Ice Cube tray for the dyes

A fine bristle paint brush

Paper towels

Ice Cream container lid for mixing colours together

Kitchen measuring spoons

Latex or rubber gloves

Empty Jars to keep made up dyes in. (Jam Jars, Spice Jars etc.,)

————oOo———

As fabrics differ, some will dye lighter shades than others. For example Cotton/polyester mixture will dye lighter.

Cotton, rayon, silk and wool are ideal to dye. With a little patience you will soon learn which are best for you.

These dyes are highly concentrated and you will only need a small amount mixed with water. Adding more water for a lighter shade and more powder to darken. See end of instructions for mixing methods.

We suggest you use warm to hot water (out of the tap is O.K.) to mix the dye. This will help the dye to dissolve more quickly. Once the dye has dissolved you can add cold water to lighten if required.

In the following instructions we are talking about dyeing lace. Some people like to leave their lace dry, I prefer to wet mine.

1 . Wet your lace in cold water or you may want to dye the lace in a background colour, (this is called base dying). Mix dye in a plastic bowl large enough to take your motif or lace. Dip into your chosen colour. The longer that you leave it in, the darker the background. Remove and gently squeeze out the excess water, place on a paper towel, dabbing once more with the towel.

2. Add your other colours one at a time. Dip your brush into the dye and slide the brush over the edge of the container to remove the excess. After each application dab with a paper towel. Remember to wash your brush before changing to another colour.

3 . Toning. Use a piece of plastic ( Ice cream container lid) to mix your shades. The addition of extra water will lighten your dye. A few spots of powder will darken it. This is ideal for shading flowers, do the pale colours first.

When complete put on a paper towel and into the microwave for two minutes on high. The use of heat helps to set the dyes, if you are dying a lot of items at one time, increase the drying time. Do not put motifs with metallic sequins or beads in a microwave as this could cause damage.

Combining the dyes will allow you to create new colours, much as an artist mixes paints. The following list will give you a basic idea of colours to mix, but experimentation will give you practical experience.

Red & Yellow make Orange

Green & Violet make Blue

Yellow & Blue make Green

Blue & Red make Purple

Washing. If you are intending to wash your laces, we suggest doing this by hand. With today’s detergents which contain all sorts of chemicals, we cannot guarantee fast colours.

Mixing Method. Sprinkle the powder slowly into hot water to prevent clogging

1 teaspoon = 5ml liquid

1 teaspoon = 5gms powder

Full strength (2 teaspoons) = 1 litre

5gms (1 teaspoon) = 500mls

2.5gms (½ teaspoon) = 250mls

1.25 (¼ teaspoon) = 125mls

If using measuring spoons or scoops these are all level.

To lighten these colours add more water until desired shade is reached

To darken add more powder