Frequently Asked Questions about DyeArtist Hand Dyed Fabric

What makes DyeArtist hand dyed fabrics distinct from other hand dyed fabrics?

Many hand dyed fabrics made by others have a lot of "white space" that are actually areas of un-dyed fabric. Many of these other hand dyed fabrics depend entirely on this "white space" for their patterning and shading. Some other hand dyed fabrics have very complete dye coverage but lack much in the way of patterning or shading.

DyeArtist hand dyed fabrics are both very highly patterned AND have an absolute minimum of "white space". Virtually the entire surface of our fabric has dye coverage. Our fabric also has an incredibly high degree of patterning and shading on almost every square inch of it's surface. You'll be amazed the first time you see our fabric and compare it to other hand dyed fabrics. It will add a very special touch to all of your projects.

Can I get fabric in lighter values than the lightest values shown in the images?

Yes. We refer the next lightest value than our standard step "A" value as "a-1" (a minus 1) and the next lighter as "a-2" (a-2). Fabric in these lighter values is available as yardage, gradation sets, Friendship Specials, and Personalized Palette Specials. Contact us for details.

What kind of fabrics do you use?

DyeArtist™ Fabrics are created with several types of base fabrics. Unless otherwise noted our gradations are dyed on high quality 100% cotton fabric with a thread count of 78 x 78. We have selected this because it needles easily by hand or machine. We receive many compliments from customers expressing how much they enjoy working with this fabric. As noted in the descriptions, other cotton fabrics include Kona Cotton, Pimatex, and Cotton Lawn. We also dye various types of silk fabrics.

What kind of dyes do you use?

We use Procion™ fiber reactive dyes. They are the best class of dyes for dyeing 100% cotton fabrics for use in quilting and appliqué because of their excellent wash fastness and fade resistant properties. Most of our standard color offerings are exclusive dye formulations that we have created using the basic Procion™ color primaries of red, yellow, and blue dyes. Silk fabrics are dyed with dyes specially formulated for silk.

Will your fabric bleed? Do I need to wash DyeArtist hand dyed fabrics before I use them in my project?

Our fabric is washed multiple times after the dyeing process to assure it is colorfast. It is then pressed and cut with a rotary cutter. Many customers find that additional washing or rinsing is not necessary. To be extra safe, we suggest you perform one or both of the following tests. As a test for bleeding you can baste or pin a small piece of our hand dyed fabric to a piece of white cotton fabric then wash and dry it in the dryer. Another test is to place a small swatch of wet hand dyed fabric on top of a piece of white cotton fabric and iron them together with a hot iron. In either test if bleeding occurs you will see it on the white fabric.

Does your fabric have any special care requirements?

We recommend washing our hand dyed fabric (and quilts) with special liquid detergent called Synthrapol. It is available at many quilt shops. It is specially formulated for use with Procion™ dyes. If Synthapol is not available, another mild soap suitable for washing quilts should be used. Do NOT use bleach. We also do NOT recommend the use of any powdered laundry detergents since they may contain harsh additives. For your wash use warm water. Dry in a dryer or line dry. Iron with steam at cotton setting. Lightly spraying fabric with a fine mist of water will aid in ironing.

Although the Procion Dyes, as a class of dyes in general, are extremely resistant to fading we do not recommend hanging quilts or other items made with hand dyed fabric in direct sunlight for extended periods of time (months or years) as some fading may occur.

Can I order fabric in lengths longer that one yard?

We achieve the best patterning and shading by dyeing relatively short lengths of fabric. Normally if you order multiple yards of the same hue/value we will ship these as multiple one yard pieces. We will dye fabric for you up to a maximum of 5 yards in length. If you would like multiple yards shipped as one piece, put your request in the "comments section" that appears as part of the shopping cart checkout process.

How much do you charge for shipping?

Hand Dyed Fabric orders have a flat rate shipping fee of $4.99. Orders over $100 receive free shipping. These special rates are for order shipping to US addresses only. PFD fabrics, 1-1/4 yd. gradation sets, fabric paints, dyes, and other surface design supplies are not eligible for flat rate or free shipping. Orders that do not qualify for free shipping, charges are shown when you select a shipping method during checkout and prior to the final order submission. We ship via Priority Mail and UPS.

How can I place an order?

