A few weeks ago as I was going crazy for tie-dye, I mentioned using tie-dye methods for making curtains for the patio. Well, weve managed to do one. It is not as I envisioned lol. I pictured a lovely watercolor look. What I got was a freak flag to fly . But, well be the only kids on the block with one! 1. I could only find the oatmeal colored cotton drop cloths so thats what I had to use. I bleached them for about 12 hours and then washed them twice. 2. We ended up using Procion MX dyes and soda ash because the Rit dye experiment was a lot of work and a massive fail. Using as directed, the Rit colors muted to nothing close to the colors I was going for. Im hoping that immense drop cloth might work as a bedspread. If not, itll make a mildly colorful tarp for the barn lol. The procion dyes were more expensive than Rit, but worked much better. Too much better in fact. The colors went on full and vibrant, and stayed that way. We could not achieve a watercolor look to save our souls. The colors are deeeeep deep deep. I will experiment with this at a time when I am no longer so totally sick of this project. 3. After dying, we carefully folded the tarp using garbage bags between the colors to keep them from bleeding out onto one another and then stuck the folded cloth into another garbage bag and let it sit for the recommended 24 hours. 4. We hung the cloth over the pony wash rack and hosed the heck out of it until the water ran clear. About 30 minutes. 5. I washed it twice, then stuck it in the dryer. In all of this, those colors faded only marginally! 6. We attached brass grommets about every foot. 7. Proving that nothing is going to be easy, I went to Home Depot to pick up copper pipe for the curtain rods, curtain rings to go through the grommets and around the pipe, and curtain rod supports. This should have been a lot easier than it was. Instead of curtain rings, I found that Home Depot now only carries these odd solid rings with alligator clips attached. You heard me. Alligator clips. Small ones. I find it hard to imagine those tiny, flimsy little clips will hold a traditional living room window drape, much less this heavy drop cloth out in the wind. They also did not carry curtain rod supports for the curtain rods they sell. Only tiny rod supports for those tiny extendable rods used for light kitchen window curtains. Disgusted, we went to Lowes. Again 45 different brands and colors of solid rings with alligator clips in the living room curtain department. By now Im rubbing my forehead artery pretty heavily. They did have some wooden rod supports so I grabbed those. Just on the off chance they might have something that I could at least turn into something attractive for curtain rings, we went to the bath and shower section. We found another selection of 45 colors and brands of alligator clips, but down on the bottom shelf and off to one side, barely noticeable, were two (2) colors of one brand of attractive, hinged, metal rings. Now, about that copper pipe. I now know why people steal that stuff. A copper pipe that cost me 15.00 ten years ago, now costs almost 40.00. I know this because I used the stuff as attractive, cheap, curtain rods when we lived in town. Gnashing my teeth, I laid down the cash. This morning we hung the first and, thus far, only curtain. Not with joy and pride, but rather with a Thank god thats done. I still think I could achieve the look I wanted. I still have 3 curtains to complete. Instead of trying to achieve the look I wanted, however, Im just going to dip dye the remaining curtains in a single color yet to be chosen and call it good. I think letting one freak flag fly is a great plenty ;)
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 17:47:29 +0000
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