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Learning: Snow Dyeing Experiment

Jan. 5, 2016. In winter, you make the best of it. You make snow an ally. Short of skiing, you can use snow to make patterns on cloth... or so I read. Is this really a thing? I decided to test it out.

1. I "scoured" some muslin, some old linens, and some old lace. That is, I washed the cloth in hot water (gentle cycle), with additive-free detergent and 1/2 c. washing soda. (Cloth needs to be 100% cotton, linen, or other natural fiber.)

2. I took a sampling (linen napkin, linen coasters, scrap of muslin) and soaked them in a solution of salt and soda ash [formula: 1 gal. warm water, 1/3 cup soda ash (fixative), ½ cup salt (brighter colors)] for an hour. (Half hour is enough. But I ate lunch. This solution can be reused for other projects.)

3. Put the squeezed out and twisted cloth in large plastic, glass, or stainless steel container. (Here I used a colander, but have since found it unnecessary to my intentions.) Note on arranging the cloth: the color moved from top to bottom, losing strength as it goes. To get color patterns evenly over the cloth, I've learned to lay the prepared cloth flat, then scrunch it from the edges toward the middle. This helps the dye hit the surface evenly, without it winding up concentrated in one corner or one edge. See image at bottom.

After the cloth is scrunched, I piled snow on it. (Ice cubes can also be used.) Sprinked on some Priocion dye powder (probably about a teaspoon altogether) -- duly wearing a dust mask, even though it makes me claustrophobic. Used Basic Blue, Mix Blue, Turquoise, and Emerald Green. See image below for the resulting set-up. (This process should be performed on top of a damp towel to catch any stray dye molecules. Rubber gloves and an apron also useful.)

4. Covered the set-up with plastic wrap and set it near a heat run overnight (about 20 hrs, actually).

5. Washed fabric in cold water with blue Dawn, till water ran clear. Washed in hot water with blue Dawn to set colors. Ironed. (This can be done right in the washing machine, esp. if you have a large project.)

Results. Interesting mottled color overall, though the unbleached muslin colors were muted compared to the linen. The linens were brilliant.

The image below is another project, using 100% cotton pillowcases and the improved scrunching technique described above.

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