Thank you for clearly explaining your process. I’m a 74 year old starting to go down the tie dye road and almost 100% of tie dyers recommend doing the soda ash pre soak. Many have noted the undissolved powder specks as an issue and therefore some will tie dye with their shirts turned inside out. As I am beginning this journey your explanation of adding the soda ash to your mixture + dye powder makes perfect sense! I want to paint some images to my tie dyed shirts once that process is done so I would just be making very small amounts to do this to not have waste. How much of your paint mix do you have in your cups? I will reduce your recipe to possibly 1/8 c + your soda ash mix then add my dye powder.
This was great Jane, great tip about the soda ash and fabric. I have been doing this all along to save wasting dyes, now I know not to do this. Thank you
Very informative, thank you! Is it possible to add dye to the alginate paste first (and store it) and only activate it with soda ash afterwards? How do you keep it damp for batching? Cheers
You could but it would take up a lot of room in the fridge because it would need to be cold, otherwise the dye will react to the paste and lose potency. I cover mine with plastic to batch.
What a wonderful tutorial. Can print paste be used with French silk dyes? Adjust the water? Or would it be better to switch to a dye powder for silk? The powders seem to be described as being for immersion dyeing, not printing or 'painting'.
I use powdered dye for printing all the time. I'm actually teaching an online class focused on printing with dye. I use fiber reactive MX dyes for silk. Have not used French Silk dyes.
Jane, your videos are so awesome and helpful! I want to try making some of this print paste. I heard you say in an intro video for an eco-printing class that you are now using guar gum and had a process for mixing it. I'd love to learn if that's better because it's certainly cheaper and I already have a good amount. In the past I've used guar gum and it requires a lot of hand mixing and slowly adding. I bet you have a trick!
Hi and thanks for your awesome videos. Do you need to dissolve the dye first before you add it to the paste or just put the powder directly into the paste. Without dissolving will it have fleck marks?
If you stir it well enough it should be fine. IF you find that it isn't dissolving, stir it into a tiny amount of Synthrapol first to dissolve it and then scrape that into the print paste.
Hi Jane, once the printing is done, when we are done and it has dried, should we wash the fabric? or let it dry and that's it. thank you I await your response
You've got to batch the fabric 24 hours and it has to be damp. After that you can wash it out. If you let it dry out or wash it too soon, the color will fade.
Hi! Love this video, thank you! How would you dry this fabric? How would you wash it afterwards? Hope this is okay to ask! Thanks again for making these videos, they are great!
Hi Freya, you don't dry it. As a matter of fact, the fabric has to stay damp so the dyes can fully react. After 24 hours of keeping it damp by covering it with a sheet of plastic (like a plastic tablecloth) you wash it out in cold water, followed by hot water (so twice) and that removes dye that didn't react and might have been "extra." Hope this helps.
Hi Jane! Can I make a coffee or avocado dye (just by boiling those ingredients in water until the desired colour) and replace the water in the print paste with this coloured water instead of using the powdered dye?
Jane, this a phenomenal video. I have a box of my Nan'as powdered dyes and now I know how to get creative with them. I have a question about toxicity of old dyes, as they are not labeled well. Labels say: Tintex fabric dye with catalyst T-7 and contains salt; Rit concentrated dye and contains salt; all- fabric Tintex; Cushing perfection dyes. My Nana used this collection as early as the 1940's and there are more than 150 different colors. Any advice on toxicity? Kathy
Throw them out (responsibly) These are not what I was using, which were the fiber reactive MX dyes, and are much safer. AND more colorfast. Rit, in particular, fades very quickly and is ok for some hobby applications as long as you realize what you're using. Here is the info from the Tintex dye safety sheet: Powder hazardous and can cause asthmatic or breathing difficulties and can also irritate skin and eyes...
