First Snow Dyeing of 2014!

When I saw the soft fluffy snow falling one morning I couldn't wait to get out there for my first snow dyeing of 2014... but life got in the way and I wasn't able to get out in the snow for a few days. By the time I was free mother nature had given us some light freezing rain and the snow went from soft and fluffy to moist and compact - not to be deterred I went for it despite the change in the snow consistency. 

First I soaked 100% cotton in a batch of soda ash and water (soak for at least 30 minutes). The fabric needs to absorb the soda ash to assist the dye in adhering to all the nooks and grannies of the cotton! 

Next I either scrunched the fabric into a bucket or laid the fabric across some recycled  containers in a large tub (the containers keep the fabric from being immersed in the dye bath as the snow melts). I scooped up some snow and shook it across the surface of the fabric doing my best to apply an even coating.

Now for the real fun; I donned my respirator (always use  a respirator when working with powdered dye) and sprinkled dye powder across the snow. 

I waited overnight for the snow to melt and in the morning I rinsed the fabrics and tossed them into the washer with an industrial detergent (to remove excess dye). I dried the fabrics and pressed... voila ~ all done! 

The finished fabrics!

The challenge I gave myself was to see what the differences would be between the fabric in the bucket vs. the fabric in the larger tub laying flat (sort of flat!). For each pair I used the same color combinations. 

The fabrics are paired below. The photo of the fabric on the left was scrunched into the bucket and the fabric on the right was laid out in the larger tub:

 

I think this piece looks like hot lava! 

I'd love to hear about your adventures with snow dyeing! Give it a try...