Quilt Noir is a Go

Yesterday's bleaching and dying experiment had mixed results. 

My goal was to alter black and white prints to create a range of grays with which I could make a quilt inspired by the look of classic film noir.  I did figure out how I'm going to do it so, despite a big misstep, the experiment was a success.  Here's what happened . . .

I started with three identical sets of fabric scraps.

I soaked two of the sets in separate bleach baths.  I alternated with a vinegar bath, as described in Malka Dubrawsky's excellent new book Color Your Cloth.  One group was soaked for three cycles of five minutes in each bath.  The second was soaked for six cycles and, consequently, discharged quite a bit more.

Next, I re-sorted the fabric so that each set had one of each print, but a variety of different amounts of discharging. 

Now, here is where I did something totally bone-headed.  I had figured on the black discharging to brown and caramel colors, so that wasn't a surprise.  Unfortunately, I went into the next part of the experiment thinking that the gray would overdye darker on the printed parts of the fabric.  This, of course, didn't happen.  (Because the ink that had been used to print images on the fabric protected it from the dye.  Duh!)

Anyway, I put each pile of scraps into a different dye pot.  Two were the iDye that I posted about yesterday.  One was a regular fiber-reactive dye.

I'm used to using fiber-reactive dye, but I was pleasantly surprised by the iDye.  It was definitely faster and less labor intensive and it resulted in dark, even colors.  My guess is that it wouldn't stand up to years of washings like fiber-reactive dye would, but it worked fine for this experiment.

Note: Don't use your regular kitchen equipment to dye or discharge fabric!  These pots used to be my husband's.  When we moved in together, I kept all of his inferior household stuff (pots and pans, iron, blender, etc.) so that I would have them for projects! 

So, here's the fabric that was discharged and then overdyed.  It has kind of an interesting, rusty look, but it's definitely not what I was going for!  (Again, duh!  I can't believe it didn't occur to me that the printing would mask that part of the fabric from absorbing dye.)

Here's a comparison of, from left to right: original fabric, overdyed fabric, and discharged then overdyed fabric.  I'm not a fan of the way the overdyed then discharged fabric looks, but I think it's interesting, from a purely academic standpoint, that it resulted in a kind of "photo negative" of the original fabric.

Check out that gorgeous overdyed fabric though! 

This is the black and white fabric (none of which was discharged first) that was overdyed with the Silver Gray iDye.  It's kind of pretty, but both too dark and too blue for my project. 

 

Here's the really beautiful stuff!  This is fabric that was overdyed with the Gun Metal iDye.  (I suppose it makes sense that the color I like for my noir project is called "gun metal.")

 

And here's the fabric overdyed with Mist Gray fiber-reactive dye.  (If you look closely, you can see how sloppy my dye job was.  I didn't properly dissolve the dye powder before adding it to the bath, so there are lots of ugly magenta flecks!)

Apart from the sloppy dye job, the color is beautiful!  I plan to use this color, and a fiber-reactive dye that matches the iDye Gun Metal when I dye the fabric for the actual project. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of overdyed fabric and the plain black and white prints.  (The two overdyed prints on the top-left are Gun Metal.  The two that are near the bottom are Mist Gray.) 

 

And here's a sample block.  I'm in love!  I wasn't actually planning to use this block style for the quilt, but I like the way it looks.

 

Here's another sample (this one with the grayscale pieced in the reverse order).  I'm definitely going to includ that stripe in my final quilt.  It reminds me of venetian blinds!

 

I had originally planned to do some kind of sequenced overdying to create a big range of different grays for this quilt but, given the variety I got from the different fabrics' reactions alone, I think I'm just going to prepare the fabric for this quilt using just the two grays on a variety of prints and use them with undyed pieces of the same prints (like in these sample blocks).

Comments

[Jessica]

This is really interesting. I think I'm going to have read over the post again, but I really like the Gun Metal dye, too. It's really neat to see how much those dyes change the fabric. You can get two totally different effects from the same printed piece. The gradations are going to look wonderful in your quilt!

[WendyLou]

My goodness!! I'm always amazed by people who are brave enough to mess around and alter stuff. It comes out so cool!!

