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.