Thread: Dyeing instructions for a total noob?

I want some silk veils for my troupe.

Definitely seems the cheapest way to go is to buy blanks from Dharma Trading Co and dye them ourselves. I think what I want should be fairly simple to do, but I've only done Rit dye baths and simple tie-dying before, and I know RIT isn't the way to go!

What I want is either bright lemon-yellow veils with a white edge at the bottom for all of us, Or white veils with a different color strip along the bottom of each veil. (we wear similar costumes in various jeweltones).

Here's what I mean by a white edge, but I'm picturing lemon yellow instead of Jes's gorgeous turquoise:


Advice? What kind of dye is simplest for a noob to get satisfying color? What technique do I use to get an attractive edge instead of a hard stop?

Or is there a place I can order these for our budget of under $30 each?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dharma Trading has a huge selection of dyes & supplies, and how to information...

DYES

Lauren, could you change the title to "dyeing" - not because I am malicious about spelling, but because the typo is likely to scare many of your Bhuz fans ;-)

Under $30 each? You might try ebay, but it's hard to get exactly the pattern you want.

Here's (in general) how I might do it:

1. I would create dye baths for the main color of the veil in a plastic bucket using a Procion MX dye and soda ash. (No heating/steaming required.) Instructions are here.

2. I would accordion-fold the veil and tie off the area I wished to keep white. Then I would get this good and damp. (That way the dye does not wick into the protected area.)

3. I would tie a plastic bag tightly over the area to be protected. Then I'd swoosh the free end in the dye bath as directed. (Swoosh -- that's a technical term.)

4. Rinse very very well, then remove bag and ties for final wash.

If you want to dye the white end after that a different color, refold and protect the other side.

The only drawback to this project is that it is time consuming. Get the whole troupe over to your garage and give 'em each a bucket. Good luck.

Vashti's advice is good.

But just for a second option, I use the Jacquard Acid Dyes. They set with white vinegar and heat. They have brilliant colors with real staying power, and I've found you can get a really smooth transition.

You will need a really big pot on your stove. Make sure you clean your dyeing area absolutely spotless. I also clean out the kitchen sink, so I can transfer the veils there for rinsing.

With the Acid dyes, you'd fill your big pot with water, mix your color and heat it up, stir a lot to break up any chunks. You want it hot, but you don't want it boiling while you dye, (it is too splashy). So if it boils, just turn it down a little before you put your fabric in. If you want it super smooth you can get a little Calsolene Oil to mix a few drops into your batch. Just before you dye, you want to put in the white vinegar.

I keep silk scraps to test the color before I dye, ideally the exact kind of silk your veils are made of, (I'll usually just buy the silk by the bolt, hemming isn't that big a deal, and sometimes I don't bother to hem at all, habotai doesn't unravel significantly) but I'm also mixing colors, you might just go with one color that you buy as is. I also iron the scraps dry so I can see the final color.

Wear clean heavy duty kitchen gloves and clothes you don't care about.

Then take all the troupes veils, (I like to do all at once so the color is really consistent - you can do quite a few at once if you have a big pot) accordion fold them loosely and then hold them all on one end dip the other end into the dye bath. (I sometimes attach the top end to a hanger that I stick on the cabinet door, so I can be more lazy). You have to remain active here, try and gently stir (be careful that it doesn't splash up to the white portion that you will be holding above the dye bath - protecting the top with a plastic bag is a good idea, but I rarely bother myself - I'm just careful) and separate the fabric to get the dye into all the crevices, you will also want to dip a little further, lift, dip further lift and so on to get the dye to graduate smoothly up. Don't let it sit in one place for any length of time unless you want lines and spiderwebs. Dying can take several minutes You can dip them in dry, but once wet, you want to watch edge where it goes from wet to dry, you can get a watermark line there if you aren't careful. I will often keep a spray bottle with clear water to spray that area to keep the transition smooth, or I wont keep it in the dye bath too long and when I transfer it to the sink I wet the top as well, so it doesn't have time to dry or water mark.

part II

Once you are done dyeing, keep in mind the color will look a lot darker wet than dry. Rinse being very careful to keep the white portion of the veil separated. I tend to keep a bowl that I stick the white end in so I can rinse it separately. When you rinse it is recommended to use a little synthrapol, but I find a tiny bit of dish soap or woolite is adequate, don't use too much, you need it rinsed out completely (soap can cause spots if not rinsed out). Start rinsing hot, then gradually cooler.

After you rinse, I'm going recommend soaking for a few minutes maybe 15- 20 or however long, in water and liquid fabric softener - ideally milosoft, but I think other fabric softeners could work.

Then final rinse until your water runs clear. Make sure your very last rinse is cold cold cold. It brings out the shine in the silk.

Wring it out, I then highly recommend throwing a clean towel that you don't mind getting a little dye on, on your ironing board and iron your veils dry on high heat. Make sure the iron is clean. I usually set up my ironing board right by the sink so the wet end of the veil is in the sink and the dry end towards me. - After a few veils the towel might get pretty wet. You can try flipping it over or getting a new towel, you can use the towel again after it is washed. Make sure you do not use a color contaminated towel or iron without cleaning it first (like don't iron that dark pink veil first and then iron the yellow on the same equipment).

Milosoft, Synthrapol, Calsolene Oil and the Acid Dyes are all available from Dharma. The white vinegar you can get from the supermarket.

The results you can get from my above method are outstanding, you will have the softest, shiniest, most brilliantly colored veils with the smoothest color and wrinkle free, but it is real work. Good luck.

Thank you thank you! So much good information!

Originally Posted by steffib

Lauren, could you change the title to "dyeing" - not because I am malicious about spelling, but because the typo is likely to scare many of your Bhuz fans ;-)

HA!!

My first thought was "My father told me something very similar: 'I haven't died before. I don't know how.'.". Of course, my worldview is that we all have, many times - but both he and I thought it was funny at the time...

Zombie thread alert! I stumbled on this thread when looking for something else, and it's timely as I just recently posted a blog on what occurred with my own very first attempt at dyeing something last week!

Here's my blog entry:

We Who Are About to Dye Salute You! A Blog by Shira

And here's a dyeing tips and tricks page on my web site:

Tips and Tricks for Dyeing Belly Dance Costume Items

Shira that's an excellent blog series /post !!

Yes it is a LOT of trial and error ..I adore dancers who can intricately sew on tiny beads and arrange fringe, and we have a symbiotic relationship because I will look at their beautiful beading and go dunk silk :)