I have been dyeing wool for years but am new to dyeing cotton. But I use cotton scrim in my nuno felted scarves. I have purchased hand dyed cotton on Etsy before but since the scarves were a hit at the fairs last year I have to up my productivity. It only makes sense to do my own dyeing and keep up with my philosophy of making as much of my products as I can.
Unfortunately or fortunately there are different dyes and processes for wool versus cotton. I looked for many ways to avoid having to learn something new but came to the conclusion I would just have to dive in and take a crash course on my own. I ordered a procion dye kit from Dharma Trading Co. in San Rafael. I was intimidated by the gloves, mask and what seemed like very complicated directions.
I took the plunge though and each time I do a new batch it gets easier and more familiar- like most things in life. I was rewarded by the gorgeous shades that came to be on my yards and yards of the loosely woven material. It is almost addictive at this point.
Since I am not using a precise recipe or scale I just eyeball all the ingredients and each batch is one of a kind and unique. However that means it is also hard to reproduce. I however enjoy that part of the dyeing process. It keeps the art and wonder in there since it’s always a slight mystery of what color will remain.
