Beer Pong Anyone???

Ahhhhh - the infamous red cup, known by the overwhelming majority of college coeds as and invitation to participate in beer pong, or flip cup, or the drinking game du jour. Not so fast - - -

That # 5 on the cup is not an economical beer charm - it's #5 dye cup. And sorry, this post has absolutely nothing to do with popular university drinking games - you want to learn how to play those, ask your kids. This post is all about gradation dying. For the next few days I'm going to be highlighting my most recent dying experience, and you are simply going to love the results - I know - I peeked!

For this dying session I'm using a gradation dying kit from ProChemical and Dye - if you want to experiment with dying fabric, you need to visit their website. Another good source of of dying supplies is Dharma Trading Company. Here'smy cautionary warning - read all of the dying instructions very carefully and practice all safety measures - we don't eat organic food to turn around and inhale chemicals - safety, safety, safety!!!

The 30 step gradation kits from ProChem have 3 different colors of powdered dye which you mix into solution - A - B - C.
Once your dye bases are mixed you then portion them out into 30 cups (red cups or any other like receptacle you have in number) - by the tablespoon - to achieve the gradation of colors. The list looks intimidating - but it's quite simple, just tedious.
The process takes awhile - make sure you have a cup of tea to keep you hydrated, and put up the "do not disturb" sign - you need to concentrate on what you are doing.
After the dye is in the cup - you add a fat eighth of fabric per cup and some dye activator. Please note - the directions have you do this in a different order - this is my variation. And now the fabric and the dye must mingle for about 24 hours - the longer they get to know each other, the richer the color.
This is the color of the gradation kit I am using - "rain forest" - we'll revisit this tomorrow when I reveal my results. There is excess dye - my favorite part of the process - this is where you can play and have fun - and boy did I.
This post is very apropos - I found out today I have been selected as a Surface Design Ambassador for C&T Publishing - wow - it sounds so official! As I learn about my responsibilities with this assignment you'll be the first to know. For now, I'm honored.