Post by Pandagirl on Mar 21, 2014 1:32:33 GMT
I had ordered some china silk and silk gauze from Dharma recently and finally had a chance to dye some in preparation for Fiona Duthie's online class next month. I decided to go for a dark green color with acid dyes in a water bath. I first mixed a midnight blue and sunshine yellow I had premixed with a touch of black, but the midnight blue was more purple and the water was not what I wanted. So, I used a moss green color instead. I usually use a coffee filter to test the color before proceeding. It was a little lighter than what I wanted, but thought I could get close.
I pre washed the silk in synthropol, rinsed, then soaked in a vinegar soak overnight. I added two tablespoons of the pre mixed dye to the water and a 1/4 cup of vinegar. At the last minute, I decided to add a few scraps of prefelt and wool batting to the pot. I heated it to 185 degrees and let it cook for 30 minutes. It still wasn't exhausting so I added more vinegar. After another 20 minutes, I turned it off and left it sit overnight. By morning, most all of the dye had exhausted. I washed them in synthropol and rinsed, then let dry.
The color in the pot looked darker than the filter test, but the final pieces turned out very close to the filter sample. The china silk was very shiny and had little shrinkage in width but not length. The gauze was dull and shrank it both directions. It is always an adventure when dyeing, but I was satisfied with the results. The felt and batting even without pre-soaking took the dye very well and were a darker shade, but of coarse are denser in volume.
I pre washed the silk in synthropol, rinsed, then soaked in a vinegar soak overnight. I added two tablespoons of the pre mixed dye to the water and a 1/4 cup of vinegar. At the last minute, I decided to add a few scraps of prefelt and wool batting to the pot. I heated it to 185 degrees and let it cook for 30 minutes. It still wasn't exhausting so I added more vinegar. After another 20 minutes, I turned it off and left it sit overnight. By morning, most all of the dye had exhausted. I washed them in synthropol and rinsed, then let dry.
The color in the pot looked darker than the filter test, but the final pieces turned out very close to the filter sample. The china silk was very shiny and had little shrinkage in width but not length. The gauze was dull and shrank it both directions. It is always an adventure when dyeing, but I was satisfied with the results. The felt and batting even without pre-soaking took the dye very well and were a darker shade, but of coarse are denser in volume.
