I’m getting back into my normal schedule of studio life and teaching after December’s excitement and energy.  I definitely need to spend some time getting my studio and fabric storage area cleaned and tidied again.  I seem to have the habit of pulling fabric out, looking for inspiration… and then leaving it out.  Ah, the joys of being a visual person

I ran a month-long series on Tangled Thread during March and April last year called the “De-Stash Challenge“.  If you’re looking for ideas on how to de-stash and de-clutter your own sewing room, the series is worth checking out:

• De-stash Challenge, introduction
• Day two check-in
• Week two check-in, pattern de-stashing!
• Week three ideas
• Week four - got extra yarn?
• The final check-in

De-stashing and “shopping your own stash” are also great ways to save money and make you think about whether or not you really, truly need that new piece of fabric.  After all, if you’ve got ten boxes of fabric already – isn’t there something in your own stash you can use?

I’ll be running the challenge again this year – but you’ll have to wait for March until the official kick-off.  Let’s just consider this practice for now…

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Clutter buster ideas for your sewing room or studio

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!

Post from: Blisstree

more hand-dyed fabrics

While I like pink, I think it’s just a little too pink… But it’s a lovely fabric and I don’t really want to give it away if there’s another option.

I think this is a worthwhile fabric to try dyeing. It’s 100% cotton (it’s easiest to dye natural fibers) and a small enough length to easily fit into a bucket.

I’m using a Dylon cold water dye kit for this project – it comes with a dye fixative included in the package, but you still need salt as well:

Each dye has different requirements, so read your instructions carefully! I also needed a large bucket to dye the fabric in and a smaller non-metallic container to mix the dye in.

A word of caution – most dyes are toxic chemicals and you should protect yourself appropriately. That includes using a respirator, rubber gloves, old clothes (it’s messy and you don’t want to trash your good pair of jeans!) If you have concerns, don’t use dye! I’ve used it for years and have never had any issues, but pay attention and read the instructions carefully.

Now that I’ve got that over, to use Dylon dyes, you need to thoroughly wet the fabric first in a bucket of cold water:

Yikes – you can see how bright that pink is!

I mixed up the dye concentrate, which includes the dye powder, fixative and salt with some very hot tap water. It gets poured over the fabric – which you then need to stir for ten minutes.

Yes, that’s right – you need to stir the fabric for ten minutes.

Now that your arm feels like it’s going to fall off you can take a break and let the fabric sit, according to the package directions. This batch needs to sit for another fifty minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so.

It now looks like a lab experiment gone terribly wrong:

Haul the fabric out and rinse, rinse, rinse! Toss it into the washing machine (by itself please, you don’t want to dye the rest of your laundry

Post from: Blisstree

de-stash ideas – dyeing your own fabric