I’m in the process of changing my web furniture around so you may ‘trip’ over some things at the moment! Hopefully it will all look better soon.

There has been a great dye workshop at the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers which has inspired me to revisit my dyebooks. I use fibre reactive dyes with both cellulose and protein fibres and I went through a period of trying to control my dye colours. The compilation of this dye book actually taught me about each of the dye colours I use and how much will produce the various depths of shading. Each little skein of 2/20 mercerized cotton weighed one gram. By applying different amounts of dye solution I was able to record the results. For the pale colours I had to use a syringe to measure accurately enough.

After doing all of this dyeing I now find I have a better ‘feel’ for the dye colours rather than getting down to exactness.

I’m designing a new collection of ikat woven bookmarks and deciding how to set up the ikat is challenging. I’m using colored pencils to get an idea of the colours and arrangements of the warp threads. I’ll probably use 20/2 cotton although silk is also a good option. The work will have a sett of 105 ends per inch and each segment will be dyed individually but united on the loom.




Lots of other projects are on the boil but not so interesting for the blog at this point, however, I’ve also been spending my time lounging around as you can see with this view at Forster, NSW. The weather is perfect at the moment – the greatest time of year here. Forever blue skies tauting you to go outside and stay there for the whole day! Textile projects need to be portable and adaptable at the moment.

This is a small collection of my work. I like to use lots of colour.

Wallabi-Saltwater collection in double weave. Rayon and cotton.	Bushfire Series. Commemorating Ash Wednesday Fires.
Renewal. Commissioned wall drape.	Ikat textile. Warp faced cotton.
Ikat Textile. Warp Faced cotton.	Sequin weave scarf series. Double weave pocket textile.
Fringe Weave.Hand-dyed cotton and rayon
Celtic Double Weave Runner. Cotton and Rayon

This yarn is a 100% Bamboo Yarn from Christines Yarns. Originally I dyed this for the Clapotis as it was so difficult to find a good colourway yarn in Australia. Dyeing is actually very easy and I’d encourage any knitter or weaver to ‘have a go’. You’ll be thrilled with the results.

These instructions are for cellulose fibres such as cotton, bamboo, rayon, chenille etc. Dyeing can be done with cold water. Wool dyeing requires heat to fix the dye.

You will need:

Buckets
Plastic Measures (cup, teaspoon)
Stirrers
Plastic gloves
A sponge
Newspaper, a sheet of plastic to protect your working surface
Fibre Reactive Drimarene K dyes in powder form (I use a cool primary set of red, blue and yellow)

Additives

Salt (Sodium Chloride)
Soda Ash (sodium carbonate)

Note: Dyeing utensils cannot be used in the kitchen for food preparation. Use a face mask, protective clothing and gloves when working with dyes and dye powder. The dye will stain.

Step 1:
If your yarn is in a ball, wind it into a skein. I used a niddy-noddy here but around the back of a chair will also do. Tie several loose ties in a different coloured thread ( I use a woollen yarn) around the skeins.

Weigh the skeins. This is needed so that dye amounts and additives can be correctly added.

Wet down the skeins in a bucket of water.

Step 2:
Soak the skeins in the additives using the following chart or adjust proportions as needed:

Add Salt and Soda Ash to water and stir until dissolved. Place previously soaked yarn into water and leave to soak for 45 minutes, stirring frequently for the first 15 mins.

Step 3:
Prepare the dyes

Add one teaspoon of dye powder to a little hot water to disolve then add 100mls water. Here I have placed the dye solution into squirt bottles.
These types of bottles make it easier to control the application of dye although I have also just poured the dye solution onto the yarn.
This is the exciting part!

Step 4:

Protect your working surface with paper and a sheet of plastic.

Remove yarn from the additives and squeeze gently. Lay out on a sheet of ‘cling wrap’. (this is used to wrap up the yarn when dyeing is finished)

Squirt the dye across the yarn and blend the colours into each other with a sponge. I use a cheap kitchen sponge.(Make sure you have your gloves on!)
I also wash out the sponge as I blend the colours.

Step 5:
Wrap up the yarn in the ‘cling wrap’ securely and leave to cure for up to 48 hours.
After this leave for 15 minutes in hot soapy water then rinse until the water is clear.
Viola!