Shibori Experiment Notes

From experiment 1:

Reduce dye, water, and urea. Used 1c of water to 10g dye. Need 1/4 cup water and 2-3g dye.
Fabric scrunched from 120" to approx 12". Cut pipe into manageable lengths.

Because of the number of experiments I still need to do I'm going to leave the pipe long.

Experiment 2 will be more of an arashi technique where I wrap the fabric around the PVC, then wrap it with thread and scrunch it instead of stitching the edges and scrunching.

Future experiments will include:
- Over dye. I'll dye a strip of fabric a solid color and then do either bomaki or arashi with a darker color.
- Fire! Ok, not actual fire, just dye to look like fire. I'll paint oranges and reds and yellows around the fabric in stripes and see how that goes.
- Layers. I'll use a wider strip and wrap it around itself before scrunching. This is to see how the corset fabric will turn out and if it fades going up.
- Folding. If layers don't work well, I'll try folding it in half and either doing bomaki or arashi to see how that works.

Products Made:
- Headband
- Scrunchies
- Drawstring pouch

The Skirt

 I've been in love with 25-yard skirts since the first time I saw one. They fly. They tuck. They swish!

I need one.

So here are some plans:

Muslin, 4-tiered, shibori dyed.

Sparkle Belly helped figure out the tier heights and an alternative to buying 12.5 yards of fabric and having so much left over. https://www.sparklybelly.com/diy-25-yard-skirt/

I need:
18 strips 3.125 yards long (112.5 inches) by 11.75" wide of muslin
Dharma Fiber Reactive Dyes in 157 Celadon, 162 Grecian Sea, 22 Cobalt Blue, and 132 Caribbean Blue
Chemicals for dying
11" outer diameter PVC pipe
Sewing machine, thread, gathering foot

Notes:

SKIRT:
Tier 1 - 1 strip in Celadon (solid) and Cobalt Blue (shibori)
Tier 2 - 2 strips in Cobalt Blue (solid) and Caribbean Blue (shibori)
Tier 3 -  4 strips in Caribbean Blue (solid) and Grecian Sea (shibori)
Tier 4 - 8 strips in Grecian Sea (solid) and Cobalt Blue (shibori)

GATHERING FOOT:

Good info here: https://blog.treasurie.com/gathering-foot-tutorial/
In short:
Long length, tighter tension for more gathers
Flat fabric on bottom, face up, with fabric to gather on top, face down
For muslin on Brother machine: Tension 6.5 Stitch Length 3
Sew gathers then attach strips via overlock machine.

ALL DONE!
Tucking tricks: Tribe Nawaar

Shibori experiment

 Can't remember what version of Shibori this is, but here is what I did  I chose to do bomaki shibori for experiment 1:

11" circumference pvc pipe
11.75"x120" muslin fabric
10 grams Lilac Mist Fiber Reactive Dye (Dharma muck dye)
1T urea
2 cups water
Soda ash water (unmeasured amounts)

Fabric is wrapped and curing now. Current notes:

Reduce dye, water, and urea. Used 1c of water to 10g dye. Need 1/4 cup water and 2-3g dye.
Fabric scrunched from 120" to approx 12". Cut pipe into manageable lengths.

Aida Cloth Colors

I'm faced with a problem. I have cross stitch projects that I want to do that require colored aida cloth to really work right, and colored aida cloth is expensive.

Sure, I could dye it. I mean, I love to dye things. Check out these posts I did on the process!
Fiber-reactive dye
Acid dye
Dye Glossary

But it's cold out and aida is cotton, which means that it's a Fiber-reactive process and therefore full of odd chemicals that I don't like in my house. So I'm not doing that. I guess I could use Rit, but I just don't like the results I get from it (probably an error on my part somewhere in the process).

There is, however, another option!

Paint.

Yup. Acrylic paint and fabric medium.

Check it out here: http://craftykitsurou.com/paint-aida-cloth/

Mix the paint and the medium, paint it onto the aida, dry, heat set, and stitch!

I'm going to give it a try on one of Wild Violet's patterns when I get some time. You should check out their work on Gumroad! There are tons of super-cute patterns out there, and they are pay-what-you-want, and the charts are REALLY easy to read! I want to do Snow Much Fun and Bee by the Moon.

Dye Glossary

I like to dye fabric. A lot. It is a huge amount of fun. I've got a cart with all the chemicals and dye colors and a folder full of instructions and notes. But what if I lose the notes? What if I need them when I'm not at home? Well... here they are.

Glossary

Odd Terms Used in Dying

Calsolene Oil: Caustic, used in Fiber Reactive process. Breaks the surface tension of the water to allow for a more even dye.

Citric Acid: Used in Acid process. Helps acid dyes exhaust and fix to the fabric

Dye, Acid: Used on protein fibers such as silk and wool. Usually obtained in a powdered format.

Dye, Fiber Reactive: Used on natural fibers such as cotton and linen. Usually obtained in a powdered format.

Dye Vat: A container used for dying. Should allow enough room for fabric to flow freely during the dye process.

Exhaust: Acid dying event. The dye adheres to the fibers of the fabric during the dye process and the water becomes clear.

Paste: The first step to dissolving dye powder. Add a small amount of water to the powder to moisten all of it before adding enough water to dissolve. Prevents clumps of undissolved dye.

Pre-wash: Fabrics to be dyed should be washed in hot water with textile detergent to remove oils and residues that would prevent dye from adhering to the fibers.

