I dyed fabric all day yesterday, and this morning I started, bright and early, doing it again. I end up taking some good long breaks to rest my feet, which usually drags the day out a little. This is our garage where most of the dyeing process happens. I need three tables to dye comfortably: one to hold "stuff", another clean space to manipulate and fold my fabric, and a third for a workspace.
I started making my dye solution (fabric, not hair) in 1/2 cup increments to avoid waste. Whatever full-strength dye is leftover must be refrigerated in a non-food storage area, so the less I have leftover, the better.
Once the fabric is in the dye, I carry it to the laundry room to sit for some hours before rinsing out the dye. The fabric almost always looks better wet and I try to avoid being disappointed in the finished product (after it's rinsed and dried). Of course, it will look fine, but it won't have the depth of color that the wet fabric has.
The fabric comes out of the dryer a little damp, and if I don't have time to press it right away, I put a sheet over the couch and lay out the fabric pieces to make them flat. They came out of the dryer at 11:30 last night and I was too pooped to stand at the ironing board to press them.
These fabrics are being dyed for my sales booth at the Cotton Patch Quilt Show which is being held in Watkinsville, GA (just south of Athens) March 6-8, 2009.
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