I recently dyed sixty feet and five feet of lace (along with probably 10 yards of fabric) to match each other, so I can pass along some things I learned from that if you like?
I have a few questions though.
What exactly kind of dye (brand included) are you using? How are you going to dye your lace (vat, pot on the stove, washing machine, etc)? How much lace do you have to dye? That is emphasized because you don't want to know how many times I had to untangle sixty feet of lace that had feasted on the soul of my washing machine to transform into an unholy labyrinthine ouroboros
( ... )
A question on the untangling thing - did you tie the lace into a skein/hank or anything before you dyed it? I've never dyed lace before, so maybe it behaves differently, but I have dyed tons of yarn, and that would also be an absolute nightmare if it wasn't tied into a skein...
No, I did not. I did try to...uh...arrange the lace in the washing machine to prevent tangling. To be honest I was afraid that if I tied it into a neat bundle it wouldn't take the dye as evenly because it was a very wide embroidered cotton lace. If I ever do that again, I'll have to test it out and see how it goes.
The trick with tying yarn skeins for dyeing is to tie them in multiple places, loosely, rather than really securely in just one place or two, which I would think you'd be able to do even with really wide lace ... You'd just need to use really long ties, I guess? ;)
Alternately, I guess it might be possible to paint the dye directly onto the lace before setting it. It seems like most dye is heat-set, so theoretically you could paint the dye on to make sure it's even, wrap the lace in plastic wrap, and steam it for a while to set the color, then rinse carefully afterward. That might eliminate most tangling even without tying the lace up ... [Edited to add: Oh, or you could just soak the lace in the dye bath for a while with no agitation rather than painting it, and then do the plastic wrap, heat-set, and rinse. Doh. I don't know that the painting is really useful if you're dyeing something a solid color.]
Am I getting crazy yet with my weird yarn-inspired dyeing ideas? Hahaha. Now I kind of want to try this.
Lavender is going to be tricky because dye companies don't make strait purple. They mix red and blue, which both absorb at different rates. Its at least a big deal when dyeing wool, IDK how much it matters with cotton or polyester, but its something to keep in mind.
Just be really sparse on the dye (use even less than you think you should) and only let it sit in the dye bath for a really short period of time (<5 minutes). You can always dunk it back in if its too light.
Thnakyou ever so much for your advice after reading the replies to this thread, I think my naievty definitely got the better of me. I've dyed t-shirts before and it was fairly painless with great results. But sounds like a minefield I'm bound to screw up! haha
And also that's interesting to know about lavender, It would explain a rather bizarre purple dyed shirt I attempted haha.
If your accessories are made from cotton, linen, or another plant based material, I'd suggest using Pro MX reactive dyes! It's my favorite kind of dye to use. It's easy to use even if you're a beginner and the color always comes out very even. If you can't find the exact color you want, you can always mix your own from the existing powders. Since anything dyed with MX dries like 10 shades lighter than what you dyed it, it's very easy to get light shades and pastels.
The only drawbacks are that you'll also need to buy soda ash (it's what activates the dye) and Synthrapol (soap to remove any coating on the fabric that could prevent the dye from completely soaking through).
Comments 17
I have a few questions though.
What exactly kind of dye (brand included) are you using? How are you going to dye your lace (vat, pot on the stove, washing machine, etc)? How much lace do you have to dye? That is emphasized because you don't want to know how many times I had to untangle sixty feet of lace that had feasted on the soul of my washing machine to transform into an unholy labyrinthine ouroboros ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Alternately, I guess it might be possible to paint the dye directly onto the lace before setting it. It seems like most dye is heat-set, so theoretically you could paint the dye on to make sure it's even, wrap the lace in plastic wrap, and steam it for a while to set the color, then rinse carefully afterward. That might eliminate most tangling even without tying the lace up ... [Edited to add: Oh, or you could just soak the lace in the dye bath for a while with no agitation rather than painting it, and then do the plastic wrap, heat-set, and rinse. Doh. I don't know that the painting is really useful if you're dyeing something a solid color.]
Am I getting crazy yet with my weird yarn-inspired dyeing ideas? Hahaha. Now I kind of want to try this.
Reply
Just be really sparse on the dye (use even less than you think you should) and only let it sit in the dye bath for a really short period of time (<5 minutes). You can always dunk it back in if its too light.
Reply
Thnakyou ever so much for your advice after reading the replies to this thread, I think my naievty definitely got the better of me. I've dyed t-shirts before and it was fairly painless with great results. But sounds like a minefield I'm bound to screw up! haha
And also that's interesting to know about lavender, It would explain a rather bizarre purple dyed shirt I attempted haha.
Thank you ever so much for your advice and help.
Reply
The only drawbacks are that you'll also need to buy soda ash (it's what activates the dye) and Synthrapol (soap to remove any coating on the fabric that could prevent the dye from completely soaking through).
You can take a look at everything here http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/home.php?cat=388
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me! :)
Reply
Thank you I haven't heard of this brand before but looking at the colours I'm already a fan thank you for the link, its much appreciated.
Thanks
Reply
Leave a comment