snow dyeing, lots of images

[ptarmic wumpus]

I decided to try out snow dyeing since March is our snowiest month here.  It is a form of low water immersion dyeing that gives more washed patterns than you get when lwi dyeing in, say, jars.

This is the best result, on a bamboo knit, using dark brown, green, light blue, and peach.


Method:

1. Get snow. My Big Pot held enough snow for a few pieces of fabric.


2. Soak fabrics in a soda soak, as with tie dye (water and soda ash solution). Squeeze out excess solution.  Place fabrics in a bin, tray, or something else that can be drained - I used my bathtub with a piece of screen.  Fold/scrunch the fabric to form hills.


3. Cover the fabric with a few inches of snow all over.


4. Mix several dye colors in separate containers. I used about a cup of each color - these are procion fiber reactive dyes.


5. Thickly drizzle the dye solution over the snow.


6. Add the other dye colors too.


7. Leave it to sit for a few hours, until the snow melts. I got better results with a batch where I let it sit for about 4-5 hours, and not so great results with a batch that was left overnight - the colors blended too much.

When the snow is melted, the dye will have sunk into the fabric.


The short batch, cotton broadcloth in green and purple.


Short batch, red, grey, and purple on cotton broadcloth


Two pieces of light cotton from the overnight batch.


And then some cotton from a year later:

[ElizabethsMom]

Those turned out really nice! Too bad it has never snowed in my city so not too sure I could pull that one off.

[pinokeeo]

Great process!  Makes me wish it snowed here, just so I could try this.

I like your short process much better than the overnight method.

[attackofthequacks]

That is an awesome way of dyeing fabric and the results are gorgeous!
Shame it never snows where I live

[fluffybaka]

Those are beautiful!  They make me really wish I lived somewhere it snows.

[ScrappySue]

awesome!
not something I will be able to try any time soon, lol, never get sn0w, but maybe some ice from the freezer....
regards
S

[Stars_Fire_17]

Ooo how fun

[Zelda.Suicide]

Sooooo neat!
I love how the fabrics all turned out!

[AsphaltQueen]

Those turned out awesome, ptarmic - nice work!

[kjlutz]

Your fabric turned out beautifully, and you made a great tutorial.

Too bad all our snow is melted here, or I'd try it.  

[Belladune]

thats a really neat process.  To bad all the snowhere has melted... which is super strange, but happened none the less... I'll have to give this a go next winter.. I have old wash tubs perfect for this!

[imxriotxhere]

I think our snow is gone for the year (am really hoping for that at least) but I definitely bookmarked this for next year!!

[kiwiblue]

Thats Awesome I love that effect !  Can I dye velvet like this ?

[ragingpie]

That is really cool!  I always think of tie-dyeing as a warm weather thing (I like to do mine out on the lawn in case I make a mess!) but I'll have to give this a try next winter.  My dad always wants new dyed shirts!

[underthemountain]

Beautiful work Ptarmic.  I really love the way the colors melt into each other.  Lovely!!

[cupcake87]

  this is awesome!! I live in Iowa and i wish i would have known about this when we were having our record snow fall this winter 

[Staar84]

I love the way that turned out! I clicked on it hoping you had a tutorial (thank you, by the way) and as soon as I read "March is our snowiest month" I thought, "huh, I wonder if she's in Colorado?"  I'm in Fort Collins, So I may have time to try this this year

[Abbeeroad]

Awesome!!  & thanks for the step by step...

Never thought I'd miss upstate NY snow so much (actually I did & I do)...

[ptarmic wumpus]

Thats Awesome I love that effect !  Can I dye velvet like this ?

This will work with things that take cold process dyes (like procion, not like acid dyes or anything that uses a hot bath).  I have heard that you can do similar things with crushed ice if snow is not available.

We are having more snow tonight, so I may try a few more things tomorrow. Staar84, yes, I am fifty miles south of you in Boulder.

[underthemountain]

I had a question...do you think you could do this with shaved ice?  Just thinking...so you wouldn't have to wait for the snow.

[JillHogan]

This is great!
I sometimes feel kind of silly wanting to tie dye in the winter, but this is a great excuse!

[happyface:)]

This is so cool! It sucks that I live in Texas where it doesn't snow.
I never thought that I'd be wishing for snow. I hate snow and cold. lol
But this is really cool. There are so many things that would look really cool with that fabric.

[happyface:)]

This is so cool! It sucks that I live in Texas where it doesn't snow.
I never thought that I'd be wishing for snow. I hate snow and cold. lol
But this is really cool. There are so many things that would look really cool with that fabric.

I jinxed myself by saying this. It "snowed" today in Texas. Sure it was a pathetic excuse for snow and it didn't stick to the ground for long but it did snow.
Also, even if I had the dye and the fabric to do this I still couldn't because we didn't get much snow. But still, Texas's lame attempt at snow today made it really cold outside and that makes me mad. lol

[serendipitychild]

This is such a fun idea!  Makes the snow useful, I hope it snows again the the UK so I can have a go at this.

[jungrrl]

Congrats!!

You're a Craftster Best of 2010 Winner!



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[Belladune]

firstly gratz on making the Best of 2010!
Secondly.  We have oh..... 2.5 feet of snow (or more) and I  must do this.  Now just to shovel out and get to walmart for some tie dye kits

[Retro_Rose]

ZOMG!!! That's so cool! I might actually try this sometime, and I don't normally dye things!!