Hi (again!) Jane! Sorry for the late thank you for replying to my previous comment - I hadn't seen the notification to say you had replied! Thanks so much :-) I have a couple more questions if that's okay? I work at a university and looking to change how we currently use MX dyes so this video has been an amazing help! Question 1. In your video you layered up your prints when they were wet...would they bleed in to one another by doing this? Currently we print one colour, let it dry and then print over the top. Your way would be much quicker and looks great! Question 2. I saw some other comments on here about adding some sort of bleaching agent so you can print on to a coloured or dark ground. We used to do discharge printing but had to stop due to the hazardous nature of it but I got very excited when I saw your comment about adding something different (instead of bleach) to create this same effect. Would you mind telling me more about that? I really appreciate your time and thanks again!
When I print layers on top of each other, I usually give the dye a little time to dry, but it doesn't have to be completely dry. That's because the dye that is already printed has begun to react with the fabric and is already occupying "space" so the new color won't necessarily bleed into it. However, this is not always completely true with every fabric, and there isn't any guide in writing that predicts or identifies how this is going to work with various kinds of fabric. Alot of it has to do with how heavy or thin the fabric is, and also the type of fabric. Silk reacts very quickly to the dye, cotton reacts more slowly. Trial and error is the only way to know for sure. As for the discharge printing, I wasn't the one who does that or has shown it here, I don't believe, unless it was a really old video. I stopped using discharging chemicals because they made me sick. I had 44 nosebleeds in one year because of inhaling fumes. So I don't advise the use of those. I did develop what i call "faux discharge" and you may be thinking of that. In that case i mis translucent white textile paint with clear extender 50/50 and print it. The dry result looks like discharge, without the hazards.
Hi! This video is so informative, thank you. I have a question: if this is technique is used to print on cotton, would it have to be set with a steamer? I plan on printing on t-shirts with procion dyes, so I'm looking to make them wearable and not liable to come out in the wash.
It would need to be fully batched, not steamed, which means 24 hours at a warm temp and keeping the fabric damp. Otherwise it may not be fully set and it will bleed.
Jane: I Have just stumbled across your channel and I am so inspired and empowered from watching them. You explain things in such depth but so simply, you are a great teacher and one I wish I'd had in person. A quick question I have: is there any chance this paste can be used in a needlepoint applicator bottle or with a brush or is it too viscous? I am looking for a way of using dye to draw onto clothing with, without bleed in some cases. I can use cold water reactive dye for my more free-flowing and larger sections of dye but I then wish to go back in and draw detailed (ish) illustrations over these. I don't want to use fabric pens- I want to permanently (or as permanently as possible) dye the fabric and also avoid the scratchiness of pens, but also the bleeding effect of water. Basically- a fabric paint I can use out of the brush. I hope that makes sense and apologies for the long-winded question- either way, thank you so much!
HI Ella, You can change the viscosity of the print paste based on how much water you add...If you put dye/print paste in the bottle you can draw with it, but be aware that it will still need to be batched to be permanent. Or steamed, based on what you are using as your fixative - that is, soda ash or vinegar. It's not that complicated but if you don't follow the steps properly it won't be permanent on the fabric and it could bleed later. My friend Ann Johnston wrote a great book on using dye in bottles as you are suggesting, so you might look for it. The name is Color By Design.
Hi Leanna, Sorry to just be getting back to questions. Three choices: Let one image dry, or cover it with paper when you print the next image. Sometimes you only need to cover the edges to keep dye from getting on the underside of the screen. OR you can proceed and just wait a few minutes for the first image to dry out slightly. That often works for me.
@@JaneDunnewold Hello! Love your series! Do you have a demo video of batching the work for permanence? Is there a tried a true way to keep damp and warm? When we steam, we roll our fabric- do you roll when keeping damp and warm, too? thanks!
Would it ruin my screen (a thermifax I ordered from your website) or cause a chemical reaction if I used bleach in the printing paste? Hoping to get a lighter picture on some darker fabrics 😊
Hi Jennifer! The bleach will not hurt your screen or thermofax, but I recommend using a product that already has bleach in it (like dishwasher detergent) instead of adding bleach to printing paste. Adding bleach directly will liquify your paste and make it very difficult to print!
