Ending 2023 in the Red

We all know that ending the year “in the red” is not necessarily a positive term.  But in the case of fabric dyeing it has been a good thing.  I was trying some different folds and a different method of dyeing some fabric squares. Twenty-four hours later when I opened the folds I found a disaster.  Well, a disaster in terms of what I wanted to have as an outcome (first photo).  While I soaked the fabric overnight in soda ash/salt solution, squeezed out the excess solution and arranged in the dye pot confident I was going to end with fantastic designs it was not to be. My assessment was that the soda solution had not penetrated all the tight folds so neither had the dye.  I was trying some different color combinations so was really disappointed.

What to do??  Overdye, of course, was the answer.  Since I no longer had expectations of a fantastic design I just picked two of my favorite combinations with little regard for the colors first used.  It was time to throw caution to the wind.

Another soak in soda/salt solution, another twenty-four hours in dye bath.  I didn’t bother to try to refold, just twisted and scrunched.  Photos show the difference between the hanging wet squares and the dried and pressed squares.  I think I can make ending 2023 in the red a good thing!!  And a great start for 2024!!