Have you ever hand dyed fabric before? I tried it once last year and really enjoyed it. When I saw an intermediate level class for ice dying wide back fabrics at MQX I signed up, and signed my mom up, too. It was her first time.
Class was taught by Cindy Lohbeck, who is a hoot and a half. You can check her work out on her website. Check out the class listings – I want to take all of them.
We started our day drooling at Cindy’s show and tell. This lady has some crazy fabric, and she just keeps it. She doesn’t feel the need to make anything. I’m thinking about sneaking over to her place and quilting her fabrics. Who’s with me?
After we recovered from show and tell we got down to business. There was a demo of folding and pleating, and a discussion of the merits of various size rubber bands and zip ties. Folding wide backs (108″ x 108″) into mandala shapes is a team project. We worked in groups of four to get them folded properly.
Once we had our fabrics folded, it was time to get pleating. That is challenging with a big piece of fabric. This is how mine finished up. Then it was into the soda ash bucket to soak.
We each chose three colors. Cindy encouraged us to do three primaries (red, yellow, blue) to get rainbows. Oddly, I wasn’t feeling the rainbow, so I chose deep purple, raspberry, and orange. I was hoping for a sunset feel. Once my dyes were mixed up, I couldn’t tell which was purple and which was raspberry, even when I tested them. This is a problem, because the raspberry needed to be between the purple and the orange, or else I would get muddy colors where they blended. So, Cindy gave me some fuchsia to separate the orange and purple.
Mom chose navy, lime, and yellow. I guess she wasn’t feeling rainbows, either.
We set up our fabric on nets, setting the pleats to maximize how much dye would be caught in the fabric. That is when I discovered I had gotten powdered dye all over myself and my work surface.
I got it inside my gloves, too. I wasn’t surprised.
Next was ice. We covered the pleated fabric with a layer of ice cubes. Adding ice to the process lends an element of unpredictability in the dye process. Ice will cause blended dyes to fracture, and melting will cause adjacent dyes to blend. Cindy gets wonderful “happy accidents”. She’s a free-styling hippy and seems generally happy with life. I’m an uptight suburban housewife who thrives on predictability. I had a specific vision of what my dyed fabric would look like.
I squirted my dyes all over the ice. I used all four colors, because, duh, I had four in front of me. Once the dyes hit the ice I could tell which was purple and which was raspberry. I could also tell that I hadn’t fully dissolved all of the dye in the solution.
I loved this class – really. It was fun and I knew I would find it relaxing and what I ended up with would be pretty. BUT… I had to wait for 3 DAYS after dying the fabric to see what I had made. First you need to let the dye work it’s way through the ice, and the fabric was locked in a classroom over night. The next morning, when I could get my hands on it, I had to drive home. When I got home I was soooo tired. I drove through NYC at rush hour. Ugh.
Sunday morning was magic hour. Mom opened hers first. She rinsed and rinsed, then rinsed some more. Her blue is so nice and dark. Check out how awesome it is.
This is the wet fabric stretched over my hot tub cover, currently the largest flat surface on the property. The light stipe in the center is just the seam in the cover. Isn’t her star fantastic?
Next it was my turn. Rinsing, rinsing, more rinsing, and very little purple.
Check out this beautiful fabric, though. I do like it, even if I am disappointed in how much purple didn’t stick. Now I have to decide if I will be quilting it as a wholecloth quilt or using it as a backing. I’m leaning towards whole cloth, but how amazing would it be to flip over a quilt and find this on the back?
My takeaways from this class
1. This is a great project for Mom and I to do together
2. There will be more fabric dying in our future
3. I need to experiment more with smaller pieces of fabric
4. Mom is a terrible person to be in a “should I buy it” situation with. I purchased an entire bolt of wide back PFD fabric. We have big plans.
How cool that you get to do this with your mom! Both of your dyes came out fantastic. I’ve always wanted to try this, so it’s fun to read about your experience. Sorry about the rush hour drive – yuck.
Give it a try when you have the opportunity! It’s so much fun!
Wow, both your pieces are AMAZING!!! Sounds like you had a great time. Can’t wait to see if you find the right fit for your fabric. I can see why she keeps all her fabrics. Looking forward to seeing where dying takes you. #4 makes me giggle
Thanks, Dawn!
I took my first dyeing class 15 year ago. At first it was just dyeing a group of six pieces with progressively darker tint. This was done in a bag. Then I bought some books on tie dyeing and the grandkids and I have been dyeing ever since. My oldest grandson and I ice dyed on spring using clothespins to make a design. He did a tee shirt and I did fabric. The instructions I had said to sprinkle the powdered dye over the ice. It took a lot of dye powder. Next time, I’ll try it mixing dyes like I do for tie dyeing. BTW, I mark my cups and/or bottles with the color using a sharpie because they really do look very much a like. So glad you had fun.
You have big plans indeed! Both look great and I see many more hours of fun ahead in quilting your panel (or using it as a backing) and dying more variations.
I’m still so sick with a chest and head cold, lying on the couch here, but Jen, this post made me forget my misery the entire time I was reading it. I love your posts; you’re so clever and witty. Love the title!!! I’ve done a little dyeing in the past but seeing this makes me want to take a class like you did. Another teacher to add to my bucket list. Beautiful fabrics both yours and your mom’s.
Oh, feel better! The title is Cindy’s name for the class – many of her class names are silly like that. There are so many teachers I want to learn from!
I can’t believe how great they are! I am on this, when I see her class come up. What fun that you and Mom took the class together. My mom didn’t enjoy sewing, so it was never anything we did together.
I am so happy that my Mom enjoys sewing with me.
These look amazing! I’ve heard of ice dying but never tried it. Can’t wait to see what you do with your *bolt* of fabric for dying!!!!
Wish I was with you. Both turned out great! I hope you wrote everything down, I went to a fabric dying class, nothing at all like yours, but once back home I got busy with home stuff, by the time I was ready to try things myself, I had forgotten details 😞. I do love your though. Put that bolt to use. I look foward to seeing more masterpieces.
Hi Jen! Both fabrics turned out just great. I love the star pattern your fabric has. I think it will make a fabulous backing or a whole cloth quilt, and can’t wait to see what you decide. ~smile~ Roseanne
I enjoyed seeing the dying process and I am with you…LET”S GO OVER THERE!