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Dream dyeing studio
A visitor to my website (and I’m guessing also this blog) asked me recently what would be in my ideal wet / dyeing studio….. she has the pleasure of being able to convert a greenhouse to a dye studio….heaven! Here’s my list… I’d love suggestions from those that have “been there, done that.” Let me know what worked, what you’d wish you’d done…..
- An absolute must for me is a sink with hot water! My dream sink would be deep, but not so deep that I have to stoop to reach the bottom (thereby avoiding aching back). I would actually love two sinks….one huge and deep for soaking large quantities, another not so deep for easier reach. A pull-out spray/regular faucet (the kind for sinks) would be good too….. OK, so what I really want is a restaurant sink with counter with overhead spray hose/nozzle/whatever it is called.
- A mixing counter with shallow shelves above for holding the dyes and the beakers/mixing paraphernalia. Needs to have enough space to lay out dye-binders and recipes next to the actual mixing zone. If it were next to the sink for easy wiping-down that would be a bonus (remember the old integrated drainboards? that would be ideal!). And maybe a bulletin board for pinning the current recipe or basic ones up right in front of my nose.
- Deep shelving nearby for bulky/heavy stuff like Urea and Soda Ash (on the bottom) and buckets/basins.
- Since I like to paint the fabric, not do LWI “scrunch and dump” dyeing for the most part, a LARGE FLAT surface…. like 4×8 feet! And maybe something like a carpenter’s “crib”… places where I could store 4×8 sheets (would need help moving them) stacked horizontally one above another for batching. Think of those cookie cooling towers in Costco or wherever where you can stack up 20 cookie sheets at a time…. like that but maybe for 4 sheets, not 20, and of course way huger for my purposes! I’d love for the sheets to have a rim (just like a cookie sheet), but that might be hard to finagle. My friend Lisa Walton of Dyed and Gone to Heaven (who sells her hand dyeds worldwide I might add!) uses pond liner in the back yard, but Sydney, Australia, is a more hospitable climate for outdoor dyeing than Camden, Maine! Still, using the heavy plastic and pinching up the corners (setting it on a table of course) could work well.
- Washer and dryer in the studio or nearby so as not the require hauling wet, just-batched fabric long distances.
- Wipe-down-easily walls and floor (well, for me maybe the ceiling too!)
- A couple places to suspend rods from the ceiling if I want to hang yardage and drip-dye (pour it on and watch it flow down). A plastic sled or window box makes a good drip catches…line with scrunched fabric and you have a coordinated piece of cloth…
- LIGHT….lots of good light (shouldn’t be an issue in a greenhouse, except at night)
- Warmth….I live in Maine, so hope to be able to afford an electric blanket to set over things for batching so I can dye in winter……
- A small space to write notes, keep my dye-binders and reference books that is far enough away from water to give them a little protection
- A stool on which to perch, and maybe one of those chef’s mats for when standing to ease the foot-pain!
- Entertainment…radio, tv, something….and maybe access to the outside.
- BATHROOM nearby!
What’s on your list?
August 6th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
A gutter works great for under your pole dyeing.VBG You have lots of great ideas I jsut need to rearrange my things and get that restraunt sink installed. Maybe a mangle would be great to have to.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I’ve got a good deal of what you mention. My husband installed the narrow wire shelving on the wall that I face while dyeing. Those work well for letting containers drain after they’ve been rinsed out. I just have one of those plastic tables, 6 feet long for my space, but they come in various lengths. I covered it with heavy plastic to reduce permanent type stains on the table. All of this is in my laundry room with a sink. The sink is deep, but so far the back is holding out. After the discharge class I added the changes in the screen porch outside so that I can use the discharge products safely. Outside (in the covered porch) is the microwave and hotplate for discharge and warming dyes, also a huge table covered with a white board 4×8 for dye painting and a clothesline to hang up pieces. Of course down here in NC, the outdoor porch, dye area is useful far longer than in Maine. I started outside when I first started dyeing only in the summer at the picnic table. So my main suggestion is start with what you have, find out what works for you and go from there.
August 8th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I can’t think of a thing to add to your wishlist. I’ve got some, not all,and have figured out ways to dye in Utah’s cold winters successfully.
A previous post mentioned your favorite pfd fabrics. I’m curious where you get the Hoffman lawn and the Kaufman sateen. I’d love to track down a wholesale source, especially the sateen.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Hi – thanks for the recent link to this page from Dyerslist. My contribution to this would be an on-demand hot water heater, and since there’s no budget to worry about, in-floor radiant heat. Also, I’d add an easy chair of some kind, in case you need a place to crash, or for visiting spouses.
In real life, my studio has a wringer washer, which is great for immersion dyeing, and for squeezing out rinse water. I have a line, but no dryer nearby – it’s down 3 floors. Get my exercise that way.
Another thing I would add is computer access, for research and quick posts when you have a moment. And don’t forget the fridge as well as microwave. Not an under-counter fridge, either, need a bigger one to freeze MX powders and larger bottles of dye solutions.
Mine is a mixed wet & dry studio – not ideal. I do like the linoleum tile floor for cleanup. I ended up with 3 sinks – hubby was thrilled about that, let me tell you. One is a very large kitchen sink, counter height, the 2nd is in the bathroom, third is a laundry tub that we should have installed on raised legs.
For large worksheet surfaces, you might want to cut them down to 43″ wide (just wider than your usual greige goods), and maybe less than 8′ length. Even very light sheet goods are very difficult to maneuver at 4′ wide, and I have loooong arms. (I’m over 5’10” tall.) One thing I have done with mixed success is to layer my work with vinyl from JoAnn. Then you can work on the biggest table you can fit in your space, paint a piece, plastic on top, put the next piece down & paint, etc. Just make sure there are no holes in the vinyl – ask me how I know.
Thanks for the forum – I hope this will inspire you and others. Plus I can come back to it when my luxury liner comes in. (Just a ship won’t be enough!)