How to use procion dyes in batik
Our Procion cold water dyes are ideal for using with batik as they don't need hot water (which would melt the batik wax) to produce beautiful vibrant colours. There are a few different ways of using cold water dyes with paper or fabric, so read on for our tips and tricks...
Using procion dyes with paper batik
By far the easiest way to use procion dyes is to batik on paper rather than fabric, which makes it a great batik project for kids (with adult supervision, of course).
Using procion dye on paper couldn't be easier - you simply mix the dye with water and apply the colour to paper like watercolour paint. You can experiment with adding more or less water to alter the intensity of the colours, and there is no need for any fixative like you need when dyeing fabric with procion dye.
Fabric painting with dyes
Another great way to use our procion dyes is to paint them directly onto your fabric. For this, you'll need to mix a dye concentrate for fabric painting using the following fixative solution.
Fixative solution for painting with procion dyes
To use our cold water dyes on fabric, you'll need to mix up a bottle of fixative solution. Without using a fixative, the dye won't be colourfast and will wash out over time. We recommend using Soda Ash fixative using the following recipe:
- 10g (about a heaped teaspoon) soda ash
- 900ml warm water
Mix the soda ash and water until the crystals have dissolved. The solution will keep for up to two months in an airtight plastic bottle.
Mixing dyes for fabric painting
Mix 1/4 teaspoon of dye powder with 2 tablespoons of soda ash fixative solution (see above). Once mixed together this dye solution will last for up to two hours at full strength.
Tip: experiment with making new colours by mixing two or more dyes together when in powder form.
Dip dyeing batik
Dip Dyeing batik is another great way to experiment with cold water dyes. To do this you'll need a large container like a washing up bowl for each colour you plan to use. You will also need to make:
A salt solution for dyeing
150g of salt dissolved in 100ml warm water.
A soda ash fixative solution
6 teaspoons of soda ash dissolved in about 100ml of warm water.
A cold water dip dye solution
Between 1 and 6 level teaspoons of dye powder depending on the depth of colour required. The dyes can be combined to make new colours. Mix these with a little warm water into a smooth paste.
How to dip dye fabric
- Always wear your rubber gloves!
- Immerse the waxed cotton in cold water first and shake off the drips.
- If you want crackle in your design, crunch the wax as much as you wish.
- Add the dye and salt to a large bowl and add 3 litres of cold water.
- Add the cotton and keep it immersed and stir for about 10 minutes.
- Push the cloth to one side (or take it out of the bowl) and add the soda solution. Stir it well.
- Put the cloth back in and leave for another 30-50 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure all of it is covered.
- Rinse the cloth under a cold tap until it runs clear. Dispose of the dye safely. Like the paint on dyes, once the dye is mixed with the soda it only has about 2 hours potency.
- Blot off the excess water and drip dry.
- When the cloth is bone dry, remove the wax by giving your fabric a very hot wash or alternatively iron it between plenty of sheets of newspaper with a hot iron.