Harmony Hand Dyes hand-dyed Fabric MX Procion Dye Shiva Paintstiks Tisdale SK Sask Saskatchewan Canada
| Low Immersion Dyeing |
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Low Immersion Dying Method: for medium to dark intensity
Caution: you are dealing with chemicals. Avoid skin contact and inhalation. Keep out of reach of
children.
You may only require 1.5 teaspoons of red based dye while you use 2 teaspoons of blue based dye and
if using yellow based dye, you may require 3 teaspoons of dye.
Use ziplock baggies or plastic buckets. Do not use utensils for food after you have used them for dying.
For 1 meter of 100% cotton fabric:
(If fabric has sizing in it, pre-wash and don't use fabric softener)
Pre-soak fabric in solution of 1/4 cup of soda ash** to 1 gallon of water. Let sit 15 minutes. Wring out
the solution.
Combine dry ingredients then add 2 cups of hot water (hot if using sodium sulfate or you will get a hard
lump that won't dissolve.)
2 Tablespoons of urea
2 Tablespoons of salt (I prefer sodium sulfate but you can use "pickling salt".
2 teaspoons of dye (wear a NIOSH dust mask to measure dry dye)
Take pre-soaked fabric and “scrunch” into the baggie, then pour the dye solution over the fabric.
Squish the dye around in the baggie.
Let the dyed fabric cure for 12 – 24 hours (Turquoise requires 24 hours). 20 degrees celsius or 70
degrees fahrenheit has been recommended for the best curing temperatures.
Squeeze out the fabric and rinse, and rinse, and rinse, and rinse (you get the drift – it takes A LOT of
rinsing.)
When the rinse water runs clear, wash the fabric in dyers soap (T.N.A, or Synthrapol, or mild dish soap)
Dry in a hot dryer for 30 minutes.
Caution: you are dealing with chemicals. Avoid skin contact and inhalation. Keep out of reach of
children.
You may only require 1.5 teaspoons of red based dye while you use 2 teaspoons of blue based dye and
if using yellow based dye, you may require 3 teaspoons of dye.
Use ziplock baggies or plastic buckets. Do not use utensils for food after you have used them for dying.
For 1 meter of 100% cotton fabric:
(If fabric has sizing in it, pre-wash and don't use fabric softener)
Pre-soak fabric in solution of 1/4 cup of soda ash** to 1 gallon of water. Let sit 15 minutes. Wring out
the solution.
Combine dry ingredients then add 2 cups of hot water (hot if using sodium sulfate or you will get a hard
lump that won't dissolve.)
2 Tablespoons of urea
2 Tablespoons of salt (I prefer sodium sulfate but you can use "pickling salt".
2 teaspoons of dye (wear a NIOSH dust mask to measure dry dye)
Take pre-soaked fabric and “scrunch” into the baggie, then pour the dye solution over the fabric.
Squish the dye around in the baggie.
Let the dyed fabric cure for 12 – 24 hours (Turquoise requires 24 hours). 20 degrees celsius or 70
degrees fahrenheit has been recommended for the best curing temperatures.
Squeeze out the fabric and rinse, and rinse, and rinse, and rinse (you get the drift – it takes A LOT of
rinsing.)
When the rinse water runs clear, wash the fabric in dyers soap (T.N.A, or Synthrapol, or mild dish soap)
Dry in a hot dryer for 30 minutes.
**Soda Ash or sodium carbonate is the chemical that helps "fix" the MX Procion dye particles to the
cotton fabric. By raising the pH, we can get better bonding.
Many dyers recommend a pH of about 10.5 or higher for MX Procion dyes on cotton; however, unless
you test the pH in the water you use and then test again after adding the soda ash, you won't know the
exact pH you have achieved anyway. If you check out other references, you will often find the ratio of
about 1/2 cup of soda ash to 1 gallon of water is recommended.
