Fabric Dyeing and a Giveaway!

I spent the morning at my monthly ASG meeting, where I presented the program for the day on fabric dyeing.  I’ve been experimenting with this craft for a number of years now and always find it a rewarding, if not always predictable, art form.  Here are a few of the points I made at today’s meeting:

• What I have learned about dyeing fabric is that it is not an exact science – you can use a number of methods and the results are similar.  Do not get too hung up on getting everything precise.  Instead, experiment, develop your own methods and style and keep good records. 
• I buy all of my dyes (and other dyeing supplies) from Dharma Trading Company.  They have excellent prices, great service and will provide help when needed.  Their catalog and website are full of instructions.
• Koolaid is a fun and safe way to dye wool and silk.  knitty has a great tutorial with complete instructions for stovetop or microwave method along with a sample of the different colors of koolaid.    Another great chart of colors can be found here.  You will know when the dyeing process is finished because all of the color from the koolaid will be taken up by the fiber and the remaining water will be crystal clear.
• I-Dye by Jacquard is a relatively new dye that comes in premeasured, dissolvable packets which you toss into the washing machine.   There are two types available:  one for natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon); other for synthetics (poly and nylon).  The main thing I learned from experimenting with this dye is not to open the washer while it is running.  I now have a shirt spontaneously dyed the same color as the dye I was using.
• When mixing dye powder into liquid form, always add the liquid to the powder and not the powder to the liquid.
• For those concerned with the toxicity of dyes, two new companies have come on the market with dyes produced without toxic mordents.  Greener Shades has come out with an acid dye, available in 9 colors, to dye silk, wool and nylon.  The colors are set by a soak in a vinegar bath followed by ironing with a hot iron.  The other product, ColorHue, is hard to track down.  After an extensive internet search (and lots of broken links) I finally found the product at Ginny Eckley’s site, Art Threads.  Information about the dyes are also not readily available but the literature claims that this is a highly concentrated cold water dye for use on silk, linen, wool and rayon.  They are no-rinse, instant-set dyes, available in ten colors.  Nothing else is required except water.
• Fiber reactive dyes are still my favorite.   I have had great luck dyeing cotton fabrics and recently have been experimenting with dyeing silks.  The silk results are rich and beautiful but can be unexpected and unpredictable; that is OK for the applications I am using them for.  Also, I can’t speak to the colorfastness on the silk as I am using them mostly for leaves and other floral bits in some of the handmade flowers I make (hence, no washing).

To celebrate hand dyed fabrics and share a bit of the love I am giving away a set of 12 pieces of hand dyed 100% cotton fabric, 4” x 6” in size (pictured above), just right for small crafting projects, like fabric postcards and artist trading cards or scrapbooking.  All 12 of these colors were dyed using only three primary colors.  Here is a fantastic site where you can find information on mixing dozens of colors from only a few basic dye powders.  Wow. 

Leave a comment on this post before Monday morning (February 21^st, 6 a.m. EST) and I will select one name as the winner.

Now go get your hands dirty.

Little Blue Dress

One of the projects I worked on at my recent sewing retreat was a princess line "fit and flare" dress from a heavy weight cotton/lycra knit.  I made this pattern many years ago (probably 20!) and I found that I got more attention when I wore that dress than any other garment I have ever made.  I decided to resurrect the pattern and make it again.  My goal was to make a winter dress I could wear to church and that was easy to put on and wear.  What I have come to realize about my wardrobe and my sewing is this:

• I have a lot of summer dresses but almost no winter ones.

• The few winter dresses I have are too dressy for every day wear.

I knew this dress fit 20 years ago but I was a little nervous cutting out the fabric without a few measurement checks and alterations.  I added some width across my tummy (which ain’t what it used to be) but one real advantage to sewing a princess line garment is all of the seams and their possibility for fit.  One design change I made from the original was to omit the center front seam and cut the panel on the fold.  I lost a little flare in the skirt by doing this but the skirt is full enough that it isn’t missed.  I basted the dress together before serging all of the seams and tried it on for fit.  Despite that preparatory fitting, I was nervous when I sat down to serge the seams and I sewed each seam a scant smaller than my basting.  In the end, I was sorry I did as the dress is a little large, at least above the waist. 

One other concern that I had was that the dress would be boring.  I felt it needed a little something to add some interest.  My friend Kathy suggested using tone on tone embroidery.  I auditioned a number of designs before I came up with the one I finally chose.  This large, open floral is a Pfaff design, digitized for the Grand Hoop.  The actual embroidery design was much more complex with several other colors and a small all-over floral design but I chose to only stitch one of the color stops and to leave the flower centers off.  I lean toward tone on tone, subtle, low density designs and this one perfectly fit the look I was after.  I stitched one sleeve and the opposite skirt panel before constructing the dress. 

When I left for the retreat I wasn’t sure what I was going to put in the center of the flowers.  I had a collection of unmatched purple buttons but also entertained the idea of some tiny fabric yoyos.  What I ended up with were some glass pearl beads that I bought at the bead shop in Winchester while at the retreat.  I hand sewed the beads on after I had finished the dress.

I used self binding around the neckline and stitched the hems with a double needle and the same rayon thread I used to stitch the embroidery.  I also omitted the zipper at the center back and next time will probably also cut the center back seam on the fold, losing a bit more of the flare in the skirt.

