The Jacquard Procion MX dyes have been formulated for use on cellulose fabrics such as cotton and linen, although they also produce reasonable colours on silk and wool. These fibre reactive dyes become locked into the fabric when combined with salt and soda ash, making the dye extremely washfast.
As this is the only dye you can fix without using heat, Procion MX dyes are excellent for Batik work where it is crucial to have a cold dye-bath so as not to melt the wax resist.
The instructions on each pot are simple to follow and the quantity of dye used is determined how dark you
require the finished colour to be. Black (and some darker colours) will require more dye powder as it is notoriously difficult to achieve when dyeing fabrics.
The procion dyes also work well in a washing machine and Jacquard have included instructions for this process on the label (you may have to adapt it slightly as the directions relate to a front loading machine)
Tie-Dyeing
To tie-dye fabric with the dyes, you can first soak the fabric in a solution of soda ash (approx. 250g soda ash dissolved in 4 litres warm water). Squeeze out the fabric, and fold and tie it where you want the patterning to appear. Prepared the dye solution of 2 teaspoons of dye powder dissolved in 250ml tap water and apply to the fabric parcel with a squeezy bottle, dropper or brush. Cover the parcel in plastic wrap and leave to stand for 12-24 hours. Rinse out in a little warm water until the water runs clear.
The Fibrecrafts Procion MX dyes can be used in exactly the same way. Although there are less colours to choose from, the powders can be mixed to produce any colour and as the dye is available in 50g pots, it is more economical to use when working on larger projects. We recommend note keeping to record the quantities used to create your own colours.
Please browse the range of Procion MX Dyes