Look for any household cleaner with bleach that is not a complete liquid. Something with more body, like a gel...dishwasher gel, toilet cleaner-there are a number of them out there!
It's dye not paint. Pigment needs binder to bond it to the surface permanently. Dyes go through a chemical reaction that binds the dye molecule to the fiber molecule, with the assistance of auxiliary chemicals. That's what makes dyes permanent. If you don't have the right chemicals the dye will just wash out.
Thank you for clearly explaining your process. I’m a 74 year old starting to go down the tie dye road and almost 100% of tie dyers recommend doing the soda ash pre soak. Many have noted the undissolved powder specks as an issue and therefore some will tie dye with their shirts turned inside out. As I am beginning this journey your explanation of adding the soda ash to your mixture + dye powder makes perfect sense! I want to paint some images to my tie dyed shirts once that process is done so I would just be making very small amounts to do this to not have waste. How much of your paint mix do you have in your cups? I will reduce your recipe to possibly 1/8 c + your soda ash mix then add my dye powder.
I usually mix up about 1/2 a cup so I don't have any waste. It's easy enough to make more if i need it...Good luck!
@@JaneDunnewold Thank you for your response.🙂
This was great Jane, great tip about the soda ash and fabric. I have been doing this all along to save wasting dyes, now I know not to do this. Thank you
I absolutely love how detailed all of this was. Thank you so much for this video!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for these videos. You are informative and easy to understand.
Thanks for your kind words, Sharon Norvelle.
Thank you so much fr this, I tie dye..I’m thinking I might now have a new way to embellish some of my tie dye and also start a new hobby..oh boy 😁😁😁🩷🌸
Really enjoy watching your videos! You are such a wonderful instructor and I am so inspired to get back to working with fabric and dyes.
Thank you, Pat.
Thank for such a clear tutorial
Thanks for watching!
Such a great explanation Jane, thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks a lot, Jane!❤
You're welcome 😊
I'm impressed.
I hope it was helpful!
Very informative, thank you!
Is it possible to add dye to the alginate paste first (and store it)
and only activate it with soda ash afterwards?
How do you keep it damp for batching?
Cheers
You could but it would take up a lot of room in the fridge because it would need to be cold, otherwise the dye will react to the paste and lose potency. I cover mine with plastic to batch.
What a wonderful tutorial. Can print paste be used with French silk dyes? Adjust the water? Or would it be better to switch to a dye powder for silk? The powders seem to be described as being for immersion dyeing, not printing or 'painting'.
I use powdered dye for printing all the time. I'm actually teaching an online class focused on printing with dye. I use fiber reactive MX dyes for silk. Have not used French Silk dyes.
@JaneDunnewold Thank you. Where might one go to find notices of your are online teaching?
Sign up for my newsletter for class announcements. Would love to work together soon! xoxo. www.janedunnewold.com/community
@@JaneDunnewold I bought your Art Cloth book. Wonderful!
Jane, your videos are so awesome and helpful! I want to try making some of this print paste. I heard you say in an intro video for an eco-printing class that you are now using guar gum and had a process for mixing it. I'd love to learn if that's better because it's certainly cheaper and I already have a good amount. In the past I've used guar gum and it requires a lot of hand mixing and slowly adding. I bet you have a trick!
Guar gum and fiber reactive dyes are not good friends, Sunny Lindley. The dye reacts with the guar gum and doesn't do a good job coloring the cloth.
Hi and thanks for your awesome videos. Do you need to dissolve the dye first before you add it to the paste or just put the powder directly into the paste. Without dissolving will it have fleck marks?
If you stir it well enough it should be fine. IF you find that it isn't dissolving, stir it into a tiny amount of Synthrapol first to dissolve it and then scrape that into the print paste.
Hi Jane, once the printing is done, when we are done and it has dried, should we wash the fabric?
or let it dry and that's it.
thank you I await your response
You've got to batch the fabric 24 hours and it has to be damp. After that you can wash it out. If you let it dry out or wash it too soon, the color will fade.
