There’s been so much talk about snow dyeing on the lists I belong to…perhaps it’s because there’s been so much snow! I had to start dyeing this week for the show I am doing in March. I wanted to wait for it to warm up a bit, but that wasn’t happenin’ so I cranked up the heater in the garage and got to work. Since I had all the stuff out, and since there was snow on the ground, I decided to try my hand at snow dyeing. I scrunched three yards up in a tub (my usual method of dyeing), picked up a bunch of snow and put on top (and it was very cold too), then poured three different dye colors on top. I used greenish brown, bordeaux and a purple-y dye I found left over in my dye fridge. Here’s how it came out. All three yards look pretty much like this. Interesting.
I used to be an x-ray tech, so basically some of the shapes in this fabric reminds me of intestines…too much information?
Really beautiful Kathy. No snow in my neck o’ the woods!
Oh Kathy you are a hoot! intestines, really? who’d a known. I didn’t know that about your past 😉 being an x ray tech that is. Well, you’re where you ought to be now though… creating beautiful things for people to use and enjoy.
Maybe I don’t get the concept here, how is this snow dyeing any different from regular dyeing? (kinda like making snow ice cream, its all just water, right?) maybe a further explantation is in order. Enlighten me 😉
Thanks, Connie. Sorry about your lack of snow…I think.
Hi Jaime, With regular dyeing you use the dye mixed with water and poured over the cloth. With snow dyeing you pack the wet cloth with snow, then pour the dye over the top of the snow. The snow acts as a resist and makes different kind of markings on the cloth than when you use water. Although I can’t tell a lot of difference here. One of the girls says she lays her cloth on a screen over a tub. My snow was real fine and powdery and may be why there is not much difference. I have seen some that has different markings than what I get, but then I think everyone’s hand dyes look different anyway, just by virtue of who did them.