Oven Dyeing
by
Pegg Thomas
Oven dyeing gives the fiber artists another avenue for making very colorful
yarns, rovings or batts. It takes only a few inexpensive pieces of
equipment and is suitable for even a beginning dyer. With just a pinch
of this and a squirt of that, you can create beautiful designer yarns.
Use two colors, or three or ten... the sky is the limit!
Equipment Needed:
Any large flat pan made of stainless still, glass, enamel ware, or disposable
aluminum foil pans can be used. (Please note that using the disposable
aluminum will affect the dye colors to some extent as the acidic vinegar
interacts with the aluminum.) Large old turkey roasters, enamel
coated, are perfect as they come with a lid and are pretty much indestructible.
Aluminum foil if your pan doesn’t have a lid
Acid dyes such as Jacquard
or similar brand
White vinegar
Squirt bottles, not spray bottles, but something like a water bottle
with a pull up spout
Rubber gloves
Eye protection
Mask
Old plastic tablecloth to protect your work surface from spills and stains
Old clothes
Small plastic measuring spoon, ¼ or 1/8 teaspoon is ideal
Preparing the Fibers:
Whether you are using yarn, roving or batts of fiber, you will need to
pre-soak them in a vinegar solution to prepare them for dyeing. First
lay the fibers out in your pan so that they are neatly arranged.
For yarn, lay out smoothly so that the skein does not overlap itself
and is not twisted up. For roving, lay in a serpentine continuous
strip only one layer thick, or tear into equal length strips to fit the
pan, making sure that no strips overlap. For batts, lay out
flat with no wrinkles or creases.
Gently cover the fibers with lukewarm water just enough to reach the
top of the fibers. Carefully pour 1 – 2 cups vinegar over the water
and fibers. Do not stir! Allow this mixture to rest for at
least half an hour.
After the fibers have soaked in this vinegar bath, carefully drain away
most of the liquid, leaving just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
Your fibers will be looking very wet and bedraggled at this point but try
to keep them in a single layer in the pan.
Mixing the Dyes:
Don the rubber gloves and mask to protect yourself from stains and breathing
in the dye powder. Cover the work surface to protect against stains.
Fill the squirt bottles with about one cup of lukewarm water, one for each
color desired. Using the small measuring spoon, add one or two spoonfuls
of dye powder to the bottles. How much dye to use depends on how
intense a color is desired. This is best learned by experimenting
and experience with your chosen brand of dye. Cap the bottle and
carefully swish the dye around in the bottles until completely dissolved.
Do not shake!
Applying the Dyes:
Carefully squirt or drizzle your dyes over the wet fibers. How
you apply them is totally up to your imagination! You can do stripes
or spots or swirls, whatever takes your fancy. For best results,
leave about ¼” of undyed space between the colors. When all
the colors have been applied, oh so gently, push the fibers down into the
dye bath. This will allow the dye to move all through the skein,
roving or batt. Be careful not to mix, just push down by color section.
You may want to use some old wooden spoons to do this with, or just your
fingers, but wash or wipe away any extra dye before moving from one color
to another.
Into the Oven:
Cover your pan with a lid or aluminum foil. Make sure that it is
completely covered, you want it to steam inside. Place it into a
preheat oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When the time is up remove
the pan from the oven but do not remove the lid or foil until the
pan has reached room temperature! This will take at least an hour
and probably longer, depending on how much fiber, how much liquid and what
type of pan is used.
When the pan is completely cooled, remove the lid and carefully drain
the liquid away. Rinse your fibers in lukewarm water until the rinse
water is clear. Spread the fibers out to dry.
Using Your Dyed Creation:
If you dyed yarn, you are ready to use it! For roving, you can
decide whether to spin ‘as is’ or tear it into thinner strips for spinning.
For batts, you can decide whether to tear it into strips or pull it into
roving. After spinning your fibers, you may want to spin singles or
use the Navajo Plying technique to keep all your colors separate, or ply
away as the colors fall and see what happens! However you choose
to use your newly dyed fibers, they will be unique and exciting to work with.
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