Dyeing Linen from ReUse

During my visit with  my sister in March I purchased the fixative recommended for keeping the color once dyed.  It meant a trip to town so we did not have time to actually dye the fabric then.

I was back this week so we went ahead with the dyeing of the oatmeal linen.  This was a large piece of oatmeal colored linen that I had picked up from ReUse earlier this year.  I was thinking of  making a table runner.  I wanted the fabric to be navy.

We followed this process which is documented with the dye bottle.   Rit Dyeing Process

The first thing is to mix your dye in enough water to allow the fabric to float easily in the water.  We added salt because this was a natural fiber and some dish soap.  I believe we left the fabric in the dye bath 30 minutes agitating constantly so we took turn with the wooden spoon.

Then the fabric needs to be rinsed until it runs clear.

Then put back into the pot with the fixative.

The last photo there is a couple of sheets that my sister dyed with what was left in the pot.  She did not care how dark the color was just that it was not pure white.

A very successful project.

I appreciate my sister's help and she has the large metal pots, etc which I don't have.

I have the embroidered and the now navy linen.

The 2 sheets that my sister dyed in the left over color bath.