Can you show a paint splatter with the thickened dye
Maybe in another video. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi! Love this video, thank you! How would you dry this fabric? How would you wash it afterwards? Hope this is okay to ask! Thanks again for making these videos, they are great!
Hi Freya,
you don't dry it. As a matter of fact, the fabric has to stay damp so the dyes can fully react. After 24 hours of keeping it damp by covering it with a sheet of plastic (like a plastic tablecloth) you wash it out in cold water, followed by hot water (so twice) and that removes dye that didn't react and might have been "extra." Hope this helps.
Hi Jane! Can I make a coffee or avocado dye (just by boiling those ingredients in water until the desired colour) and replace the water in the print paste with this coloured water instead of using the powdered dye?
You can try it. usually people use another thickener like Guar Gum with natural substances, mainly because alginate is pretty expensive.
@@JaneDunnewoldI saw some youtubers that will use xanthum gum too.
Jane, this a phenomenal video. I have a box of my Nan'as powdered dyes and now I know how to get creative with them. I have a question about toxicity of old dyes, as they are not labeled well. Labels say: Tintex fabric dye with catalyst T-7 and contains salt; Rit concentrated dye and contains salt; all- fabric Tintex; Cushing perfection dyes. My Nana used this collection as early as the 1940's and there are more than 150 different colors. Any advice on toxicity? Kathy
Throw them out (responsibly) These are not what I was using, which were the fiber reactive MX dyes, and are much safer. AND more colorfast. Rit, in particular, fades very quickly and is ok for some hobby applications as long as you realize what you're using. Here is the info from the Tintex dye safety sheet: Powder hazardous and can cause asthmatic or breathing difficulties and can also irritate skin and eyes...
What if you were to use borax instead of baking soda along side the soda ash .. would it slowdown the reaction a little less than baking soda would ?
I haven't done it that way, so you would be best to Google and see what you can find out.
Hi (again!) Jane! Sorry for the late thank you for replying to my previous comment - I hadn't seen the notification to say you had replied! Thanks so much :-) I have a couple more questions if that's okay? I work at a university and looking to change how we currently use MX dyes so this video has been an amazing help! Question 1. In your video you layered up your prints when they were wet...would they bleed in to one another by doing this? Currently we print one colour, let it dry and then print over the top. Your way would be much quicker and looks great! Question 2. I saw some other comments on here about adding some sort of bleaching agent so you can print on to a coloured or dark ground. We used to do discharge printing but had to stop due to the hazardous nature of it but I got very excited when I saw your comment about adding something different (instead of bleach) to create this same effect. Would you mind telling me more about that? I really appreciate your time and thanks again!
When I print layers on top of each other, I usually give the dye a little time to dry, but it doesn't have to be completely dry. That's because the dye that is already printed has begun to react with the fabric and is already occupying "space" so the new color won't necessarily bleed into it. However, this is not always completely true with every fabric, and there isn't any guide in writing that predicts or identifies how this is going to work with various kinds of fabric. Alot of it has to do with how heavy or thin the fabric is, and also the type of fabric. Silk reacts very quickly to the dye, cotton reacts more slowly. Trial and error is the only way to know for sure.
As for the discharge printing, I wasn't the one who does that or has shown it here, I don't believe, unless it was a really old video. I stopped using discharging chemicals because they made me sick. I had 44 nosebleeds in one year because of inhaling fumes. So I don't advise the use of those. I did develop what i call "faux discharge" and you may be thinking of that. In that case i mis translucent white textile paint with clear extender 50/50 and print it. The dry result looks like discharge, without the hazards.
Hi! This video is so informative, thank you. I have a question: if this is technique is used to print on cotton, would it have to be set with a steamer? I plan on printing on t-shirts with procion dyes, so I'm looking to make them wearable and not liable to come out in the wash.
It would need to be fully batched, not steamed, which means 24 hours at a warm temp and keeping the fabric damp. Otherwise it may not be fully set and it will bleed.