Salt, dyer’s: Used in Fiber Reactive process. Ground to a powder for effortless dissolving. Salt in the dye bath reduces the electronegativity of the fabric and the dye and allows the dye to attach to the fibers more readily. Iodized, non-iodized, and pickling salt are all acceptable forms of salt for dying. Sea salt not recommended due to extra minerals.

Salt, Glauber’s: Used in Fiber Reactive process. For colors marked T (color mix includes turquoise) on the color chart, use Glauber’s salt in place of Dyer’s salt.

Scouring (wool): The removal of grease, oils, and dirt from wool fibers. Accomplished by soaking wool in warm, soapy water for several hours and then rinsing.

Shock/Felt (wool): The process of agitating and adjusting the temperature of wool too quickly, causing the wool fibers to react on a microscopic level to create a dense mat of fiber.

Soda Ash: Caustic, used in Fiber Reactive process. Fixes (makes permanent) the dye on the fabric.

Textile Detergent: Used in pre-wash to remove oils, fingerprints, and residues that would cause a splotchy dye job. Used after dying to wash out excess dye molecules that did not bind with the fibers of the fabric. Textile detergent does not contain added fragrances or softeners, which would interfere with the dye process.

Urea: A moisture drawing agent used to help fabric retain moisture during the curing process. Also used as a dissolving agent for pasting dye.

Vinegar: See Citric Acid

Dye Instructions - Acid Dye

I like to dye fabric. A lot. It is a huge amount of fun. I've got a cart with all the chemicals and dye colors and a folder full of instructions and notes. But what if I lose the notes? What if I need them when I'm not at home? Well... here they are.

Acid Dye Process

Silk, Wool*, and Nylon

1.      Pre-wash fabric in hot water with textile detergent.

™ ¼ cup detergent per load.

™ Some wools will require scouring.

2.      Fill the dye vat with warm water – 150 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (F).

™ Silk chiffons do not take much space, and the “vat” can be a pot on the stove.

™ Do not dye more than 3.5 pounds of raw silk at once.

3.      Soak the fabric in water.

4.      Dissolve the dye in hot water.

™ Water should be at least 180 degrees F. May be boiling.

™ Use a small amount of water to wet the powder first, then add more water until dye is dissolved.

5.      Add the dissolved dye to the dye vat and stir.

6.      Add the fabric to the dye vat and stir frequently for 3-7 minutes.

7.      Raise the temperature.

™ 186 degrees F for silk.

™ 200 degrees F for wool – do not boil!

8.      Add vinegar OR dissolved citric acid to the dye bath.

™ Move the fabric to the side, pour in the vinegar/citric acid, stir the water, and then stir in the fabric.

9.      Maintain temperature and stir frequently for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dye is exhausted.

™ The longer the fabric is in the vat, the deeper the colors.

™ If the dye is not exhausting, add more vinegar/citric acid, or a little salt.

10. Rinse in cool water until it runs almost clear.

11. Wash the fabric in cold or warm water with ¼ cup of textile detergent.

™ Never wash acid-dyed fabric in hot water as it will cause the colors to fade rapidly.

* Wool can shock and felt with abrupt temperature changes. If dying wool, gradually heat and cool the dye bath, and stir gently.

How Much Do I Use Per 1 pound of Dry Fabric?
Dye	1.5-2% of the weight of the fabric*
Citric Acid	1 TBSP
Vinegar	¼ cup

*Not an accurate method, but used by Dharma Trading Company. Less dye for lighter colors, more dye for darker colors. For Navy and Black, use 4% of the fabric weight.

Dye Instructions - Fiber Reactive

I like to dye fabric. A lot. It is a huge amount of fun. I've got a cart with all the chemicals and dye colors and a folder full of instructions and notes. But what if I lose the notes? What if I need them when I'm not at home? Well... here they are.

Fiber Reactive Dye Process

Cotton, Linen, and Rayon

1.      Pre-wash fabric in hot water with textile detergent.

™ ¼ cup detergent per load.

2.      Fill the dye vat with warm water.

™ I use a turkey fryer to warm the water while it is in the vat.

3.      Soak the fabric in water.

™ Combine with step 2 to get enough water and soak the fabric. Remove fabric from vat before step 4.

4.      Dissolve the dye in warm (not boiling) water.

™ Use a small amount of water to wet the powder first, then gradually add more water until dye is dissolved.

™ Some colors can be hard to dissolve (especially reds). Use warm water with 1 TBSP urea dissolved in it to paste these colors.

5.      Add the dissolved dye to the dye vat and stir.

6.      Add the required amount of salt to the vat and stir to dissolve.

7.      Add calsolene oil.

8.      Add wet fabric.

9.      Stir gently but frequently for 20 minutes.

10. Dissolve soda ash in warm water.

™ Best done gradually – a little soda ash, a little warm water, a little more ash, etc. The hotter the water the better.

11. Gradually add the soda ash water to the vat.

™ This should take about 15 minutes.

™ DO NOT POUR DIRECTLY ONTO FABRIC! Move the fabric to the side, pour in some of the ash-water, stir the water, and then stir in the fabric. Repeat as needed.

12. Stir frequently for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

™ The longer the fabric is in the vat, the deeper the colors.

13. Rinse fabric in cool water until it runs almost clear, or run through 2-3 rinse cycles in the washing machine.

14. Wash fabric in hot water with textile detergent.

™ For darker colors like black or red, a second wash may be necessary.

How Much Do I Use Per 1 pound of Dry Fabric?
Dye	See Dye Yields chart***
Salt	3 cups
Calsolene Oil	2 tsp
Soda Ash	1/3 cup

*** Chart on Dharma Trading Company website: https://www.dharmatrading.com/techniques/fiber-reactive-dye-yields-estimator-tool.html