Cotton vs rayon - advice before I destroy anything please!

[deb]

So far I've been dyeing cotton right and left, but a request for a custom order has me hunting. Given the style of garment the buyer wants, it looks like I either spend $35 at the local Indian boutique (not gonna happen  ) or order from The Big D - and the ones that fit the buyer's likes most closely are rayon.

OK, ordered some rayon skirts (a couple for practice or for extra, maybe one for me). I'm aware that the fiber is more fragile in water - thanks for that info, Paula, or I would've messed up that part of the wash-out - but it's the actual dyeing that worries me.

I'll be using Procion MX dyes since I already have my routine worked out around the two kids who are home for the summer, so that's my preferred method by far. I do remember that rayon takes dye more easily than cotton, so do I take that to mean that I should use a lower concentration of dye to water?

I assume I still use a soda ash soak, although I guess I may have to actually take it out of the solution after a set amount of time instead of leaving it there till I can get both kids otherwise occupied and then dye at their convenience; it seems that if rayon is more fragile than cotton that the soda ash soak might hurt the fibers in too long a soak/batch.

And then finally, once I get the dye ON the garment, how long to let it set before rinsing/washing out?

So basically, I guess I need a cotton vs rayon tutorial. I don't mind experimenting, but I don't make enough money dyeing to afford too many experiments! 

Thanks a gazillion for the advice!

[Releaf]

Don't panic!  We've dyed a lot of Rayon dresses from Dharma and they aren't that difficult.  You use the same basic process, with soda ash pre-soak and Procion dyes.  We use exactly the same dyes for cotton and for Rayon; we just don't wash the two kinds of fabric together.  Rayon does need a gentle cycle in the washer and gentler heat in the dryer.  We tend to let the flat weave rayon batch longer than cotton knits if we can -- it seems to take them a bit longer to get the brightest colors.  We give everything we do at least 24 hours, and that works fine for Rayon, but we let the Rayon go longer if we have the time. 

Oh, and if your skirts are crinkle gauze, mix up plenty of dye -- that stuff will really soak up a lot of it.

Just handle with care all the way through the process and you should be fine.

Good luck!

[deb]

Doesn't like my file size. But I'll try to post the cell phone pics at least...

[deb]

Doh - the contrast in the globe area between the turquoise and the green isn't really good and buyer wants a deeper green, so I can paint on some dye and soda ash - but before I do, is that a bad idea? Any better way to do that?

Also, for washing-out, I don't have anything else remotely delicate and I hate to do an entire washer load for one skirt (so maybe I should dye my other skirts first in al my copious free time? LOL). Any ideas on how to wash out the new green dye without enough water to wash out maybe 5 or 6 of them?

[tiedyejudy]

First off, if I follow you, you want to add green dye between the 2 colors.  Yes, you can paint on, but I suggest you thicken the dye first with either sodium alginate or Dharma's super clear, to prevent too much bleeding.  If you want to keep the new dye from messing up the other areas, it is best to pin the area to be dyed to a padded work surface.  I have created them using foam board, then several layers of undyed fabric, pinned to the board and duct-taped.  Use t-pins to pin the fabric and stretch it so that it doesn't crinkle when you paint on the dye.  I usually soda soak my fabrics and let them air dry before painting with thickened dyes, but you can do the activated method too where  you add the soda ash solution directly to the dye.  I would then cover with plastic to batch, or in the case of a skirt, you could put on a skirt hanger and cover with a plastic trash bag, open side up -- I use the kind with drawstrings, so I just loop them over the hanger hook.
For washing out, I frequently have cases where I am only working on one or two pieces at a time.  I have 2 3-gallon buckets, and I fill one with hot water and synthrapol - usually 1 capful  - the other bucket gets filled with cold water and a couple drops of synthrapol.  I start out by thoroughly rinsing in the cold water, emptying and refilling the bucket several times until the excess dye has been rinsed out, then I agitate in the hot water bucket for a few minutes, then follow with more rinsing in clear warm or cool water.  With rayon, I would squeeze out the excess water and hang to dry.   
Hope this helps!

Judy

[deb]

Ah, that hadn't occurred to me, believe it or not. I think I have enough buckets and bins around here to pull off a wash-out like that.

The green doesn't have to be too precise - just deeper so it shows up better. I tend to go for the more subtle approach, since erring on the side of caution gives me things that it's easier to change if need be. (In other words, easier to make it darker than lighter.  )

Thanks!