I am really pleased with the way this came out and like wearing it with my black, knee-high boots.  It pushes the limit of casual vs. dressy with the addition of the pearls but I don’t feel over dressed wearing it.  I am happy to have a new addition to my closet.

The Cassandra Skirt

The sewing world lost a wonderfully talented designer and teacher in September of this year.  Fred Bloebaum, who was familiar to so many for the classes she taught and the patterns she created, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  The Cassandra Skirt by LaFred is a lovely and unique pattern.  I first saw the skirt made up at the local sewing Expo several years ago and loved its simplicity and drape.  Another sewing friend and American Sewing Guild member told me about the skirt she made from this pattern.  She said that people would stop her on the street and in airports to ask about it. 

The description on the pattern envelope reads:  A fitted, flared mid-calf length skirt with separate center panel and side/back panel which wraps around and meets at center front with a decorative closure.  Skirt is cut on the bias at the center back with a slightly fish-tail shaped hem and an invisible zipper.  Suggested fabrics include those with drape and weight such as crepe (wool, silk or rayon), wool double knit or jersey and other drapey mid-weight fabrics.   Even though the pattern cautions against using synthetics that will not hold a crisp edge when pressed, I dug into my stash and found a piece of black mystery cloth, a fairly heavy-weight knit that pressed reasonably well.  The yardage requirement is fairly large for this skirt; there will be some large pieces left over (due to the single layer layout) so you may want to plan a matching garment from the remnants.

Fitting issues and finished length need to be resolved before construction, and the pattern gives tips on how to best accomplish these tasks.  I found the pattern easy to adjust for a waist that is two to three sizes smaller than the hip.  Since the side and back seams are straight lines it was easy to taper from the smaller size at the waist to a larger size at the hip.  The pattern includes sizes 6 through 26 (hip size 32.5 through 50).  I found the sizes ran a bit small; that is, I needed a size 14 for my hip measurement even though I tend to use a size 10 or 12 pattern when sewing from “the Big 4”.  This would be a great pattern for a thin teen as the smallest waist size is 23 inches.

The instructions are very good and very thorough.  There are two options for seam finishes (serging and turning under) as well as instructions for mitering corners, using tag board templates for pressing and installing an invisible zipper.  The inside of the skirt turns out beautifully finished as all of the corners are mitered (eight, in all).  One thing I particularly liked was that once the basic construction was completed the skirt was already hemmed and ready to wear.

The skirt is constructed in two units.  The first is the front panel which is essentially a rectangle.  All edges are turned under and the corners mitered.  The second unit consists of two panels joined together at the center back seam by an invisible zipper.  This seam line is flared which creates drape at the center back.  The front edges of this unit are straight and are turned under and the corners mitered.  The back section is lapped over the front panel and the two units are attached to one another at the side.  The back panels are then closed at center front with a decorative closure.

I recommend you try this pattern.  I think it would look lovely on a wide range of figure types, and the fitting involved is not too difficult.  The style is casually elegant and the drape figure-flattering.  And don’t be surprised if someone stops you on the street to ask, “Where did you get that wonderful skirt?”

Travel Savvy

I just returned yesterday from a few glorious days in Florida.  Having left 6 inches of snow on the ground and super cold temps, walking around without a coat in sunny, 70-degree weather seemed like the ultimate indulgence.  This was the first time either of my two boys had been on an airplane so I was interested in making our travel experience as easy as possible.  The weekend before our trip was spent at a sewing retreat where one of the participants showed us all how to make Studio Kat Designs' Aeropac.  This handy little pouch hangs around your neck and holds boarding passes and ID in a convenient-to-find spot.  I used some black and white fabrics to make my own, using the free pattern directions as a guideline and personalizing my own Aeropac the way I wanted.  It was a quick and easy project.

The plane ride was also a great opportunity to start knitting a hat for myself, since I knew it would only be a couple of days before I was back to the reality of cold weather.  I’ve got to hurry up and get that hat done so I can wear it before spring arrives (after all, Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring this morning).  I’ll post pics when I’m finished.

One World, One Heart 2011

Hello to everyone joining me today for One World, One Heart.  Welcome to my blog where I share all things creative and handmade.  Most are made from fabric and other fibers but I love working with my hands whether it be sewing, knitting, crafting, cooking or any other number of creative ventures.  Please stay a while, look through my archives, and sign up for my RSS feed.  I am looking forward to checking out your blog, too.

For my regular readers who are wondering what this is all about, beginning today I will be participating in a worldwide event for bloggers called One World, One Heart.  The idea behind the event is to encourage bloggers to get to know each other all around the world.  Participants are listed on the host’s site, and everyone is encouraged to see and experience each others’ blogs.  Along the way, each blogger offers a small “door prize” for those who visit and leave a comment. 

Because my key fobs were so popular, I am going to offer up one in your choice of color to say thanks for stopping by.  In order to be entered for this prize simply leave a comment on this post along with your blog URL (or another way to contact you should you win).  I will pick one name from all of the comments on February 17^th, email the winner and post the results on this blog.  This giveaway is open only to active bloggers (all of my regular non-blogging readers take heart:  I will be featuring two giveaways open to all in the next few weeks).

Again, welcome to all of my new readers, and I am really looking forward to getting to know some of you through your fabulous blogs.  And to everyone else, head on over to One World, One Heart to find a list of new-to-you blogs that will keep you busy clicking for many days.