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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Tips & Tricks A new Dye Thread

Discussion in 'Costuming and Props' started by GentleBant, Apr 8, 2002.

  1. ObeyTheFist

    ObeyTheFist Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2004
    already checked it out. I am going to go with the true black. And now I can buy a better purple colour for my undertunic...
     
  2. SWCostumer

    SWCostumer Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2005
    If you call your order in and you have any questions, they are very helpful.
     
  3. ObeyTheFist

    ObeyTheFist Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2004
    as are you guys! thank you....
     
  4. JainaMSolo

    JainaMSolo Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2001
    Just wanted to express my undying love for this thread-- I was going to ask about tea-dyeing some white trim ivory to match natural silk, and then I found the link that Ferd had posted ages ago. Marvelous! The second link she posted is now dead, but the first one seems to have all the info I need.

    Although if anyone wants to share more "dyeing stuff ivory" tips with me, I'm all ears. :)

    Caitlin
     
  5. across0the0stars

    across0the0stars Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2003
    I've been experimenting with dyeing(painting) fabric and wondered if anyone has ever used actual paint rather than dye. I wanted to know if there were anything to keep water-soluble paints from running after they dry, or if anything would actually work with paint like it does with dye, or if the fibers (I've been using silk so far) will hold the paint.

    Thanks
     
  6. FERDALUMP

    FERDALUMP Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 12, 2002
    AcrosstheStars-- I would recommend using Textile (Fabric) Medium with your paints to make them appropriate for use on material. It is sold in craft stores and is found with the bottles of acrylic paints. It runs about $2 a bottle and you mix a small amount in with your paints to turn them into fabric paints. The medium causes the paint to not crack and dry stiff, and it also allows them to be washable.

    I use the combination of textile medium and acrylic paint all the time. Works wonderfully. :)

    --

    Caitlin--I'm glad my old post was helpful to you. :D Good luck with your project.
     
  7. across0the0stars

    across0the0stars Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2003
    thx =)
    do you think it would work with watercolors, the bottled/tubed kind, also?
     
  8. across0the0stars

    across0the0stars Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2003
    anyone know where I can get a couple bins for dyeing rather cheap? I've seen the normal plastic storage bins in Target and Walmart for example, but they are kind of pricey just for a plastic bin, in my opinion anyways...
     
  9. spacelady

    spacelady Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 16, 2003
    I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but can you mix dye colors? Like put in green and blue into the dye bath? I'm pretty sure it won't do damage to the fabric, but I might as well ask before I start it.

    ~Spacelady
     
  10. FenigDurak

    FenigDurak Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 6, 2002
    Absolutely you can mix colors! How else do you expect to get that perfect, unique shade? I've mixed colors dozens of times, almost every time I've dyed anything. Ritdye.com even has a link that gives you dye recipes!

    Color Chart Up in the right hand corner, there is a link called custom color recipes. My favorite feature is their Free Color Matching service.
     
  11. across0the0stars

    across0the0stars Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2003
    when mixing colors, if you know which direction you want to go color-wise (making purple a more blue purple or a more red purple), just take the color you want to change to start with, and add a little bit of the other color at a time until you get what you want with it. I do this by testing small strips after each time I add more dye, and I treat them just the same as anything normal that is being dyed.
     
  12. sixpence668

    sixpence668 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 5, 2005
    Since it seems a lot of you have utilized Dharma Trading, I'm hoping someone can help me out! Has anyone used & dyed their Stretch Silk Velvet for a project? Or, really, even their regular silk velvet would be fine. I'd like to hear people's experiences with dying this fabric - what dyes you used, in what colors, how it turned out, problems, etc. I'm looking to use this for a rather complcated dye job - an ombre technique, much like the Flame Dress, going from lavender at the hem to deep black at the top. I figure since I'm involving so many "trouble" items in one project (velvet, ombre & deep black), it's be wise to gather any advice I can! :)

    Thanks in advance,
    Jessica
     
  13. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    sixpence668 - I've used Dharma's dyes to dye silk velvet. Although the silk velvet was purchased from a different store, I believe the fiber content is the same as what is sold at Dharma and the dyes and techniques I used to dye the velvet would also work with their silk/rayon velvets. I really just followed the instructions provided on their site and asked them a few questions when I was at the store.

    Ombre dying will be a little different since I believe that involves dipping in sections of your fabric rather than sumberging your entire bolt into the dye bath. I'm sure someone else here has done the flame handmaiden and probably has notes or tips on that process.

