The Last Stitch Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Christmas comes early at our house. My wonderful wife that's also a quilter gave me 20+ yards of fabric and everything needed to try snow dyeing fabric. We may also try low water immersion and immersion dyeing as well. I feel like a kid with a new chemistry kit just waiting for the next snow day (I'm a teacher-Geometry...I think of it as Pre-Quilting). Anyway I am looking for tips and suggestions. My wife is awesome. I can't wait to see what we do with this. It is truly a blessing to have someone you can create with together. Merry Christmas to all and may God bless you in the year to come. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamarack Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Only 20 yards! Once you try snow dyeing you'll be addicted!! I have a few tutorials on my blog you can check out on snow dyeing and LWI dyeing. http://tamarackshack.blogspot.ca/2011/01/snow-dyeing.html http://tamarackshack.blogspot.ca/2011/07/low-immersion-dyeing.html Have fun experimenting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.waits Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Merry Christmas, Don! If you're going to experiment with dyeing, check out Kathy's blog here http://tamarackshack.blogspot.com/ . She does beautiful snow dyeing, and has lots of good information in her tutorial and blog. Have fun! Oops! Looks like Kathy types faster than I do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Merry Christmas, Don. Have a blast with the dye kit, your wife is wonderful.. We don't get snow often enough to try this method, and I have too much going on to invest in other methods. God Blessings on you and yours now and forever. Rita & Himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuiltGuy Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 This looks like fun but we only get snow every few years and it only lasts a day or two...maybe there is a technique for rain dyeing...that would be perfect for the Northwest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamarack Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 You could always try ice dyeing! http://tamarackshack.blogspot.ca/2013/06/ice-dyed-parfait.html I'm just full of ideas to get you dyeing fabric! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaSteller Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 There are also lots and lots of YouTube videos out there that can be very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joy tippit Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 Only 20 yards! Once you try snow dyeing you'll be addicted!! I have a few tutorials on my blog you can check out on snow dyeing and LWI dyeing. http://tamarackshack.blogspot.ca/2011/01/snow-dyeing.html http://tamarackshack.blogspot.ca/2011/07/low-immersion-dyeing.html Have fun experimenting. what kind of fabric do you use? muslin or? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joy tippit Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 sorry I think I messed up the first question to tamarack shack... what kind of fabric do you use? that is absolutely awesome and we have tons of snow here in Michigan too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last Stitch Posted December 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 Kathy, Pictures you posted here is what got us started. Your tutorials are great. Do you use urea in your dye mixture. The more I research the more I find that there is no specific way to dye. I tend to be a rules person and want to know it will turn out right the first time. I really can't wait to give this a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamarack Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 sorry I think I messed up the first question to tamarack shack... what kind of fabric do you use? that is absolutely awesome and we have tons of snow here in Michigan too. Joy right now I'm using white cotton from Sew Batik. It has a very fine weave so the texture in the snow dyeing is very crisp. I have also used Kona white but it is a looser weave and tends to fray a lot! I like to use Kona when I'm dyeing a large quilt backing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamarack Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 Kathy, Pictures you posted here is what got us started. Your tutorials are great. Do you use urea in your dye mixture. The more I research the more I find that there is no specific way to dye. I tend to be a rules person and want to know it will turn out right the first time. I really can't wait to give this a try. No I don't use Urea in my dyeing, never found it necessary. Your right there is no specific way to dye fabric. For example Soda Ash can be used either as a presoaked, added with the dye or added after the fabric is in the dye bath...each option will give you slightly different results so I use any of these methods depending on what I'm trying to achieve. So you will have to make your own rules like I did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuiltGuy Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 Ice dyeing looks very do-able indeed! What fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchanted Quilting Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 What sources do you use to obtain your dyes?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyG_Quilts Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 I have dabbled with hand dyeing fabric for more than 15 years, but don't do it often, so I can't really predict results yet. I now live in Duluth, MN. Last April we had a lot of snow, over 50 inches! More snow in one calendar month than in the records! I teach math a our local community college and we had not one but two Fridays in a row that were snow days! Just before the first snow day, I bought some Kona cotton from my local fabric store and treid snow dyeing. I liked it so much that I immediately oredered ten rayon scarfs from Dharma Trading and they arrived just in time to dye the second snow day Friday in a row. Now snow days at college are not as common as in public schools and we often go several years without any at all. The instructions I was using from an article about a year ago in Quilter's Newsletter stated that heavy wet snow is the best. I let mine sit overnight in the cool basement to melt/dye and it worked well. I would up with ten lovely scarfs that have made eight friends/relatives very nice presents. One left to give and one for me. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingpup Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 Hi Kathy, .....and just a few more inches we will break the record for the most snow in December ever! Yikes! I do know where those disappearing ice caps and glaciers are going! This snow dying does sound like fun! The first snow storm we got was that heavy wet stuff....the last snow was the light fluffy stuff....I know some nationalities have several different words for snow depending on the type.....ummm....I have different words too...some lovely ones for when I am toasty and warm looking from my warm house out my windows...some other words for when I am strolling along looking at it on a balmy winter day....and others (mostly four letter ones) when I am trying to shovel the stuff again! I haven't been to the fitness center for weeks but am developing some serious arm muscle and my abs are bulking up...ok...maybe that is the christmas cookies not the workout....the abs don't exactly look like six packs. Seriously though...I am going to have to try the snow dying....after, I do have plenty of snow....Lin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 I have a WONDERFUL friend who is going to share some dyes with me.. God Bless her, she is so generous and such a lovely lady, right mrm? I'm so excited at the prospect of ice dyeing that I can't stay still... lol, it won't get here today. I need to go put the leaders on the side of a quilt, and finish it to the needing binding and label stage. I have a few quilts I'm going to add some quilting to.. they have too large of a space with no quilting. Maybe some giant McT designs. Everyone, Have FUN !!! Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I have had a lot of natural colored fabric given to me.. a lot.. Would that work for the golds to browns, navy, dark purple, or would it affect the fabric too much in getting true colors? Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last Stitch Posted December 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Rita, I'd try it...what have you got to lose if it was given to you. Call it an adventure and go for it!!! Please post pictures!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last Stitch Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 We got snow last night!!! I am not sure I have been excited about snow to this degrees uncertain I was a kid. My wife and I just finished our first try. Now a nap while we wait for it to melt. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.waits Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Don, Please show pics of the finished product. You've all got my interest and curiosity up, can't wait to see how it comes out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last Stitch Posted January 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 After a long winters nap...snow is still melting and fabric is peeking out enough to make us run to the studio every 20 or so minutes to see what's happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aktbone Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 In order to do the snow dying - we have tons of snow here in AK - what kind of dye do I use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.waits Posted January 4, 2014 Report Share Posted January 4, 2014 Ooooh, the red yellow in that first photo looks like sherbert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last Stitch Posted January 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2014 Got it in the washer with Retain now....can't wait to see what we have when it comes out of the dryer. Tonilyn. We used Procion dyes from Darma Trading Company. Kathy's link at the beginning of this post is a great place to start. It has been a lot of fun for my wife and I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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