Recently, I was preparing some bandanas to be dyed, and pre-soaked them in soda ash solution as usual. Afterward, I remembered that one of the bandanas was going to be dyed using low water immersion, not direct application method. I decided to give it a try anyway. Usually, with low water immersion, I apply dyes to the dampened fabric, let set for an hour, then add the soda ash solution and set for another hour before rinsing/laundering. Since I had already pre-soaked with soda ash solution, I simply added the dyes, then rinsed and laundered with synthrapol after an hour. Here is the result:
I'm really happy when I get a chance to experiment with variations. In this case, I was able to affirm that the soda ash can be applied before or after adding the dye. I think the main reason for adding the dye first when using the LWI method is to allow the dyes to penetrate the fabric before they are activated. However, I remember that Michael Fowler used pre-activated dyes in his work, where he added the soda ash directly to the mixed dyes, so the only advantage to one over the other is if you want to avoid having contact with the soda ash solution. My skin is very sensitive to soda ash, so folding, stitching or scrunching the fabric before applying the soda ash solution is preferable to me.