[Joanna]

These are GORGEOUS! I just finished a black/white quilt top and you may have inspired me to dye some of my leftovers! Actually, I think I'm still too chicken, but I will definitely SAVE them in hopes that I get up the courage to dye them :)

[Jackie]

The results are gorgeous!! They turned out beautifully and were well worth the effort.

[Laura]

I was told at the store that carried iDye near me that you can use iDye directly in your washing machine on a hot water cycle. Just leave the lid open for the timing portion, check for color "correct-ness," then shut the lid and let the rest of the cycle run.

I didn't test this theory for myself, but they swore you could do two pounds of fabric with no cleanup this way.

[Chancy]

Oh my gosh, I'm loving it! The Gun Metal dye is fabulous. This definitely makes me want to attempt some dyeing/bleaching.

[Rossie]

Great stuff! I'm such a sucker for gray...and for dye...

[Marny]

The complete discussion of the various permutations with photos is very useful. Thank you for all the information and helpful hints. The resulting blocks are stunning. Playing with value reversals will make your final quilt resonate in and out.

[Anna]

these are great! Thanks for all the experimenting, I would be too afraid of ruining stuff to try on my own. :)

[amanda]

This is way crazy super amazing awesome!! This could totally be a new trend...

[sarah]

I love all the fabrics, but especially the ones you don't like. Weird, I know, but true! I think the brownish ones would make a really cool quilt too. They remind me of olde timey sepia photos. And the super dark ones are just subtle and fabulous.

You are always doing the most fantastic stuff!

[Elizabeth]

Laura,
The package for the iDye includes directions for using it in the machine, but it specifies that youll get better color if you dye on the stovetop. (I also have a high-efficiency front-loading washer, so its not ideal for this kind of thing.) Im sure it would be the fastest way to do it in an old-school washer though!

[Ellen Ault]

This is really cool! Dyeing the fabric sounds like a lot of fun.

Your finished blocks remind me of "Rear Window" and "Vertigo"!

[amere]

You are really teaching me something. Thanks for the information and I love the fabric color you chose for the blocks.

I does reminde me of "Vertigo"!

[Live a Colorful Life]

I'm completely impressed. I'm not sure I would have the nerve to do it, but the quilt is going to be absolutely stunning! Thanks for all the in-depth information.

[Helene Goldberg]

Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing the whole process in such detail. It's completely fascinating, and so inspiring. I feel like I was right there with you as you worked.
I really love the effects, and I agree with you, I like the outcome of the overdyed better than the discharged then overdyed fabric. And I just love the Gun Metal dye, that's my favourite.
Can't wait to see how the whole quilt finishes up. Have you decided on what fabric to use for the sashing?

[Melissa W.]

Hi! I've never really commented, but I do follow your blog. I absolutely LOVE this idea! It looks great and props to you for experimenting with the dying process. I'm not sure I'd have enough patience for that.

[Halfway Crafter]

I really love the quilt noir concept, but you put us all to shame with your productivity and creativity! I can't wait to see the finished quilt, I think it will be stunning!

[karen]

Wow, you're so right--that striped fabric does look like venetian blinds. It definitely evokes film noir; it also reminds me of sets from Secret Agent Man (a sort of shadowy midcentury vibe).

[Collette]

This is fascinating. Thanks for walking us through this and you're WAY smarter than me--I never would've thought you'd get caramels from the discharging. Who knew? (Well, I guess you did!)

[Belinda]

The combination of the block structure and the colours is saying Alfred Hitchcock to me!!!

Can't wait to see what it will look like when it is finished.

[heather]

Simply gorgeous! And so inspiring! Wow, I just love this.

[Rosie]

Beautiful! I can't wait to see the finished quilt. What a fabulous idea.

[Megan]

You have some guts, lady! I would never be able to get the nerve to do this - but look at your results. This is awesome and that quilt will be stunning!

[Shannon]

Before I even read the other comments, I was thinking Hitchcock too. Very Vertigo! I think I actually like these wonky blocks the best of any I've seen, since the tones and style is so reminiscent of those classics. Beautiful job!