Why do I use 1/4 cup of soda ash to a gallon of water? A number of years ago, a friend and I were
dyeing our fabric at that 1/2 cup to a gallon rate. We did a number of "colour wheels" of fat quarters
and various gradations. At that time we used a variety of 100% cotton fabrics. When we were going
through some of the stash to use in projects, my friend discovered that MANY of her dyed fabrics would
tear VERY easily. Not the ordinary gripping and pulling it usually takes to rip a piece of fabric from the
side, but with very little pressure or pulling they would tear. For some reason the fibre seemed to have
weakened after the dying process. I will be the first to admit that I'm not a scientist. I like to test my own
theories and keep fairly accurate records, but I am not a chemist. Our enquiring minds led to our own
"study" and I tested some of my fabrics for ease of tearing. Some, but not all, tore pretty easily! That
lead to trying various combinations of our dye and chemical mixtures. When I used the 1/4 cup of soda
ash to a gallon of water, I still got the same strong colours as before (at least to our visual comparison)
but any of the new fabric that I was dyeing did not tear easily. Is our water naturally a higher pH? I
don't know, but I do know that I have tried many different locations in Saskatchewan with the 1/4 cup to 1
gallon ratio and have had equally good success in strength of colour, permanence of dye, and no
problems with the fabric tearing easily.
After dyeing for years, I have discovered that there are really no precise "recipes" that work for
everyone. There are many factors in the equation that affect the outcome from the hardness/softness
of your water; pH of your water; mineral content of your water; temperature of your "curing" and even
the humidity in the atmosphere.... to say nothing of a different dye lot!
Many people measure the dye by weight and create solutions in scientific percents. Again, the humidity
can affect your dye and the makeup of the water can affect the solution. If you prefer to weigh your
ingredients, experiment and find the combinations that work for your water type and environment. If you
keep accurate records of whatever method you prefer, you'll be able to mix gradations and combinations
with a fairly consistent outcome. Many people choose to dye their own fabrics because they don't want
factory consistency or a commercial look to the fabric. Everyone has their own objectives and every
dyer needs to develop their own "recipes" and methods. If you find that you would like a stronger
solution of soda ash, try 1/2 cup to a gallon but don't let anyone tell you there is a hard and fast rule for
everyone.
cotton fabric. By raising the pH, we can get better bonding.
Many dyers recommend a pH of about 10.5 or higher for MX Procion dyes on cotton; however, unless
you test the pH in the water you use and then test again after adding the soda ash, you won't know the
exact pH you have achieved anyway. If you check out other references, you will often find the ratio of
about 1/2 cup of soda ash to 1 gallon of water is recommended.
Why do I use 1/4 cup of soda ash to a gallon of water? A number of years ago, a friend and I were
dyeing our fabric at that 1/2 cup to a gallon rate. We did a number of "colour wheels" of fat quarters
and various gradations. At that time we used a variety of 100% cotton fabrics. When we were going
through some of the stash to use in projects, my friend discovered that MANY of her dyed fabrics would
tear VERY easily. Not the ordinary gripping and pulling it usually takes to rip a piece of fabric from the
side, but with very little pressure or pulling they would tear. For some reason the fibre seemed to have
weakened after the dying process. I will be the first to admit that I'm not a scientist. I like to test my own
theories and keep fairly accurate records, but I am not a chemist. Our enquiring minds led to our own
"study" and I tested some of my fabrics for ease of tearing. Some, but not all, tore pretty easily! That
lead to trying various combinations of our dye and chemical mixtures. When I used the 1/4 cup of soda
ash to a gallon of water, I still got the same strong colours as before (at least to our visual comparison)
but any of the new fabric that I was dyeing did not tear easily. Is our water naturally a higher pH? I
don't know, but I do know that I have tried many different locations in Saskatchewan with the 1/4 cup to 1
gallon ratio and have had equally good success in strength of colour, permanence of dye, and no
problems with the fabric tearing easily.
After dyeing for years, I have discovered that there are really no precise "recipes" that work for
everyone. There are many factors in the equation that affect the outcome from the hardness/softness
of your water; pH of your water; mineral content of your water; temperature of your "curing" and even
the humidity in the atmosphere.... to say nothing of a different dye lot!
Many people measure the dye by weight and create solutions in scientific percents. Again, the humidity
can affect your dye and the makeup of the water can affect the solution. If you prefer to weigh your
ingredients, experiment and find the combinations that work for your water type and environment. If you
keep accurate records of whatever method you prefer, you'll be able to mix gradations and combinations
with a fairly consistent outcome. Many people choose to dye their own fabrics because they don't want
factory consistency or a commercial look to the fabric. Everyone has their own objectives and every
dyer needs to develop their own "recipes" and methods. If you find that you would like a stronger
solution of soda ash, try 1/2 cup to a gallon but don't let anyone tell you there is a hard and fast rule for
everyone.