    The notes I had made about dying the fabric were originally posted in this thread titled Fabric Dying

    I'll repost the info I typed up a few years ago here:

    DYING SILK VELVET WITH RAYON PILE FOR SENATE DRESS PROJECT


    Naboo Girl I found my old post to Obi-Dawn about using Procion Fiber Reactive dyes from Dharma. I'm actually going to stick with this dye for my costume because I have all the supplies and I've been happy with my results. The Rayon pile takes the color just fine and it does not hurt it all all to get it wet. You can wash by hand and then tumble dry it on low/delecate in the dryer when you are done dyeing and it comes out perfectly. The silk backing takes the color well (*edit* Silk can sometimes have and unpredictable color result with Procion dyes. Do dye tests first. Some purple dyes end up looking redder than you'd expect)

    I didn't cut my velvet up before dying it, I put the entire bolt into a large tub. You really should wash your velevet before you dye it. That's in the directions at Dharma's site. It's important to have the fabric damp before it's put in the dye bath. Also, washing it removes any gums, preservatives - etc that the fabric might have on it.

    Here are some of my early dye results:

    http://www.angelfire.com/art/kathys/purple_velvet1.htm

    I'll copy and paste my dye info here:

    The trick with dyeing in the bathtub was putting another container in there - an 18 gallon rubbermaid tub. If you have tile with grout be careful of that - it will stain the grout. (I had to scrub it out the second a drop got on - next time I will tape up a plastic sheet to protect the tile grout). The dye rinses out of the tub perfectly fine. It won't stain it. I also have one of those detachable shower heads with a hose and that really helped with clean up.

    1) Get all ingredients dissolved ahead of time! Including the soda ash fixer even though it isn't called for until 20 minutes into the process. (You'll be too busy stirring your fabric to have time to mix it) Also, make sure when it comes time to add your soda ash fixer to the bath that you actually remove your fabric from the bath before adding in the soda ash solution! Mix it in, then put your fabric back in. This is why doing it in the tub is handy - you can put the messy fabric off to the side of your rubbermaid tub on the floor of your bathtub and just clean up that mess later.


    2) If you are using several gallons of water for a large amount of fabric, I suggest using a portion of that water to pre-dissolve your table salt before adding it to the bath. I had to get a couple of huge pots boiling in the kitchen in order to dissolve all the salt that is called for (20 cups of salt is a LOT!)


    3) Make sure you pre-dissolve your dye in a small amount of water before adding it to the bath. Be sure to mix it well, as there always seem to be little bits that don't want to dissolve right away.

    4) Get some long plastic spoons and a few sets of plastic gloves (If you can find ones that go up to your elbow that would be best). When you are stirring your fabric, you need to actually pull it out and move it with your hands to untangle it now and then. Also, make sure none of the fabric pieces you are dyeing get stuck to the bottom of the tub (keep them moving!)
     
  14. Obi-Dawn Kenobi

    Obi-Dawn Kenobi Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I can certainly vouch for kay_dee's advice. I've put it to good use everytime I've dyed fabrics, including silk velvet I bought from Dharma. I used their Procion Fiber Ractive dye as well. It worked easily and the color came out vibrant.

     
  15. sixpence668

    sixpence668 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 5, 2005
    Thank you both for the awesome advice! Now I have a good starting point for my testing - kay_dee, your examples of the purple dyes were especially helpful, since that what I'm going for.

    Have either of you (or anyone else) tried dying silk velvet black with the fiber reactive dyes? Dharma states on the site that in order to get black you need to use Procion MX for the rayon pile and an acid dye for the silk backing. Is this really necessary? I'm hoping an extra strong batch of the Procion will work, since I'm not sure how I'd keep the water simmering for the acid dye while doing an ombre technique. Any experience in this arena?

    Speaking of ombre, I'm think of rigging up a system in my bathtub where I can put the basically assembled dress in the dye bath and then pull it out a certain distance at set time intervals. For those who have used this technique, how smooth are the gradients along the color?

    Thanks again for all the help!
    Jessica
     
  16. SWCostumer

    SWCostumer Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2005
    The suggestion for using two different dyes for silk velvet is due to the fact that you have two different fibers. The pile is Rayon which is a plant fiber and dyes best using soda ash. The backing is silk which is an animal fiber and that dyes best using vinegar (acid). You could either try a sample size piece of cloth and see what happens with just the dye with soda ash. If the backing is not dark enough in just the black, you could over-dye that section using acid dye.
     
  17. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    If they suggest it, it probably is. I'd imagine it's probably due to the fact that the silk backing just doesn't take up every color of procion dye well... the backing will probably not look quite black. There could be a mixture of reds and blues that make up the black procion dye and you'll likely end up with a reddish tone (silk has affinity for the red dyes over the blues in some cases. Depends on the kind of blue pigment used in the dye from what the sales person told me).

    You can always try a scrap without the acid dye to see how it goes. Thinking back on it, I should have done a similar thing when I dyed my burn-out velvet so I could get the silk the right color.

    - Kay Dee
     
  18. Queen_Apailana

    Queen_Apailana Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2005
    I went thought this thread great information guys. In the coming month I will be dyeing 100% polyester lace, I was looking at Dhama trading and really none of there dyes appereaded to be made for polyester (all cotten, rayon, and silks) Has anyone had any luck with any of their dyes and if not what else is their.
     
  19. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    The dyes carried by Dharma will not work on Polyester. Rit can sometimes work on polyester if you are able to do it on the stove top (however, you may not be able to get dark rich colors).