There are several ways to place your order. The easiest is to use our secure online ordering. You can also e-mail us with your order details, print out our website order form and send it to us in a letter via regular mail, or telephone us with your order information. We spend most of our time in our studio and can not always stop to answer the phone. If you get our voice mail, please leave your phone number along with the best time of day to return a call. We answer e-mails and return phone calls several times each work day.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, personal checks, money orders and PayPal electronic payments. Please make checks and money orders payable to "DyeArtist Fabrics". We reserve the right to hold personal checks 7 to 14 days until they clear our bank.

Are your fabrics in stock? When will you ship my order?

We carry a large inventory of our standard color gradations in the Fat 1/16th, Fat 1/8th, and Fat Qtr. Sizes. Orders for these sizes will normally ship the same or next day for credit card payments made via PayPal, or when we receive your payment via regular mail. Other larger sized gradations, matching yardage, and Friendship Specials are dyed to order. Normally we will have these non-stock items ready to ship within one or two weeks of receiving your order information and payment. If you are in rush situation you can always e-mail us or phone us and verify delivery information before placing your order. Your credit card will not be charged until items actually ship.

I received my fabric, but it isn't quite what I wanted. Can I return it?

Yes, we want all of our customers to be 100% satisfied with their fabric purchases. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, please contact us. We will be happy to refund the price of the fabric less all-shipping charges. You must contact us within 10 days of receipt of your shipment for a return shipment authorization. We will issue your refund for the price of the fabric, less all shipping charges, upon our receipt of the fabric uncut and in new condition. All gradations are sold as complete sets, we do not allow return of partial sets.

Do you have a catalog you can send me?

In an effort to reduce costs and keep our fabric prices as low as possible we do not produce a print catalog. Our website serves as our online catalog.

Are your fabric colors the same as what I see on my computer monitor?

We have taken great care to make the images on our website as accurate as possible. The colors are very representative of the actual fabric colors when viewed on the two computer systems we use daily. The most common comment we receive from customers on this subject is that the fabric is much more beautiful when viewed in person than compared to the viewing the web images.

For best viewing of the fabric colors on our website check to make sure your computer display properties are set to the highest color setting possible (24 or 32 bit color setting is best). If you are unsure about how to do this check the "help files" for your computer operating system and search for "color depth" or "display properties".

Individual computers vary in the way they display color. This is due to differences between individual computer monitors, video cards, internet browsers, and software settings. If you are unsure about a color selection, you can purchase swatch sets for color evaluation purposes. The swatches will be good for evaluating color hue but will not provide enough surface area to fully appreciate the range of patterning and shading a larger piece of fabric will display. Purchasing a Fat 1/16 gradation set is ideal for color evaluation.

If I need to order additional fabric of the same color will it match my previous order?

We keep track of our dye-lot numbers for each fabric shipment we make to every customer. If possible, we will ship from the same dye-lot for all add-on orders. We take extraordinary care in our dyeing processes to ensure the best reproducibility possible of our colors between individual dye-lots but now and then there are variations. There are some things beyond our control. For example, sometimes the Procion dyes vary between lots as we receive them from the dye supply companies. It is always best to purchase all the fabric needed to complete your project at one time.

I would like to try hand dyeing. Can you give me any suggestions?

For the beginner we suggest you visit the websites of Dharma Trading or Prochemical & Dye. Both of these vendors can supply you with the fabric, dye, and dye auxiliaries you will need to get started. Both of these vendors have detailed dyeing instructions on their websites. For more advanced information refer to the many books on dyeing that both of these vendors sell. After reading the books you need actual dyeing experience to improve the results of your hand dyeing sessions. Like many things in life, there is no substitute for experience. You can read books, even attend classes, but you will need to invest lots of time actually dyeing fabric in order to really advance your hand dyeing skills beyond the basic level.

What dyeing techniques do you use to create DyeArtist Fabrics?

We use a variety of techniques. The most commonly used are low water immersion and direct application. The low water immersion (LWI) process we use today was developed and refined as we hand dyed thousands of yards of fabric. Today, as we dye fabric using our LWI process, we pay strict attention to more than fifty details in order to create hand dyed fabric with the unique look of DyeArtist Fabrics.

Do you have another question not listed here? Send us an e-mail at info@dyeartist.com and we'll respond to you with an answer.