Hand Dyed Fabrics

[Ann_]

Peeking around various spots on the internet, I seem to be coming across more and more hand-dyed cross stitch fabrics. They are gorgeous, usually mixing two or three colors, and (to me at least) horribly expensive-- especially when you start tacking shipping and handling.

I would like the groups opinions on these fabrics. Has anyone used them? Did you ever get dye from the fabric tinting your threads when you're rinsing your final product? Does it just make your design, give it that added bit of special?

Tell us? Who's fabric did you use? Did you like it? Would you do it again or recommend someone else to try it out? Vent, spill, and share, the public wants to know (or at least I do).

[Slinky]

Right. I flatter myself that I can help here.

I am a big fan of hand dyed fabrics and have experience of Silkweaver, Polstitches and Sparklies. I believe they add a very special dimension to your work and truly make a project 'your own'. For example, this is L&L Angel of Dreams as presented by the designer. I did not care for the background so selected Polstitches Sky High linen, which gave a very different look here. If you visit Polstitcheswebsite you can see StarGazer stitched onto a completely different fabric to that originally suggested. I think it is one of the best examples of how a hand dyed fabric can improve the design.

You need to consider which type of fabric you want. Linen takes the dye better than evenweave/aida so comes out darker with more pronounced mottling. Evenweave and aida have softer mottling and colour. Both have their place.

In terms of the different retailers, I have not experienced problems with any of the three mentioned above. Bear in mind Silkweaver comes from the US and can take a while. Silkweaver and Sparklies pieces come with serged edges, but Polstitches' fabric edges are raw. Opalescent fabrics are really lovely!!

A note of caution though, is that the photos of the fabric do not always accurately represent the final piece. It's the nature of the beast. I have been known to email or even phone the supplier in question and explain what sort of 'look' I want the fabric to have. (Usually they know the design!) I have found them all to be exceptionally helpful.

That's the good stuff. In terms of negatives, I have been disappointed twice with fabrics not being as I wanted them. In one case the pale pink evenweave was so gently mottled that to this day I consider it a flat colour which I could have picked up for a fraction of the price. And another piece was had white patches built into the design which I hadn't anticpated (as I wanted it for an underwater scene). It was these experiences which led me to contact the seller if in doubt. I ahve not been disappointed since.

And I have never washed the fabric. I have been lucky that my pieces remained clean enough, so I cannot comment on the washing point.

To finish this essay (!), yes they are expensive, but select your fabric with care and it will complement your stitching beautifully and turn it into an heirloom-quality piece unique to you.

[kathryn]

I'm using hand dyed for my current project, and I think it's looking just absolutely gorgeous. http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... f=6&t=6408
I think it adds something special to your work. I can only hope there is no bleeding of colours when I wash the finish work, but I'm feeling hopeful there won't be.
Only used the one site, http://www.silkweavers.com since I do live in Canada, I try not to order from overseas.

[Rose]

I have used a couple of different hand-dyed and they are wonderful. I think they add just the right touch to the patterns. The company I bought them from has since closed. The poor lady was hacked and lost so much. It is really a shame as her fabrics were brilliant.

Polstitch and Silkweaver are excellant sites.

[Play Outside]

I've used lots for small/medium projects and love them - the finished piece looks so much nicer if you pick the right one. I've always ordered from the site that is now closed, and never had a problem with bleeding when I washed the finished pieces. I started out be getting a grab bag of small pieces in random colors, which was a fun and inexpensive way to try them out. Not sure, but I think Silkweaver might have something similar?

[kell]

Polstitches does lovely grab bags - I used them as a way to experiment with both hand-dye and evenweaves to decide how I liked them. It's a very cheap way of trying them out and it worked out very well for me as I discovered that I love both! I've not washed any of them to date (they've been very small projects and haven't needed it), but I've heard good things about the fabrics from Polstitches from others when it comes to washing.

[maggs]

I was reading this post with interest, as I have also wanted to try hand dyed fabrics. May go visit the sites and get a grab bag and see if I get anything suitable for christmas cards.

Thank you all for the information.

[Midge]

I like the grab bags too. I just wish they would label what they sent you as the chances of finding it on the website are non existant. I do however realise that they are odds and ends and may well be discontinued stock so I suppose there really wouldn't be any point it's just something that irritates me.

[Jilly]

The lady at Polstitches is very, very helpful, if you need to know how dark or light a fabric is she will chat about it and advise you..I can really recommend using her if you are in the UK
http://www.polstitchesdesigns.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank

As a few of us have tried grab bags it may be worth setting up a swapsie page on the trade or sell to circulate the colours we may not use

[kimkat_tkl]

I have used a couple of pieces of hand dyed fabric from Stitches and Spice (Australian company) for the hibiscus and frangis in my gallery (the pictures don't show the fabric well). I also own a number of their pieces that are just waiting for the right project to come along to be used (They go to a number of craft shows here, and its just sooooooo hard to walk by without getting a piece or two) and they are very helpful when trying to choose the right piece to go with your project.

I had no trouble with colours running when washing the fabric, although Stitches and Spice recommend washing the fabric before use if you are worried about this but they try to wash out all the excess dye before selling the fabric.