Jennifer,
I love the look of the new 3D flower brooches that are in the machine embroidery craze right now. I have quite a bit of 100% silk organza that I can use but it’s all white. Is there a simple way to dye the fabric without a lot of mess. Also, can the dye solution be saved for a period of time? (between projects)
Thanks,
Lynne

Dear Lynne,
I dye silk organza regularly and love the effect. It takes the dye very vividly and with a lot of saturation. However, the smooth finish on the fabric departs somewhat. I like the crushed or washed effect, which can be ironed for a more tailored effect.
Get a copy of the catalog from www.dharmatrading.com and study the reactive dyes. You can bucket dye small pieces or do bigger ones in the washer. Dharma provides all the details about how the dyes work.
I personally find washing machine dyeing to be the least mess. Bucket dyeing is easy in the front yard, but admittedly is a bit more messy. Get some rubber gloves, an old wooden spoon, and a couple of plastic buckets.
have fun! you are giving me some inspiration on the flower thing.
Jennifer