Just Clamp It!
Jan Myers-Newbury | October 22-26, 2012
SUPPLY LIST (Please label your own supplies)
• PLEASE NOTE that constructing quilt tops will be optional: for some it is more useful to design and record with camera than it is to spend the time sewing. SO, you may choose to bring a machine and do piecing during the workshop, and that is fine. OR, if you are arriving by car it would be useful to have a small sewing machine to speed up several of the dyeing techniques. Thus...
• Sewing machine optional
• Digital camera a good idea
• ALSO PLEASE NOTE that we will be dyeing COTTON fabric with Procion (fiber reactive) dyes. While it is true that the techniques for patterning that we will be learning can also be applied to dyeing silk, we will NOT be putting silk into any of our dye baths in class.
• If it is at all handy for you to bring a good steam iron, please do so. A couple of “table-type” boards would be helpful. Extension cord if bringing iron and/or machine.
• If you have already collected dyeing supplies, and you are arriving by car, bring as many 5-gallon buckets as is convenient.
• Bring several (especially if arriving by car) RECTANGULAR PLASTIC BOX-TYPE CONTAINERS. For example, Rubbermaid dish pans are 11” x 13”. Rubbermaid 15 qt. storage containers are about 17” x 13.5”. Round up as many as you have around the house and are able to bring. They will be used communally, as always. Flat dye containers will work better with fabrics that have clamps jutting out from all sides :-)
• Rubber gloves and wear old clothes. Obtain Playtex-type household gloves that come at least 4-5” beyond your wrist. (Surgical-type short gloves are NOT OK.)
• Any clamping devices that you locate around the house, or that you wish to buy and bring (C-clamps, bulldog clips, large squeeze clamps...) Remember that those “locking” squeeze clamps don’t really work because they easily come unlocked with the jostling in the dyepot.
• Hard shapes for clamping: Jar lids, metal washers, wooden shapes (squares, rectangles, triangles), wooden sticks 8-10” long, chopsticks, Legos....
• Small assortment of foam paint brushes
• Needle and hand-quilting thread for hand-sewing possibilities
• Straight pins for organizing swatches
• Small scissors and seam ripper
• Rotary cutter, straight edge and mat (this does not need to be large).
• Rubber bands, assorted; heavy ones are best
• Cord and/or string; at least 200 yards total. This could be crochet cotton, cotton weaving warp, string, various sizes good, even preferred.
• An INDELIBLE black fine point marker (Sharpie) for marking your fabric tags.
• One large Tyvek mailing envelope for making fabric tags (can be a used one - they are also free at the post office)
• Stapler: loaded with staples + extras
• 4 or more small plastic yogurt (or similar) containers
• 4 plastic dry cleaner bags or other clear thin plastic.
• An old bath towel
• Paper and pencil for note-taking; straight pins for organizing swatches.
• Optional: a large piece of white flannel or batting to hang on your design wall space.
• FABRIC:
Bring 12-20 yards of COTTON PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) fabric. I cannot stress enough that this MUST be PFD fabric. There are several possibilities: unbleached muslin (cheapest), bleached muslin, print cloth, Kona cotton, pima cotton. If you Google “PFD Fabrics” you will come up with many sources. Testfabrics...Dharma...ProChemical... all sell PFD.
It is essential that you pre-scour the fabric that you will be dyeing (EVEN IF it is PFD). I generally cut 2-yard lengths of fabric for pre-washing, and do about 10 yards at a time in a large wash load. Use the hottest water possible, longest cycle, and 1 T. Synthrapol detergent + 2 T. dissolved soda ash/dye activator. Blue Dawn can be used in place of Synthrapol. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER IN THE WASH, OR IN THE DRYER. IT IS BEST IF YOU CAN HANG THE FABRIC TO DRY. DO NOT IRON IT.
MATERIALS FEE PROVIDES:
Dyes, salt, soda ash and detergent
Questions? > Email
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