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Ice dyeing and settling back in
Jun. 7th, 2017 08:58 pmHow is it Wednesday already? How is it after 9 pm? Heck, how are we already a week into June? I feel like I just got up about two hours ago and that it should be, like, a Tuesday morning in late May.
Not much of note last week; work was mostly catching up from being away plus assorted meetings. We had Douglas over for dinner on Thursday evening. Assorted wedding prep stuff getting kicked into higher gear.
The weekend was busy. Saturday we spent the day at Gene & Brandon's doing ice dyeing, with mixed but promising results. Not everything came out well, but the good stuff is really good. It's a neat technique: you cover the fabric you're dying with ice, and then sprinkle dye powder on top of it and let it melt.
For best results, you want to soak the fabric in soda ash (sodium carbonate) solution first and let it dry completely. (Hanging things up to dry took up a chunk of Friday evening.) After you've got your ice and dye in place, you let it sit for 24 hours, so we had to head back down there Sunday morning to pick things up. And then there's the aftercare: rinse each piece in a bucket of steaming hot water for 30 seconds, then wring it out under cold running water until the water runs clear. Do that twice. Dry it in the dryer on medium. Then wash it in the washer (warm water) with a cup and a half of white vinegar. Then dry it again.
That and more wedding stuff took up most of Sunday. We managed to fit in dim sum at Empress with Verdun, though. So yay for that!
The kitties have been super-lovey since we got back. They're not quite clingy, but all three of them are like, oh, you're in this room now? Well, it just so happens I was planning to hang out in here myself, so that's convenient. I'll just be over here if there's any cat stuff that needs doing. Y'know, just FYI.
Not much of note last week; work was mostly catching up from being away plus assorted meetings. We had Douglas over for dinner on Thursday evening. Assorted wedding prep stuff getting kicked into higher gear.
The weekend was busy. Saturday we spent the day at Gene & Brandon's doing ice dyeing, with mixed but promising results. Not everything came out well, but the good stuff is really good. It's a neat technique: you cover the fabric you're dying with ice, and then sprinkle dye powder on top of it and let it melt.
For best results, you want to soak the fabric in soda ash (sodium carbonate) solution first and let it dry completely. (Hanging things up to dry took up a chunk of Friday evening.) After you've got your ice and dye in place, you let it sit for 24 hours, so we had to head back down there Sunday morning to pick things up. And then there's the aftercare: rinse each piece in a bucket of steaming hot water for 30 seconds, then wring it out under cold running water until the water runs clear. Do that twice. Dry it in the dryer on medium. Then wash it in the washer (warm water) with a cup and a half of white vinegar. Then dry it again.
That and more wedding stuff took up most of Sunday. We managed to fit in dim sum at Empress with Verdun, though. So yay for that!
The kitties have been super-lovey since we got back. They're not quite clingy, but all three of them are like, oh, you're in this room now? Well, it just so happens I was planning to hang out in here myself, so that's convenient. I'll just be over here if there's any cat stuff that needs doing. Y'know, just FYI.