FYI You can't steam cotton because it requires soda ash as a fixative and when you steam it, it will turn brown and you won't be able to "undo" it.
Jane: I Have just stumbled across your channel and I am so inspired and empowered from watching them. You explain things in such depth but so simply, you are a great teacher and one I wish I'd had in person. A quick question I have: is there any chance this paste can be used in a needlepoint applicator bottle or with a brush or is it too viscous? I am looking for a way of using dye to draw onto clothing with, without bleed in some cases. I can use cold water reactive dye for my more free-flowing and larger sections of dye but I then wish to go back in and draw detailed (ish) illustrations over these. I don't want to use fabric pens- I want to permanently (or as permanently as possible) dye the fabric and also avoid the scratchiness of pens, but also the bleeding effect of water. Basically- a fabric paint I can use out of the brush. I hope that makes sense and apologies for the long-winded question- either way, thank you so much!
HI Ella, You can change the viscosity of the print paste based on how much water you add...If you put dye/print paste in the bottle you can draw with it, but be aware that it will still need to be batched to be permanent. Or steamed, based on what you are using as your fixative - that is, soda ash or vinegar. It's not that complicated but if you don't follow the steps properly it won't be permanent on the fabric and it could bleed later. My friend Ann Johnston wrote a great book on using dye in bottles as you are suggesting, so you might look for it. The name is Color By Design.
Hello can we pad this fabric with sodium silicate and then rinse it or it is complusory to steam it
steam is required.
Can i use this sodium alginate mixture for thicken silk paints?
no.
Thank You! VERY helpful 💗
Glad it was helpful!
How would you print the same image over and over to fill the fabric? Would you need to wait for each to dry?
Hi Leanna, Sorry to just be getting back to questions. Three choices: Let one image dry, or cover it with paper when you print the next image. Sometimes you only need to cover the edges to keep dye from getting on the underside of the screen. OR you can proceed and just wait a few minutes for the first image to dry out slightly. That often works for me.
Hi. Never done this process before. How did you get the lily?
Theromfax screen!
Also, is it ok for the let dye dry on the fabric while waiting for it to set? Or does it need to kept damp in a plastic bag?
Needs to stay damp and warm.
@@JaneDunnewold Hello! Love your series! Do you have a demo video of batching the work for permanence? Is there a tried a true way to keep damp and warm? When we steam, we roll our fabric- do you roll when keeping damp and warm, too? thanks!
Would it ruin my screen (a thermifax I ordered from your website) or cause a chemical reaction if I used bleach in the printing paste?
Hoping to get a lighter picture on some darker fabrics 😊
Hi Jennifer! The bleach will not hurt your screen or thermofax, but I recommend using a product that already has bleach in it (like dishwasher detergent) instead of adding bleach to printing paste. Adding bleach directly will liquify your paste and make it very difficult to print!
@@JaneDunnewold hi can you recommend any alternative products i can use? im struggling to find dishwasher detergent with bleach
Look for any household cleaner with bleach that is not a complete liquid. Something with more body, like a gel...dishwasher gel, toilet cleaner-there are a number of them out there!
how do you fix afterwards please?
24 hour batching time, keep damp and warm.
Nice!!!! 👌
How much dye did you add to the cup with print paste?
1 teaspoon.
When it is washed, does it lose much colour?
Not if it has been properly batched - by staying damp and warm for 24 hours.
No binder added?
It's dye not paint. Pigment needs binder to bond it to the surface permanently. Dyes go through a chemical reaction that binds the dye molecule to the fiber molecule, with the assistance of auxiliary chemicals. That's what makes dyes permanent. If you don't have the right chemicals the dye will just wash out.
hello. I need water printing paste recipe non woven bag?
Hi there -- you are trying to print on a bag? What material is the bag made of?
From where I can buy theses screens
We have a library of designs on our website or you can order a custom screen!
www.janedunnewold.com/thermofaxes-and-tools
When it has to get washed?
24 hours later.
Thanks