Thursday, January 13, 2011

Snow Dyeing - Day 3 The Experiments Continue

Day 3....the screen test. Okay it is more like the lack of screen in this experiment.  I needed a backing for my Jelly roll quilt  and I snow dyed this piece the same color that I used in the sashing of the quilt.  But this time I tried just putting the fabric in a bucket with no screen to see what happens. Here it is a few hours into the melting.


And the result is the same great texture as with the screen...



So why use the screens if it give the same texture as without? That led me to my next set of experiments.

I wanted to snow dye two pieces of fabric the same color with the only variable being the screen/ no screen to truly see if there is a difference.  I went through my hand dyed samples and picked this color to try.


Snow dyed one fabric in the bucket and the second one on the screen.
  
 
The results where quite different. The fabric on the left is the no screen has a darker intensity and has what I texture similar to Immersion Dyeing.  The fabric on the right is with the screen and has the softer texture and more muted colors that have separated more.  So it basically comes down to the look you want.  I like both but find the screen dyed one more pleasing to they eye and I would likely pick that one to put in a quilt over the more intense one. But that is just me :)
Hope you enjoyed my experiments but now I hear my longarm calling...



6 comments:

  1. I must say.....this has been so enjoyable to read! I love the idea of taking an idea and running with it. You have been busy but I'm sure this will only benefit your quilting adventures and add to your creations. Thanks for sharing this great story. I'm sure your clients will understand any little delays. It's all in the name of quilting! -or should I say intrigue?
    Have Fun! :)

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  2. Kathy - great experiment! It's nice to see how the 2 different methods compare. You've been a very busy bee!

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  3. Great fun, wonderful results. You have been having some great times. You are paving the way for all those up and coming dyers. A

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  4. Hey Kathy,
    I can't wait until I can try dying fabric! You really have a knack for it!

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  5. I wish I had more time in my day to be able to try this. Thank you for all of the great pictures. It is snowing right now in Iowa and it makes me want to dye some fabric.

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  6. I just did my first snow dyeing this past weekend. Tried some w/ a rack and some just in a tub. One benefit of using a rack, is you then have space to put a piece of fabric in the bottom of your tub to catch the leftover dye from above. That worked slick and that fabric was much darker than the fabric from above. I got some neat patterns. Some pieces I plan to overdye or paint over. This is for sure a technique I'll do more of next winter.

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