Dyeing Some Waste
Dyeing some waste. Throwsters waste that is and I suppose it must have been trash at some point or they wouldn’t call it that. Throwing is was they call reeling silk for thread and this is the left over little bits. I have a batch of white and needed some colours for a project. The pictures of wet silk an bags did not turn out but I have some nice pictures of the end.
I dyed small amounts in plastic sandwich bags. First I placed each blob of waste in a bag and added some soapy water to get it wet. I let it sit to soak while I got the dye ready. I used MX dye as it would be the fastest and easiest. I poured of the extra water out then poured in the dye, just enough to get it all wet. I squished it around in the bag to make sure it all got dye. No worries about felting the silk, a nice change from dyeing wool. I did the same for all the colours and let them sit for 10 min. I added a solution of PH up and water. Buying the pool chemical is the cheapest way to buy Sodium Carbonate, especially at the end of the season.
I made a solution and poured in enough to cover the silk. I let it sit for about half an hour then drained and rinsed the silk. Here is what it looks like drying on my front porch.

Not so great looking. I had squeezed all the extra water out of them. However after they were dry I fluffed them up and they look like this.


As you can see fluffed up they barely fit on the same drying rack in 2 batches. My project didn’t work out, the waste I used on the surface sank into the courser wool I was using and disappeared so I have nothing to show you right now. I am planing to use some more on hats so I will do a post with them later.
11 thoughts on “Dyeing Some Waste”
Wow – don’t they fluff up a lot! I like the colours, and it’s a shame your project didn’t work out, but that’s how it goes with felting sometimes isn’t it?
Thanks Lyn, it is amazing how much it fluffs up. A little goes along way. I suppose the project was fine really it was a hat but the silk disappeared. I am having another try today. When they are finished I will do a post about them.
Let it be fluffs,… Silky fluff, too! Goes great with wool! Yummmmm!
It sure does
Great colors Ann! I like to dye silk too 🙂
Silk is very satisfying
Gorgeous colors Ann, like little clouds of fairy floss 🙂
That’s a great way to describe them
Very nice, Ann 🙂
It’s funny how they go from dull, squashed spaghetti looking, to fluffy, shiny and multi-toned after they dry, isn’t it? I was a bit disappointed when I first tried it until they started to dry and shine.
it always amazes me how silk can disappear on wet felt and reappear when its dry.
Ha, yeah! 🙂