Upcycle Old Sheets

Do you have some sheets and pillow cases that have gotten a bit grungy? Well, this is something that bugs me. They are still in very good condition except for those 'sweaty head & body' stains. And because I like changing the color of things by using procion mx dyes, today, I fell for my favorite serendipitous method. Ice dyeing. Good idea, maybe, maybe not. Wet sheets are very weighty. And trying to wring them out by hand was trying and tiring! But, they sure were pretty laying on the grass to finish 'cooking' in the South Carolina sun and heat. 

 

 

I forgot to mention, I'm not good at keeping things simple! I tore up 6 additional yards into fat-quarters to accompany the sheets. And all those little pieces, well, they're the trimmings from my New Year's Eve project. 

The pieces have all been cold water shocked and are now in the washer going through the first hot water wash. Once that's done, I'll put them through another wash with color catchers. I rely on these little pieces of treated cloth. They let me know if there are still loose dyes to be removed. I don't want surprises later on so I will continue washing until no migrant dyes are present. Ice dyeing can take lots of wash cycles. But I sure do enjoy it.  Here are some pieces I have from previous experiments. 

 

A group using various groups of colors.  

 

This sheeting fabric had whiffle type golf balls tied up inside it before going into the ice dye process. 

 

This was a piece that I did some stitching on during a two day drive back to the Midwest to visit family. 

And this next one has a spider web free motion quilted onto it for a 'fabric book page swap' that I participated in last year. 

I really do need to practice my free motion stitching!

Tomorrow the sheets and fabrics should be ready for some final pictures. 

See you soon,

Luann