Choosing Fibers and the Importance of Prescouring

Procion Fiber Reactive MX Dyes work nicely on a wide variety of natural fibers which is one reason they are so popular. All plant based fiber (cotton, linen, hemp, viscose rayon, and paper, wood and so on) and silk will dye beautifully. I understand wool will too but I’ve never tried it and can’t speak to that at all. Blends like poly/cotton will give a faded, heathered appearance because the cotton will accept and the poly will reject the dyes definitely not recommended. Also watch out for recycled fiber (like old bed sheets) or any garment that isn’t prepared for dyeing (PFD). Even when they are 100% cotton often these are treated with chemicals to resist wrinkling or staining. Those chemicals resist dyeing very effectively too and can be impossible to remove from the fabric. Seriously, if you are going to put some time and effort into creating a resist dye by stitching or binding test the fiber first! It is really painful to find hours of work ending in a pitiful state all because you have fabric that was treated with some sort of stain resistant compound or a poly/cotton blend that was mislabeled.
If you are using fabric* you must prescour it. This is a necessary step. Prescour strips away dirt oils lubricating agents and sizing left in fabric from the manufacturing process. It will open the fibers up and make them receptive to the dye solution. Even if it is PFD don’t skip it.
Unscoured fabrics can be nearly water resistant making dye bead up and run off of them or come out faded and blotchy. To Prescour just hot wash with soda ash and soap (Synthrapol recommended). Do this two times if you want to. You can prescour it ahead of time, dry it and store it for future use so long as you don’t use fabric softener or dryer sheets as those will just redeposit a bunch of the stuff you just took out of it.
Once the fabric is Prescoured you are ready to start manipulating it. In my next post I will outline the basic steps to resist dyeing.
* Paper and wood are a different story

The 3 Conditions: Chemistry, Time and Temperature

1. Chemistry
MX dyes are similar to Epoxy, there are two compounds that must be mixed together in the correct proportion for them to work. The first is the Dye the second is the Activator. The Dye has the color in it and the activator creates the chemical reaction which attaches the dye to the fiber. So a certain amount of Activator is necessary for a certain quantity of dye. The other chemical you need is water. Water has two functions in the process it determines how dark the dye will be and it is the agent that allows the other two compounds to mix together.
2. Time- two factors here
A. Once the Activator meets the dye a chemical reaction begins that binds the dye color to whatever receptive molecule is present so the clock is ticking! Dyes will begin to hydrolyze at this point. Hydrolyze means that it binds to the water instead of the fabric. It looks exactly the same but it will wash away in the rinsing out process.
B. MX Dyes require a certain amount of time to set to the fabric and if they are washed out too soon they will be faded, and unset dye can also create staining during the wash out process.
3. Temperature
Dyes require a certain temperature range for optimum effectiveness. They should be dissolved in warm water and they require a certain range of temperature to set to the fabric. That said it is a pretty wide range, say 60 to 100 degrees with 70 being optimum. I’ve only found that to be a problem with really cold temps combined with really dark colors.
Almost all of the problems you will ever encounter when dying fabric are due to one of these factors or a substrate problem (something about the fiber) which I will cover next.

What I Got…

As I’ve been thinking about my word of the day and what I have to offer to others I’ve spent some time reflecting on the things I have been doing recently that have felt on target either artistically or otherwise. One thing I really enjoyed blogging on last year was my Shibori experiments with Maki Age. It was helpful to me to record the process. It occurred to me that my experience working with MX dyes as a tie dye designer and as an artist might be of interest to others especially in conjunction with creative work.
There is a great deal of information on how to use these dyes out there already, much of it better written than I can manage. But I want to create a reference of the basic methods I use and the reasoning behind how I choose which method for which project. I will provide some links for some good information out there too.
So in that spirit…
I use Procion Fiber Reactive MX Dyes for both my tie dye work and my Shibori. This type of dye is really common among both crafters and professionals. MX dyes have some excellent qualities (brilliant saturated colors, lightfastness, versatility and ease of use). Once the process is understood and certain conditions are met they can be used for a large variety of applications with predictable results. In my next post I will outline these conditions.

