Making some hand dyed robes--suggestion?

[hastings1066ad]

I've made some 100 % cotton hand dyed ritual robes in the past for friends was going to do a few more just for fun (as I'm going to be doing some dying anyway) to offer up for trade/sale. I normally dye the robe and then do painted symbols on the neck and sleeves. Problem is if they're not for someone specific I don't know what to paint. Was just looking for some feedback on what people would be looking for and suggestions for sizes-- eg, just do all of them large or would a mix of sizes be better. Here's the list of colors

Earthen red-- I do this with local red dirt. I've done them before with paw prints and am currently working on one with ravens.

Golden yellow-- Tumeric, which Buddhist monks have traditionally dyed their robes with. I was thinking maybe something air or divination oriented

Light yellow-- dandelions

Soft blue-- red cabbage. Maybe some waves for water, or something healing oriented-- any ideas?

Green-- spinach and grass.

Brown-- coffee grounds


Mostly I just have fun digging and puttering with my dye pots, but once they're done I want them to be special, so any suggestions would be appreciated-. (I'll make sure to post once they're done.)
-Hastings

[MsFireHaven]

What about making or selling them made to order?

[hastings1066ad]

I thought about making them to order, and that's what I've done so far. I guess I could just dye the fabric now and make the robes later, but I'm kind of thinking about including one or two in my booth for the Ren Faire we have here in town in July. Besides, I have time and motivation now and may not later (I'm pretty lazy lol-- actually, it's more that I'm easily distracted and keep coming up with other projects) Additionally, I'd kind of like to make a few to take pictures so that I have them to show when people ask rather than just having to say--"I've got this idea, I'm sure it will turn out cool!"
-Hastings

[Azure]

Don't make all of them large. Some people are fairly small, and it's just as frustrating to discover that there is nothing that will come close to fitting. I have trouble in regular stores, frequently - and I hate that even getting ladies size small t-shirts is often a pain. If you scale everything to the larger population, you'll be leaving lots of us out.

[Linx]

If your doing items for a Ren faire... I would suggest maybe some Celtic designs or symbols, perhaps some Victorian variations too, possible Fleur de Lis? Just some suggestions, and I agree with varying the sizes... a couple small, couple large, one or 2 mediums... and I would do at least one extra large too... :)

[mucgwyrt]

I've made some 100 % cotton hand dyed ritual robes in the past for friends was going to do a few more just for fun (as I'm going to be doing some dying anyway) to offer up for trade/sale. I normally dye the robe and then do painted symbols on the neck and sleeves. Problem is if they're not for someone specific I don't know what to paint. Was just looking for some feedback on what people would be looking for and suggestions for sizes-- eg, just do all of them large or would a mix of sizes be better. Here's the list of colors

Earthen red-- I do this with local red dirt. I've done them before with paw prints and am currently working on one with ravens.

Golden yellow-- Tumeric, which Buddhist monks have traditionally dyed their robes with. I was thinking maybe something air or divination oriented

Light yellow-- dandelions

Soft blue-- red cabbage. Maybe some waves for water, or something healing oriented-- any ideas?

Green-- spinach and grass.

Brown-- coffee grounds


Mostly I just have fun digging and puttering with my dye pots, but once they're done I want them to be special, so any suggestions would be appreciated-. (I'll make sure to post once they're done.)
-Hastings

Wow, that's really cool - how do you dye them using all this natural stuff?!

[hastings1066ad]

Wow, that's really cool - how do you dye them using all this natural stuff?!


It's really easy. You chop the plant matter up, add twice as much water, and boil it for at least an hour, then strain it. Then you add the fabric that you've treated with a mordant (I normally use alum and sea salt) and simmer that for awhile-- I normally let them soak overnight to get a deeper color. Tumeric is even easier because it doesn't need a mordant. For soil dying you basically just make mud, work it into the fabric, let it dry, rinse it and then heat set it. The iron in red earth acts as its own mordant.
There's tons of web pages on dying w/natural dyes and even a yahoo group if you're interested. Its addictive though.
-Hastings