24-Step Dying to Quilt

Have you ever admired the rainbow of subtle colors offered in hand-dyed fabrics?

Cindy Lohbeck

But they are expensive, so, while at AQS in Chattanooga, I took a 24-step hand dye class with Cindy Lohbeck.

Cindy is an excellent teacher. She has her process down to very precise steps, well explained, that make it difficult for students to make a mistake.

I had NO IDEA how much was involved in fiber-reactive dying! After 3-1/2 hours in class, we had 24 bins of fat quarters (FQs) in dye to take home and finish.

Part of the fat quarter bins, now at home in my laundry room

It took another 6 hours of work at home, though part of that time was spent waiting for the fixative to work, or waiting for the washer and dryer. There was a LOT of rinsing by hand in HOT water to get all the extra dye out before the fabric was put in the washer and dryer.

Thank goodness for a deep sink for rinsing!

Cindy’s instructions continued to be thorough and complete, so I had no trouble. (I think she should write a book and call it “Dying to Quilt” 🙂 ) She provided all the materials needed for the project, including 24 fat quarters of PFD (prepared for dying) cotton fabric, dyes and reagents, measuring equipment, and even the special detergent for washing the final product!

Finally, after drying and ironing the fat quarters, I had a glorious array of colors!