More Dyeing and Irises

Since launching my online class, Icy Delights, I have been trying to catch up with what I wanted and needed to do and had put off while getting that class ready. Unfortunately, it has rained a lot so I’ve not got my mulching and weeding done. My goal is to have it completed by the end of the month. We’ll see.

First of all, it’s been so much fun in my class. Students are just starting to show their beautiful ice dyed pieces. Don’t forget, you can save $10 on the class until May 17. Be sure and use this link.

I did dye a few things this past week. Here is a rayon shirt that I ice dyed.

If you’ve not dyed much or haven’t dyed on fabric other than cotton, it’s quite a surprise. The first time I dyed silk I was pretty disappointed. The colors are more muted than on cotton. But also rayon, like the shirt above, is more muted than a  piece of cotton I dyed with the exact colors. So if you decide to dye, whether it is ice dyed or regular dyeing, just realize that there will be a difference. Once your expectations change you will love how the fiber reactive dyes look on these fabrics.

Here is an example of Dharma’s Mermaid’s Dream on cotton and the small silk tissue holder. You can see how muted the colors are on the silk. But they’re still beautiful.

And speaking of dyeing I had purchased some “Muck” dyes from Dharma Trading and wanted to see what they looked like. These are limited run colors and are pretty cheap. However, if you fall in love with the colors you won’t be able to replace them. I chose “Iced Berry” and “Life’s a Peach and Then You Dye” and tested them on some old hankies. I’m not sure I’d call that peach. I believe the middle hankie has a mix of cotton and poly since it dyed so light. Regardless, I like how they turned out, especially the top one. I love pulling colorful hankies out of my purse!

I’ve been wanting to play with these kids blocks I bought at the thrift store.

So I thickened up some dye.

And then used them as stamps. I’m not real excited about this piece, but it’s a start.

My other experiment with the thickened dyes didn’t turn out well enough to post. I’ve not given up on my idea, so I’m sure I’ll be sharing a better version soon.

Of course the iris count still goes on. Here are a few more from our gardens.

That’s all for today. Again, don’t forget about saving $10 on my Icy Delights class. Here is the link.

I hope you have a colorful day and as always, thanks for dropping by.