Saturday, April 19, 2008

Dyeing Lace

Yesterday I spent a happy morning dyeing lace with potassium permanganate, a compound used most often in veterinary medicine. I'm told it's used for horses hooves, but my DH also says some people stain wood with it. That's all well and good, but I prefer it to dye my laces to give them a golden sheen. It was a technique I first learned about when reading books by Jenny Haskins.


These are some of the laces I ended up with. You can see the un-dyed rayon Venice lace motif in the center bottom. The others are all dyed. Different fiber contents (and qualities) of lace take the potassium permanganate in different ways. You can also vary the color by soaking for shorter or longer periods of time. Here are some more laces and motifs. The P.P. really accents the sheen.


Most of these I'll use as is, but some I'll overpaint with a light color wash to glam them up. All told, I dyed about 30 yards of lace and a dozen motifs. Now I've got a stock to play with.

I've also been toying with the idea of opening an Etsy shop to sell this lace, among other things. But first a bit of research is in order. Must go stitch!

6 comments:

  1. Lovely lace here...
    So Cathy, I had forgotten that you posted last summer.
    I hope you will stay with it now! Blogging is such a great way to join the circle of like minded folks. I am putting you gladly on my RSS feed Right Now!

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  2. I've bookmarked you! Great laces. I have some of that PP that Mona and I bought and divied up. I've never used it - no instructions. What Jenny H book? Are there instructions?

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  3. Is it the pp crystals you are using, Cathy? Would love to hear more about how much you use, etc. I have a big bottle from the vets but have never figured out the ratio. Tried it once and the lace turned to ash! lol
    Hugs,
    Kerry

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  4. Hi Cathy,

    Way to go!!! I love your blog and I love your dyed lace. Hugs, Diane Dimity

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  5. Love your laces, glad your blogging it is fun. I am adding you to my bloglines so I can keep up with your goings on.

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  6. Hi Cathy

    Your laces turned out lovely. I too like the peacock one. the color that comes with using the PP is really nice even alone. Could you tell us where we would buy it and how to use it on lace. I think you have started something here.

    Please keep on posting. I really enjoy your blog.

    Hugs
    FredaBrhychan

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