The Glamorous Life of a Dyer

Well, my break is just about over…boohoo! What did I do? Not much…but I did get some dyeing done. I thought I’d give you a glimpse of how glamorous it is to be a dyer:

Here’s a shot of a 10 yards of cotton duck and 30 of the going green totes waiting for washout:

Dyeing them all scrunched up like this gives me the texture I like.
Dyeing them all scrunched up like this gives me the texture I like.

Here’s where I do my dyeing:

We bought the sink top years ago at an auction. My hubby built the cabinet from leftover plywood & 2x4's. As you can see it needs a new coat of paint!
We bought the sink top years ago at an auction. My hubby built the cabinet from leftover plywood & 2x4's. As you can see it needs a new coat of paint!

The sink is out on our back patio (Hubby plumbed it him self – he used the cold water supply for the outside hose faucet and the drain goes through the house and joins up with the kitchen sink drain which is directly opposite the outside sink! Many times I’ve been rinsing scarves out oustside while my hubby is inside washing up or prepping for dinner! Please note the lines of shade – we have a trellis-like structure over the patio, but it doesn’t provide total shade, and the vines we’ve planted need a few more years to grow:

Backyard in Late February
Backyard in Late February

So although it’s beautiful in my backyard right now, pretty soon it’ll get hotter than Hades out there. I think we’re going to put some shade cloth up under the section of trellis over the sink so I don’t get sunburned shoulders!

I use lots of specialized equipment… not!

I've culled whatever random plastic stuff that doesn't fit under here...these are the containers I use. Either recycled food containers, some cheap plastic paint mixing buckets from Lowes or some dishpans.
I've culled whatever random plastic stuff that doesn't fit under here...these are the containers I use. Either recycled food containers, some cheap plastic paint mixing buckets from Lowes or some dishpans.

Then of course, there’s the ironing:

Wet scarves awaiting the iron!
Wet scarves awaiting the iron!
I drape them neatly in case I don't get them all ironsed before the dry. Which is the case this week - 60 scarves is a LOT to iron!
I drape them neatly in case I don't get them all ironsed before the dry. Which is the case this week - 60 scarves is a LOT to iron!

Although I hate the ironing, it does give me a chance to see what i’ve dyed. I revel in the way the dye moves across the silk and am reminded that I want to start making silk quilts… I also come across ideas for new color combos. The new combo name and idea I came up for yesterday – “Daffodil Skies” – I need to try to recreate what’s in my head…soon!

Again, there are not enough hours in the day!

5 Responses

  1. I love your outdoor dyeing studio. Obviously you live in a warm climate. Feb. where I live is cold and snowy. I’m a dyer, too, and it’s the only time I enjoy ironing, since that’s when you see the true colors. Although 60 scarves at one time could get a little old….