How to Dye With Dignity!

[SquirrelHead]

Tamara, can you "paint" the dye on the cloth to create a design? Have you ever tried something like that?

[theCryptofishist]

I just (last night) rejuvenated a tee-shirt that had had some sort of mysterious "bleaching" incident with black sharpie and rubbing alcohol. I hope the hot water I poured on it is enough of a mordant to set it. But, it was fun, and the technique does produce some lovely wash effects.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Sounds cool. I've lost a lot of clothes to mysterious bleaching incidents. I also have a number of clothes with mysterious grease stains. I should play...

[tamarakay]

SquirrelHead, yes you can. Each dye I've tried behaves differently. But there is a product that you can paint on the fabric that stops the dye from running. Not a resist per se, but runstop or something like that. I'll find a link to it and send it to you pm.

I bought a small jug of it but haven't played with it yet.

The setacolor and the dyenaflow ran like crazy, the colorhue not as bad, but you have to be very very careful with how much you load on your brush. Fabric really grabs dye.

[inthecolumbiagorge]

Oh Tamara...look what you inspired me to do! My first ever tiedye:-) Thanks so much for all the lovely instructions! Sending our whole camps positive energy that you somehow get to make it to the playa this year!

[tamarakay]

That is the most beautiful scarf! You have absolutely made my heart bigger. Thank you so much!

Be careful though, it's very addicting this dyeing business.

[inthecolumbiagorge]

Seriously I never would have attempted it without your directions in your blog:-) I can see how it could get seriously addicting and now I want to tiedye everything!!!

[tamarakay]

Good news good news good news! My new manager told me to resubmit my leave request and this time it would be approved. That we would work something out! I just have to fly home Monday instead of driving home with Ken, but I get the two weeks before labor day off! So I can ride with Ken, which is really my favorite part, and I get to actually go to the camp I am founding in our founding year! Woot!

It was looking a little bleak there for a while, but things are starting to look better. WWeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[lucky420]

ahh such good news! Now breathe and enjoy your happy feeling.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Now breathe and enjoy your happy feeling.

I thought I read "...enjoy your happy ending."


(Congrats, TK, it's wonderful news!)

[inthecolumbiagorge]

Such good news Tamarakay! Could not be happier for you and your camp and we will be sure to come in all our tiedye glory to check out your camp:-)

[tamarakay]

So, is it normal for a first time camp person to get all teary eyed when they see their camp in the Event Guide for this first time?

[lucky420]

not at all

[Sham]

So, is it normal for a first time camp person to get all teary eyed when they see their camp in the Event Guide for this first time?

....only if they misspelled the word "dye" and put "die"!

[theCryptofishist]

Most newby camp creators don't have to go through the particular journey you've been through. But it's work, a camp, and I don't think many are unmoved when they hit a significant milestone and go "Yes, I will be there"!

[Elorrum]

P.j.s and s'mores still on for Wed. Night?

[tamarakay]

E - I think so. PJ's s'mores, fondue, and then some art walking?

[theCryptofishist]

There will be no art walking from me!

[FIGJAM]

Art trundeling?

[Elorrum]

art walking towards you?

[SquirrelHead]

I will be breaking out the dye this weekend to make my privacy sheet for the back of the box truck I am camping in. Wish me luck, I will need it.

[lucky420]

Good Luck Squirrelhead. I'm going to try my first go round with tye-dye this weekend too.

[tamarakay]

I'm sewing a pink/gold/cream paisley/flowery coat jacket thing for my sparkle stallion Ken. I'd rather trade jobs with you guys.

[junglesmacks]

Points for "sparkle stallion"..

[catinthefunnyhat]

I'm sewing a pink/gold/cream paisley/flowery coat jacket thing for my sparkle stallion Ken. I'd rather trade jobs with you guys.

Sigh...
*wishes her stallion were a bit more willing to sparkle*

[tamarakay]

Oh cat, there are some pictures floating around on here somewhere with ken in all his sparkle stallion glory lol. He's the most conservative, blend into the background person in default world, but out there, he wants to sparkle.

[SquirrelHead]

Today I learned that the dye craft is a cruel mistress to those that don't read the fine print. I learned a LOT about what not to do but I am not better prepared to start again. Tomorrow I will go out and buy more dye and find fabric that is NOT polyester. The dye did not get along with it at all and ended up pretty much washing out of it completely. I went back and read the bottle again and saw the part about not using polyester. Le sigh...... I did learn though so that is good. I am changing my technique so the next dye job should come out much better. Live and learn.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Yeah, polyester requires special dyes. I had some polyester things that I wanted to dye, so I poked around a bit on the internet.... it turns out the only way is to use something called "dispersion dye" which uses a very toxic carrier chemical, then another toxic chemical to "fix" it. It requires you to maintain 3 vats of boiling water/chemicals and move the fabric around among them. Lots of the websites I saw about how to dye polyester begin the instructions with a very stern "You should NOT try this at home..."

Of course, if you want to keep costume-making for burning man potentially fatal...

[theCryptofishist]

I believe that polyester thread is actually "dyed" as it is created. Or, maybe it;s clearer to say, polyester thread is created the color it is as it is created.

Naw, that wasn't very clear at all...

Fabric paint?


Edited to add: If you're going to be near fire, you want to be wearing leather or natural fibers anyway. Of course, being close to fire isn't mandatory.

[SquirrelHead]

Being close to fire isn't mandatory but it's fun.

No fear, I am restocked with more dye and I found a set of white king size sheets and a white outer shower curtain at a yard sale yesterday. Cheap and exactly what I needed. I am going to take the elastic out of the fitted sheet and make it flat so I can use them both.