A Word

Over at Christine Kanes blog she has made the suggestion of choosing a word to concentrate on rather than a whole list of resolutions. I think this is a wonderful way to focus my intent for the coming year. I've chosen the word "Present"...
It has two aspects that intrest me.
First it encompasses a shift in perception I am interested in making, I intend to focus more on what I have to offer (Present) rather than on what I want to receive. I often get trapped in needy thinking as if I have nothing of value to give to others. Refocusing on what I do have to offer is a powerful act for me and may very well help me overcome some challenges in my life.
The second aspect of this word is staying focused on the here and now (Present) not a hazy "someday" that never comes. There is a great deal of good in my life that slips by unrecognized because my spirit isn't present. I intend to change that too.
I think both of these shifts in perception can help me grow both as an artist and as a person.

Starting A New Year

I haven’t posted in awhile now. Mainly that is because I have been busy with holiday stuff and moving the studio, but it is also because I have been feeling fairly unsettled regarding my artistic direction.
Dismantling my studio and moving it into my home has meant deciding what to keep, where it goes and how in the world to store it all. A great deal of purging went on. This past weekend I got it down to the final tasks, I’m left with a few things to donate or sell. Once those items are taken care of I will be able to use the garage for its primary purpose, storing cars!
I am a happier person when I’m not weighed down by clutter (I think most people are) but getting to that place often means some hard decisions and sometimes facing regrets and guilt that gets all tangled up in my stuff.
Letting go of the studio has felt rather like unraveling some knitting because there’s a mistake back in the first few rows. Absolutely necessary in order to finish the project but it can be hard not to regret the wasted effort.
I’ve also managed to finish up a few lingering projects
This is the final resolution of the Maki-age project I started back in October…
Some pillows made from some Itajime shibori I made last year…
A simple bag made from one of last year’s Maki-age experiments…
And a knitting bag made from another. This is a gift for a friend. I don’t knit myself. I finally feel ready to start the new year!

Aha!

A couple of posts back I mentioned that I was considring giclee prints of my bonsai trees. I did go ahead and have some done of two of the designs. Although I am happy with the quality of the prints they still struck me as somehow unfinished. I matted them with black mats and it improved the appearance but still something was missing. I pondered it for awhile and I finally hit upon what it was, I really wanted to show off the pattern featured in each print. My solution was to mat each of the different trees in the same print that is featured on the pot. I'm happy with the effect it seems to set the print off much better. This is the first of them, now listed at Etsy. The next will be coming in a few days. Funny isn't it? When you just sit back and let it the answer presents itself...I wonder where it comes from?

Heart Space

This piece represents a realignment of my energy.
The end of November brought the resolution of a difficult decision for me. I have decided to let go of my rented studio space.
I began renting a studio two years ago. Doing dye work in the home is a risky proposition. Dyes are messy and have a tremendous capacity of finding their way into the most unexpected places. It has been a terrific luxury to have a space dedicated their use that doesn’t have a second function (like a laundry room or garage). I also like to be able to make a mess without guilt.
The downsides to this are the money and time factors. I maintain a room in my home for sewing and all computer related tasks. I work a full time job. The harsh truth is that I haven’t been using the studio enough to justify the expense…and that weighs on me. I’ve been trying to divide my time between the three locations: job, studio and home and the one that keeps losing is the studio. I do artwork at home but getting to the studio, even when I try to make it a priority, doesn’t happen enough to justify the expense.
I’ve also found that all too often I find myself basing my artistic/business decisions on how I will pay the rent rather than on what my true artistic inclination is.
This isn’t the direction I want to head in.
Like most people I have a relatively small amount of time each day to use on my art/business. I have been thinking about the sort of work I want to spend that time on…I enjoy experimenting with dyes, experiments that may not necessarily work out. I enjoy designing new work both digital and analog using the textiles I produce … What I don’t particularly enjoy is huge amounts of production work. I’ve done enough of it over the last twenty years to know it isn’t where my strength or my heart is. I would prefer to focus more on the things I love in the time that is available to me.
I have the choice between a physical space to work in or the mental space I need in order to produce my best work…I’m picking the mental space.
Releasing the studio will free up time and money that I intend to reinvest in the work I love best.