Wearable Art Study Group (Evening)

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Baggie Dyeing with Heidi Lund
September 24, 1999

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Past Newsletter Editor of PNNAG and current co-President of WASG Heidi Lund showed us how to complete a two-color dye run using gallon-size freezer baggies, following techniques given in the book "Hand-Dyed Fabric Made Easy" by Adriene Buffington.  (Note:  don't try this at home without the proper safety precautions...keep the powdered dye under control and wear a respirator.)  After the meeting, Heidi wrote this report for the PNNAG newsletter:

We just wanted to do a report out on the evening Wearable Art Study Group. Our main goal for this year is to concentrate on creative techniques and on our own individual growth. We decided that our first meetings of the year would include creating some of our own fabrics. Throughout the year our group will be focusing on different techniques from dyeing, painting, beading, buttons, belts and maybe even shoes. We expect to have some wonderful items to model for you at the May 2000 General Meeting.

On Friday evening September 24th, we gathered in the PNNAG office to "dye" our little hearts out. There were 14 women who participated in the "baggie - dyeing" session. We used as a reference to the technique, a book from Adriene Buffington called "Hand Dyed Fabrics Made Easy". We chose to work with a two color dye run. There were mixes from turquoise to fuchsia, emerald green to yellow and even colors of deep purple, fire red and teal blue.

The office was covered in sea of plastic and tarps, from the floors to the tables to even some of the chairs. Each person had a work station (we even squeezed in a couple extra). A salt and soda ash solution was made up and distributed to gallon size freezer baggies in wash tubs. Then procion powdered dyes were carefully mixed with warm water and strategically added to each baggie. Then each person added their half yard pieces of damp cotton fabric. We then zipped the bags closed and everyone "squished" dye & fabric to their hearts content.

Homework for the following day was assigned. Everyone was to "rinse, rinse, rinse" all the dye out of their fabrics and then wash in hot water and synthrapol soap and dry in the dryer as normal. Some people decided on a secondary wash where they were to use hot water and vinegar as a "just in case-set the dye" method.

Everyone who participated will be bringing their hand dyed fabric to the October meeting so we can all see the results. We invite you to pop in and check out the wonderful colors! There is not one that will be exactly the same though some people used the same color combination, there will be drastic differences depending on amount of dye, water rinsed with, amount of baggie squishing, and hard/soft water used to wash and rinse at home.

 

Measuring the dye	Massaging the bags

Results

Turquoise to Fuschia (far left piece received all the leftover dye)

Far left piece is an overdyed black-on-white print

The two pieces on the far left are overdyed white-on-white prints

More examples of overdyeing

Note the silk seersucker on the right

Yellow to Green

Yellow to Black

Effects of tying string around the wet fabric before adding dye

Left stack began with gray fabric; right stack was white