Ball and Skien

Well let’s jump in shall we

Ok, let’s say you want to dye something pink or blue gray,  You have cool aid
Easter egg dye or Rit dye. These are all synthetic dyes and are great and will get you good results  however if you

 prefer the natural approach, red cabbage is the way to go. (wait did she say red cabbage.) Preposterous you 

say? Inconceivable say you? I say let’s try! Now I’m just giving examples. I will have a chart for you with ratios

 or proportions so don’t panic.

 I get my pans and Pyrex from good will. If you want to use pans on the stove use enamel pans,Corning Ware pans 

or Pyrex made nfor stove tops or ovens . You get better color and no metal interaction. 

Plastic spoons or metal spoons are best to use, wooden spoons or tools will absorb color.

If you use rit dye you can dye bigger pieces of fabric in your washer ( yes, your washer ) you'll find directions on

the bottle 

Here's the process,

First in a sauce pan,chop up and slow  boil red cabbage for 1 hour,

then strain water to get out cabbage pieces. Save the water,eat the cabbage or toss it in your compost.

While the cabbage is boiling. Use a separate pot to boil water (about 8 cups)
pour the boiling water into a bucket and add salt. Carefully add your fabric or fiber to the salt bath, remember water

 is boiling hot, so use a spoon or tongs to make sure fiber gets completely saturated.  While fabric or fiber is 

resting in the salt bath, take your dye liquid and place evenly into two dyeing containers, remember the need to be 

big enough to fully submerge fabric or fiber.

Plastic tubs or food storage containers work great for this. In one container, place heaping tablespoon

of baking soda and stir it well. In the other container, add white vinegar, about 2 tablespoons, remember you're

working to achieve two different colors. 

Now get your fabrics or fibers from salt bath, ring out excess water and put some in one dye bath container and the 

rest in the second. Move your fabric or fiber around to make sure it is fully covered with dye ( please where gloves )

or you will dye your hands.  These need to rest in their dye bath for 1 hour while being stirred often to ensure

 even dye coverage.  After an hour, rinse your fabrics or fibers and dry them.

If you have dyed fabrics or felted wool you can toss it in the dryer to dry. Yarn and threads dry on a

clothes line outside in the breeze / sun or using a hair dryer.

Its important to remember you are not using toxic chemicals like soda ash or alum to

 cure these natural colors,so use them in art work  wall hangings, rug hooking,

weaving or things that will not get washed a lot. Side note, if using 

fabrics they should be washed first to remove any sizing the manufacturer put in.
Some natural dyes will stay longer than others  so keep that in mind too.

 With Rit dye and cool aid dying the steps are very similar and no need for

 alum or soda ash. Using salt, vinegar or jet dry  will work just fine and can be washed more frequently

  without risk of color loss  

 

Let’s talk about clean up and work space,
On the counter I lay some newspaper down and some freezer paper, shiny shade up so spills bead up on it makes

 it easier to control mistakes.

Clean up with Clorox soft scrub works wonders on sinks and counter tops. Since your spoons,

 pans and containers you choose are not going to be used for food prep, you can clean them the same way.

 Remember to store these containers and tools separately from your cooking ware.

 

Now what? You ask 

I will explain that process in my next blog along with how to dye something with different colors at the same time .
Remember, adding color to the things you create feeds your creative soul.