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I was given this beautiful African Batik fabric that I am making into a vest…..It was only about 30″ wide and just long to make a knee length dress….Georgeous fabric….Green concentric circle motifs in the middle and broad zigzags at the ends….so I cut the vest so that the zigzags are on the lower half of the vest near the hem…..It looks spectacular but in sewing the vest I now have indigo dye on my hands. It may not really be indigo though as it washed off pretty easily.
I want to fix the dye that was used…..I was thinking white vinegar, but wanted to ask about anything that may be stronger like potash…..
Any suggestions…I have just a few scraps to play with….?
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what you are describing is "crocking" or rub off. unfortunately you may not be able to stop it. it is the result of an unstable dye. try strong salt water NOT IDODIZED SALT. also the salting process may cause shrinkage due to the weave of the fabric. normally a poorly woven fabric and a cheap dye go hand in hand, especailly in "native" loomed fabrics. be sure to cut 2 swatches the same size and treat one. compare size for shrinkage. the other way is with strong vinegar - white is best. eaither way let them soak quite a while in tepid water NOT HOT. rinse a long time to get as much dye out as possible. these fabarics are normally like blue jeans - they fade for a lifetime.
*I have not had any experience with this but I know a quilter who has. Her name is Hollis Chatelaine and her quilts have received national awards. She lived in Africa for many years and worked with the African fabrics while she was there. She has a web site and her site has an email address listed or as a link. (While you are there look at some of the quilts in her gallery.)www.hollisart.com
*i just started tie dyeing and i would love to know if anyone out there knows how to do the "mandala" design that would be willing to tell me
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