    Otherwise, this disperse dye is made for polyester. http://www.prochemical.com/catalog/disperse.htm I have not used them, but I'd imagine they should do the trick if Rit doesn't.

    - Kay Dee
     
  20. SWCostumer

    SWCostumer Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2005
    I have dyed lace that was probably poly (or a good portion of the fiber content was poly), used Rit and it turned out great. It was a dyed a golden yellow. As with any poly, it will not dye to the darkest color that dye can dye cotton. You may have to mix colors to get the color you want and go with a darker dye than the final color that you want. Try a test sample to be on the safe side.
     
  21. spacelady

    spacelady Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 16, 2003
    Alright, I've got a question dealing with dyes. I have this light... pink or like a light coral fabric. Very light. I need to dye it, but I'm not sure if it will take well to the dye bath... I don't have enough for a test dye, only enough for the gown. The last time I tried to dye a very light blue fabric, trying to turn it yellow... went to an aweful green. [face_plain]

    Any suggestions for this problem? :D :p

    ~Spacelady
     
  22. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Well, you must have a scrap that won't be used for the item you are making? There are so many unknowns with your question. If it's polyester, it might not take dye it all. When you try to turn one color into another, results can be unpredictable because you are essentially mixing colors. That's why you can't turn blue fabric into yellow. One dye doesn't cover up another like a coat of paint unless you are turning a very pale color into a very dark color. Hence, mixing blue with yellow made green.

    Really, there is no answer to your question. You have to stick a leftover scrap in the dye and see what happens to it.

    - kay dee
     
  23. Marmida

    Marmida Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 22, 2004
    Have anyone tried gradientdye by hand on unbleached cotton? I've been planning to do an experiment on that, but the question is, will the colour be deep enough and will it last machinewash in future?

    My mom has used the washingmachinedye colours on linen and it have worked out fine. The colour is deep and even on the fabrics she had dyed. She used Dylon-colours, if I remember right...

    Marmida
     
  24. Maulested

    Maulested Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 2005
    To get a gradual fade you'll need to constantly move the fabric up and down in the dye bath. If you let it just sit there, you'll end up with lines. I wish I had a picture to show you what I'm talking about (i'm going to look). I dyed my white T'wilek opera inspired dress. It was white 100% china silk. I mixed up a pretty rose color using god forbid Rit dye (I didn't have enough time to get any Procion-MX dye from Dharma), which actually worked really well. I wanted the bottom to be a pink fade like Gwen Stefani's wedding dress, so I did a few tests.... and then figured out that I had to dip the bottom of the dress up and down for about 7 minutes to get the fade(omg, my arms got tired...) but it turned out really well.

    If I was going to do a flame handmaiden (I will eventually), I'd start out with silk/rayon velvet in a light gold color, like the lightest part of the dress. Then I would sew the dress and over dye it in successively darker and more red shades.

    For fabric painting (w/brush)- I've painted wwith acrylic paints before. You really have to dilute it so its soft, then heat set it with an iron. Regular fabric paint is soooo much better. You can also heat set it with an iron. Looking for something different? Guta resist fabric painting will give you something that looks like what is on the tabbard on Padme's white gown at the end of TPM. You outline the shape onto silk with a resist meduim called guta that keeps jacquard dye in place. Like coloring in a coloring book, you literally paint the dye on the fabric and you can do some really amazing things with it. You don't have to necessarily use the guta, either. You can also throw some salt onto the piece for some cool variation. I did this piece that just came out great. You do have to heat set this medium with steam or use a type of chemical, though I haven't had good luck with the chemical.

    My all-time favorite is shibori (sp?). I did this awesome piece in red, black and yellow that looks like fire. I'm looking for pictures...

    Wow, I have to say the first time I read this, I totally missed the other pages. THANKS for all of the cool advice! GOOD LUCK with your projects!
     
  25. Maulested

    Maulested Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 2005
    Okay, I dusted off the camera and here are some pics...

    [image=http://lisaklassen.com/dress.jpg]
    This is the dress that was inspired by the opera dress. It was dyed in a long flat plastic tub with Rit dye in rose and red. I dipped it continuously for about 7 minutes to get this effect.

    [image=http://lisaklassen.com/silk-and-rayon.jpg]
    here is an example of what silk and rayon fabrics look like when dyed together. They rayon is lighter than the silk. This effect also occurs with velvet. I've noticed that you can get two completely different colors when you dye blended fabrics. I made a khaki color with magenta and green and dyed some devore silk and rayon fabric. The velvet dyed khaki and the silk was magenta.

    [image=http://lisaklassen.com/michele.jpg]
    Here is the big piece that I did with the guta resist silk painting method. It's part fabric collage right now and will someday be an art quilt.

    [image=http://lisaklassen.com/maulshibori.jpg]
    The Maul-themed shibori fabric. : )

    Oh, Kay-Dee your costumes are really amazing. Just finished looking at them. : )