someone understand the process of hand dying fabrics which also explains the cost.

Have fun and remember to add color to all parts of your life.

MK~