This post is an extension of my recent article in PLY magazine, “Dyeing Tips from a Textile Conservator.” In this article I discuss how important it is to take notes on your dyeing to improve your consistency and accuracy. Today I’ll show you how I take notes on dyeing and show how you can do the same!
My Dyeing Notes
Every time I dye something for conservation I take notes on what I’m doing. This serves several purposes. First of all, I need to complete calculations on the ratio of dyes, the amount of different additives, and how much fabric to weigh out.
It’s useful to have this information all organized on a sheet that I can bring into the dye studio. I cross out chemicals as I measure them out to ensure that I don’t forget anything or measure it out twice.
I also print out a copy for my dyeing notebook with samples attached. The table combined with my notes on the dyeing session are very useful for future dyeing. If I need to dye blue fabric, I can go through my samples notes to find a similar shade. I can then look at the calculations and alter the dyes to create the color I’m looking for. This is much faster and efficient than guessing which dyes I need for a certain color!
Dyeing Notes Sheet
Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the numbers on my dyeing sheet! This is more information than most hobby dyers need. I’ve included a simplified version below.
As a Word Document:
As a PDF:
Understanding Your Dyeing Notes
Samples: When I’m trying to dye a specific color I will create more than one sample per dyeing session. This is much more time efficient than dyeing each separately. If you only want to do one sample go right ahead and ignore the other sample sections!
Dye Colors: Which dye colors will you be using for this batch. Next to the dyeing colors you can add the percentage of each color and the amount (by mass or volume) of each dye stuff.
Additives: Dye additives are, well, things that you add when dyeing. These may be chemicals such as acetic acid (vinegar) used to change the pH or soda ash to fix the dye to the fiber. Depending on what and how you’re dyeing you may or may not use dye additives.
Samples: These are blank spaces for you to attach your fabric samples to.
Dye Stuff: What type or types of dye are you using? Lanaset? Cochineal? Write that here.
Material: Your outcomes will vary depending on what you’re dyeing. Include as much information as you can here such as fiber type and what form it’s in (roving vs. yarn vs. fabric).
Weight: This is pretty self explanatory, but it’s important to include. In order to replicate your results, you’ll need to know the ratio of dye to fiber. If you want to dye more fiber the same color, you’ll need to use more dye.
Notes: Here is your section for any other information you think is important! Did you accidentally add in too much red dye skewing your samples? Did you pre-treat your fiber in any way? How close are your samples to what you need? How could you improve your dyeing technique next time?
Although I always dye with synthetic dyes for conservation, you could still use this note-taking sheet for natural dyeing as well. Just make sure to include information on where you acquired your dye stuff, how it was prepared, any mordants you used, and any other information that could influence your dyeing.
Conclusion
Taking notes on your dyeing can improve your technique, consistency, and accuracy. Hopefully these notes can help you understand the dyeing process and get the colors you’re looking for!
How do you take notes on your dyeing? Are there any other things that you include in your notes? How has taking notes changed the way you craft? Comment below!
I dye cotton yarn for weaving. My yarns are solid shade low water immersion. Since trying to make sense of a few strings of a color and trying to mark it; I use cut pieces of muslin 2″ X 2″. When the dyeing is finished I iron the muslin and trim, then use double sided scotch tape and make a sample sheet for that dye day. I put the formula next to each sample and then have a sample sheet for each day’s dyeing – lovely to have as a reference.
The samples are really so useful to have! I also find that yarns and fabrics take up the dye slightly different. Just something to keep in mind when you try to make a specific color.