more hand-dyed fabrics

I wanted to share some of the cotton quilting fabrics that I’ve hand-dyed, using the same dye as this project.

The only difference between these fabrics, and the much more subtle gauze that I dyed is the amount of water you use in the dye bath.

I used a low water immersion technique (LWI) to create the more mottled prints.  The fabric is damped down with water, crumpled up and then placed in a large ziploc baggy.   You then pour the dye concentrate (just the hot water mix, without adding any extra cold water) over the fabric.  Close the bag and squish the fabric a few times to make sure the dye is penetrating all the way through.  Knead the bag a couple more times during the hour-long dyeing process.  Rinse, wash and presto!  Beautiful cotton prints for a lots less than the $20 per meter that quilting shops charge

I’ve also used microwaves to dye fabric, but I don’t any more.  I don’t like using dyes anywhere that food is prepared.  Of course… you could always snag another microwave for your studio!