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Washing your hand dyeds
Posted on Tuesday, October 18 @ 08:24:46 EDT by admin |
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Why can't you wash hand dyed fibers and fabrics?
In a perfect world you can. After all they're made out of the same materials as your clothing and you can certainly wash them. Dyeing technically is the bonding of a dye molecule and a fiber molecule. Depending on the type of dye used, this bond is permanent or not so permanent.
For cottons, fiber reactive dyes and an alkaline mordant make a very strong chemical bond, where the fiber and the dye molecule actually become one molecule and cannot be separated. Any cottons (linen, rayon) dyed this way can be washed. The only caveat for these dyed materials is that all the unbonded dye molecules aren't always washed away by the dyer - it takes one cold wash and two hot washes to make sure. After that dye washout these are easily and safely washed.
(For this discussion we're only going to talk about silk fibers for stitching and not other silks). For silks, acid or fiber reactive dyes and an acid mordant make good washfast bonds when used with steam or heat. When dyed this way silks can be safely washed in cold water (but never bleach).
Then why can't we wash our fibers and fabrics?? The simple answer is you can. Cottons and silks dyed in the above methods are very washable. The only dye molecules that will come off the fibers are ones that aren't properly bonded. Sometimes for very deep colors the fibers are overloaded with dye to get a good color. And with reds, the red is the largest dye molecule and is the hardest to bond to the fiber. It follows that dark colors and reds will have more possible nonbonded molecules to wash out.
The long answer - many dyers don't use either of these methods but dye with direct dyes. The bonding of the fiber molecule and the dye molecule is very weak because no mordant is used. Every wash, even cold water wash, destroys these bonds, causing dye bleeding and gradually all the dye is washed out. You know these dyes under some brand names like Rit®, Dylon® Multi-purpose, and Tintex®. Some dyers use fiber reactive or acid dyes but don't use mordants, never chemically bonding the dye and fiber molecules.
Another long answer for specifically for fabrics - cross stitch fabrics are heavily starched. It's possible to dye paint the fabric with no mordant and then run it through the microwave, melting the starch and imbedding the dye molecules in that starch. Again it's not chemically bonded so each wash dissolves some of the starch and washes away the dye molecules embedded in it.
Unfortunately it isn't possible for you to know what type of dye or what method your stitching supplies were dyed with or whether the dye was bonded to the fiber or not.
What does all this mean to me? Traditionally cross stitch is washed once or not at all, so chemically bonding the dye and fiber molecule isn't necessarily important. It only becomes important if 1. it's an item you plan on washing regularly or 2. you want to wash and are afraid the color will start running.
If you're going to wash your stitched item regularly you need to find out if it's been dyed with a dye fixing method. Otherwise in a few washes all the fibers colors will wash down the drain. Ask what type of dyes they use and how are they fixed to the fibers. The answer for fixed cottons would be fiber reactive dyes with soda ash or an alkaline mordant, and for silk the answer would be acid dyes with an acid mordant and heat. Some silk dyers use fiber reactive dyes and soda ash or an alkaline mordant with good fixed dye results.
If you want to wash your stitching once, PRE-WASH.
Pre-wash ALL MATERIALS if you're going to wash your finished piece. Wash in cool with the soap you're going to use when you are done with the piece. Dunk, then wring out and rinse in cool. Lay on a piece of white to dry. If there is no halo as it dries it's fine.
If you get a halo try it again. If you get a halo a second time, wash in HOT water, with the soap you will use, then rinse in cool.
These directions are for everything in stitching - not just floss, or linen or cotton, or silk.
This should work every time because the cool water washes and rinses are rinsing off unaffixed dye molecules that didn't get totally rinsed in the dye process. If you get more molecules than that, they were partially affixed and the hot water will break the partial bond.
Hints:
Use a very small amount of mild soap and cold water. The goal of washing your stitching is just to take out the oils that were transferred from your skin to the stitching! Many people swear by Orvus, as it's a pure soap with no bleaches or brighteners in it. Another soap often used is Synthrapol, a textile detergent that keeps unbonded dye molecules from redepositing on the fibers. For both of these, a tiny drop goes a really long way!!! If you use too much you won't be able to rinse it all out easily - a very small amount will make the water feel somewhat soapy and that is all you need. Place the stitching in a shallow pan with the soap and water in it - you don't need suds. Pay close attention as you slightly move it around for color running. If the color stays set, rinse in cold water till all the soap is rinsed out. Block and dry. If bleeding does occur, don't let the stitching dry. Continually rinse and soak in cold water, until the bleeding is gone and the water rinses clear. The process could take a few minutes or several hours.
A tip: keep your project dry as you are stitching. If though you see the fiber color bleeding onto the fabric, put very cold water into your sink deep enough to cover the project as it lays flat. Cover with ice and let it soak without touching it. Replace the ice when it's melted. This could take days - so test the fibers and keep your project clean!!!
Many stitchers never wash their projects.
Old wive's tales abound on how to keep your colors from running when you wash your project - soak the fiber in vinegar and dry, or rinse in cold water and let dry before you ever use a stitching fiber are two that come quickly to mind. But no home remedy will prevent color bleeding as they don't address the actual problem - unfixed dye molecules. Unfortunately there isn't any way at home to reasonably fix dye molecules, especially when there are so many ways to dye and so many steps in the dyeing process. You, as an end consumer, have no way of knowing what dyes were used, the method the dyer employed, or what steps the dyer undertook before the fibers were sold to you.
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