Let’s Explore… Procion tray dye fabrics and threads

Like all of our “Let’s Explore…” days, this is a day for us to play and learn from each other. No one person is “the teacher”.  The main idea is to have the opportunity to spend time with like-minded people doing the “arty textile things” we all enjoy!

Playing with Dye on Fabric and Threads

Come along and enjoy experimenting with some simple but exciting ideas of applying dye to fabric and thread. Dyes, salt, urea, soda ash are all provided.

This is a totally weather dependent day! For a lot of what we plan to do, we rely on being able to be outside. If the weather is awful, we will do some limited inside dyeing, but do bring some other textile based activities for those spare moments.

Wear old clothes and shoes, bring what you can from the list and bring your stitch or baskets, sketchbooks, lino to carve, or whatever, as there will be idling time along the way to sit, chat and stitch while the dye works its magic.

Avoid yardage or thickly woven fabrics please – we are working with experimenting. Limited sizes are more suitable today so there are enough prepared dyes for everyone.

Things to dye 

• Pieces of washed natural fabrics (no synthetics) white or pale colours, although commercially printed fabric with paler coloured backgrounds can be interesting -check out the op shops and deconstruct garments! You’ll never know until you try! What if….!

• White or pale natural fibre threads of various weights that you ultimately would like to use in your stitching.
• Natural fibres best for today include cotton, rayon, bamboo, viscose, tencel, linen, modal.

Useful things

• an old towel
• rubber gloves
• kitty litter trays or old ice cream containers
• a few glass jars, 300 – 500 ml size
• a few disposable cups
• scissors
• a few disposable spoons
• plastic bags or bucket for taking home wet, dyed fabric/thread
• pen and paper (some extra notes will be emailed to participants after the day)

• Do bring your lunch (although there are several food outlets nearby). Milk is provided but bring your own tea/coffee.
• $15 fee payable on the day (you can do a direct deposit if you don’t have cash).

Have you dyed your own fabrics or threads before? For this day to be a success, please bring along previous experiments or samples to share any experience you have.

Haven’t done this before? Come along with what you have to explore.  People are always generous and will help fill in the gaps of knowledge or materials.

Please note: non-members will need to join us to be covered by insurance.

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