LWI Time management

[Whit]

Can I set items that I have prepared in an LWI dye bath outside for quicker reaction time?  It's 100 degrees or so here and I would like to have these items finished a little sooner than 4 hours.  I know that seems crazy, but I am one busy lady!

[ktaltre]

You should try a shorter time on one piece, see what happens.
I think a shorter batch in the heat could work.

You could try putting your LWI in black plastic bags, then put that in your car in the sun.

I've had a dedicated microwave to fast batch for years.
My first one died last year; it was a really big, heavy, old microwave, cost $2 at a swap meet.
I miss it.
My present one is much newer and smaller and was $20 off craigslist, but it holds my LWI plastic pans nicely.
I microwave the cloth till it's steamy, let it cool down, then proceed with washout.
Don't use your food microwave for dye microwaving.
k. taltre

[tiedyejudy]

Whit, my LWI items only take 2 hours, inside!  I apply the dye, wait an hour, add the soda ash solution, wait another hour, then rinse/launder and they are done!  The only concern I would have putting them out in the sun is recently I taught a gradation dyeing class; we had some dyes that didn't do too well, and our conclusion was that the soda ash activated the dye too quickly in the sun.  So try it indoors, and I think you'll like the results with the two-hour method.  The only time I leave dyed items to batch longer is when I use the direct application method, and that is because I presoak my items in soda ash solution, and it takes longer for the dyes to migrate over the fabric when I apply with squeeze bottles than when I pour over ala LWI dyeing.
Hope this helps!
Judy

[Whit]

Thanks, guys!  The two hour rule worked great!  This was a great experience with great results!  I am so busy and the LWI dying is much easier to do with a 9 month old aching for my attention.  I can do a few shirts with less of a commitment to the folding, mixing and dying process.  That and when my inventory is low and I have to go to the River Market to set my booth up the NEXT day, I can pinch out a few new items! 

[pburch]

When time or limited energy is a problem, I like to use liquid dyes for LWI, because they require a lot less effort. It's not just the time spent in dissolving the dyes, it's also the time spent in removing everything beforehand, from the room I'm working in, that should not be exposed to any flying particles of dye powder. The liquid dyes I use are the Remazol liquid fiber reactive dyes sold by PRO Chemical & Dye. Many of the dyes in the Jacquard Vinyl Sulphon line are similar, though I prefer the ProChem black (it contains the only unmixed single-color fiber reactive black dye I've been able to buy).

The liquid Remazol dyes not as economical as Procion MX dyes, though, assuming you're buying jars that contain at least two ounces of dye powder. They require hotter reaction temperatures, too, not that that's a problem with a small-scale LWI. I place my LWI containers into a sinkful of hot water, or I microwave them.

Paula