So I wanted to try me hand at kool aid dying, I went out and bought like 40 packs of a variety of colors. I have a nice stash of white natural undyed cotton and wanted to dye it. So Im going thru the motions, lovin it I might add. As I am cooking them, they are looking beautiful and such vibrant colors! Then I rinse, and all the color washes out. So, I get online to see what is going on, and learn that kool aid is for animal and protien fibers, cotton is a plant. So, I broke down and bought some rit dye. Now, this may not be a big deal to some, but it is heartbreaking to me. We use NO manmade chems in our lives or household, right down to using cloth toilet wipes, nothing, nada,zip. So, I need to find a natural way of dying cotton, until then I guess I will stick with wool, but I LOVE cotton!!! If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to say so in the comment box!!! Well, here are the beautiful cotton yarns I did dye, the first is the first dye batch, the second is the same dye batch, I didnt want to waste it, so I made a lighter shade of yarn with it. Here, in all its glory..... Next time I will try my hand at "hand painting" got to get the stuff to do it with tho. I am going today to get a Wiltons cake dying kit, I cant wait, dishes be damned!!!
1 comment:
Hi, you can dye with plant materials but you have to use a mordant, which is a chemical. It is the same process that has been used for thousands of years, though. The mordant is a salt or metal salt that binds the dye to the fibres making it more colourfast. It's traditional is asia and japan to dye cotton with indigo.
Try indigo, alkanet, turmeric, onion skins, weld, woad, henna, tea.
If you google any of those, you should find instructions. There are lots of other dyes and lots of books on natural dying.
Hope this helped, good luck.
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