I like most, have felt that 2020 was doing the most! The pandemic, mask-wearing, virtual schooling, social distancing and universal uncertainty, took a tremendous toll on me. Many of the plans I made were postponed or canceled. I am not usually bothered by cancelled plans because introverting is awesome. That being said, I had to work at being intentional with connecting with friends across the distance. With two of my friends in particular, I found myself having the same lament: “I wish we could get together, I can't wait until we can make plans to see each other again.
These
two friends are essential workers employed in hospital emergency rooms in
different states. From the very beginning, they have been in the thick of it combatting the Coronavirus. I watched their experience throughout the
pandemic and was constantly moved by the solemn experiences they shared. They were
among the first group to receive the vaccine and got me excited about the promise
of relief to the pandemic. I signed up for and received the vaccine as soon as
I was able and started to plan to visit friends. It
occurred to me that these two amazing, creative, friends of mine would get along
well and we should be plan a getaway for the three of us together! I facilitated
a virtual introduction early in the pandemic, and knew they would get on like a
house on fire. They agreed on a joint getaway!
On
my own, I played around with natural dyeing techniques and shared them on Instagram.
They both expressed an interest in the projects, so I floated the idea of a “Dyeing
To See You” getaway where we would play with fabric, dyes and relax as we
reconnect. The stars aligned as an opportunity to collaborate with Shannon Fabrics,
Oliso Irons, and Fabric Funhouse presented itself. We would get together to
experiment with various fabric dyeing techniques using both synthetic and
natural botanical dye processes on generously gifted Embrace double-gauze
fabric.
I
rented a house in a city where none of us lived in and we packed our bags. Our
reconnection felt like that emotional reuniting of the sisters at the end of The
Color Purple. It was wonderfully surreal to be together again.
We
dedicated the first part of our dyeing adventure to the use of synthetic dyes creating designs with various binding techniques.
I pre-washed the fabric in hot soda ash bath to remove the sizing and prepare
the fabric for receiving the dyes.
We
followed the product instructions and prepared multiple dye baths in various
colors. (All participants on this getaway are all fully vaccinated so we are not wearing masks. When we wear them in the photos, it is a safety measure when working with powdered dyes. Additionally, the dye results are shown on wet fabric. Once the fabric is color set and dried, the final colors are more muted.)
We wanted to try all the techniques, but decided to narrow it down to a few.
Arashi
With
this technique, the dampened fabric was folded and wrapped with twine around a PVC
pole base. The twine was wrapped around the folded fabric approximately five
times before it was scrunched tightly up along the upper portion of the pole. We continued to wrap more
twine and scrunch more fabric until all the yardage was secure. The ends of the
fabric were secured in place and the pole was submerged in the dye and allowed
to absorb the color for a few hours. It was removed from the dye, unwound and
then rinsed and dried.
Solid Block Dyeing
With this technique, the fabric was draped into multiple dye pots at the same time. This produced a continuous yardage with multiple color ranges.
Parfait Ice Dye
With
the fun and unpredictable technique scrunched fabric was added to a hamper in
layers of fabric, ice and powder dyes. As the ice melted, it distributed the
dye throughout the fabric and down multiple layers. The hamper had holes in the bottom and was placed on the ground so the melting water drained away. We let the dye work overnight then revealed the colors and patterns.
Tie
Dye
For
more predictable results we also tried pressing, folding, twisting and binding the fabric with rubber bands and
cable ties before submerging them in the dye baths. This allowed us to have more
control over the finished shapes.
Stitch
Shibori
Shapes
were drawn or randomly stitched on fabric with a running stitch. The threads
were pulled up to gather the fabric. The fabric was submerged in the dye bath
and left to absorb. The stitch patterns create a resist in the fabric where the
dye does not penetrate. The loose weave of the gauze produced a subtle pattern. Fabric with a denser weave would have a stronger pattern.
A
full day and a half of dyeing with these techniques yielded tremendous results.
The
second part of our dyeing adventure was a natural botanical dye workshop hosted by Talia
and Michelle of Fabric Funhouse. They are releasing a line of natural botanical dye
products that are completely natural, vegan and eco-friendly. There are a wonderful range of dye
possibilities available including, Madder root, Logwood, Pomegranate, Cutch, Wattle, and Quebracho
Roj.
For our workshop, we were taught the wonderful history of the natural dyes and the chemical combinations and intricacies involved in creating the formulas. We decided to use Logwood which gives a rich purple color.
Talia worked on the correct calculations of dye products based on the dry weight of the fabric.
We prepared the mordant bath.
Fabric Funhouse has prepared for dyeing (PFD) fabrics in a range of substrates and they are a retailer for Shannon Fabrics gauze. For our workshop we used washed linen, knit and gauze.
While the fabric was in the mordant, we prepared the dye bath
and chalk neutralizer bath to halt the color process once the desired color is achieved.
The prepared dye was added to the pot and brought to temperature.
After the initial fabric preparation, the damp fabrics were added to the dye bath. We tried complete submergence, minimal binding, and gradient dyeing.
Bound knit
Resist bound gauze
Gradient dyed linen
To add to the intensity of the color, I followed the dye process with an iron dip which gives a near black color.
It was a wonderful education in this labor-intensive technique which yielded wonderful results.
Over the course of the week on Instagram, I will be sharing some of the projects I made from the fabric I dyed during our getaway. I will refer back to the techniques we used to embellish the fabric.
In celebration of our wonderful time, enter to win one of many fabulous prizes from our generous sponsors.
Seven lucky entrants will be chosen at random to receive one of these prizes:
- One of Four Oliso Mini- Pro Travel Irons from Oliso
- One Logwood Botanical Dye Starter Kit plus 1 yard each of the following: Big Sur Canvas, Embrace Double Gauze, Kona Quilter's Cotton, and Mammoth Organic Flannel from Fabric Funhouse.
- Three yards of Embrace Double Gauze in Snow and three yards of Aim High Arrow print (If you are not up for dyeing) from Shannon Fabrics.
Instructions on how to participate in the giveaway are on my Instagram post.
After
the giveaway closes, I will recap my garments with another blog post and announce the
winners of the prizes.
Good Luck and Happy Sewing,
Bianca
