My Dye Station

Today, I thought I'd take you on a "tour" of my dye station.  I will preface this with the fact that I'm basically a simple person.  I grew up in the country and I like that fact and the impact it had on shaping me.  I don't need a fancy house or fancy things.  I'm more about things being comfortable, welcoming, useful, and free of debt (when possible) and worry.

Dyeing fabric was a small part of my quilting journey when we bought our house and set up my "She Shed".  But, as with many things, it began to grow and grow and... You get the idea.  So began the mental design of my dye station.  I will tell you that I spent (still do) a lot of time (way too much sometimes) watching videos and reading articles/books about dyeing and painting fabric.  I started collecting tools and materials and dyeing fabric in our kitchen.  This was fine for little batches, but not so much for larger batches, ice-dyeing, and when friends came over to "play".  So I took it to the garage.  But that wasn't much better because the garage is my husband's domain and "paying homage" every time I wanted to take over the space was a bit much.  (This is tounge-in-cheek, Jay is good about sharing his garage. But he's a minimalist that likes everything to be put away quickly and left neat.  Let's just say that I'm not made that way on a daily basis.)  So began my journey to find the right space for my newest "play station".

I didn't want to add yet another building to our property but I didn't want to be out in the sun all the time.  So, I set my mind to utilizing part of the big carport (2 double bays) located next to my Sew Haven (aka She Shed).  My husband was ok with it as long as I was good with continuing to share it with the yard/land machines.  Absolutely!  I like our "Baby Deere" and the "Lawn Eater" and sharing space with them is not a hardship.  Unfortunately, the trailer for the "Baby Deere" has been moved outside because we have recently adopted a "Blue YardDog" to ferry me and my stuff around the property. It also serves as a play toy for our grandsons when they visit.

             

Ok - I could talk about our play toys for half a day - but that's not what you tuned in to hear about.  So, back to the dye station! (Did you hear the whip crack?  It often does because I can "chase squirrels" all day long if I let myself.)

I will start off by saying that I don't like to spend money unneccesarily.  I like to think about what I'll need and figure out the best way to meet those needs.  I also like things to be multi-functional and transportable.  If my needs change, things can be used elsewhere or change in function.  You will also see plastic/rubber storage units, tools, and work surfaces.  No rotting wood and very little metal to rust.

The sink was my husband's "great find".  When I mention something I want or need, he will spend his spare time looking on FB Marketplace and Craigslist. Who am I kidding, he's on those sites anyway, he just adds my item to the list.  (We have both realized that we enjoy "the hunt" sometimes even more than "the find" - our house, the golfcart, a car, ... you get the idea.)  So the sink was one of his discoveries.  Someone had acquired it from a restaurant that was being rehabbed and put it on Marketplace.  It was perfect for me!  2 big bays with drain areas on both sides. You can imagine my happy dance because up until now I thought I'd just get a utility sink and build tables to put on each side.  So off we go to a small town in NC about 2 hrs away with "Baby Deere's" trailer - because the sink is 11 feet long (not going to fit in the back of the truck).  Jay then spent a day pressure-washing the sink and pulling off the plumbing.  Then the neighbor helped him get the sink into place and plumb it up.  That was, by far, the hardest work done in the dye station.

The dye station has a dirt/rock floor that I didn't like because of the dust.  So, we spread mulch over the floor.  This leveled it up somewhat and eliminated most of the dust.  I spray water over the "floor" when I wash off all the work surfaces to wash down accumulated dust and to help keep it packed.  The mulch also doesn't care (or show) when I spill stuff on it - and water doesn't puddle up either.

The plumbing - well, that's really simple.  I have a water hose connected to the faucet and another to a spray nozzle.  They are connected together with a hose splitter.  When I need to use water, I pull the hose from the house and connect it to the splitter.  When I need hot water - I have a propane burner for large quantities (& when I need to scour items to be dyed); and I have a small electric kettle for times I only need a little bit of hot water.  The sink's drain is just a discharge hose for a pool pump that I've run out to a swale behind the Sew Haven. I don't use any environmentally toxic chemicals.  I also use vinegar, dish soap, etcetera to neutralize the PH (of anything that needs it) before I rinse it down the drain. I do care about the environment and am cautious about what I do and what I use.

As for the rest of the dye station - it's about storage and work space.  Primarily, I do ice-dyeing and low-water-immersion dyeing so that's what most of my tools are for.  But, I am getting involved in doing more painting on fabric - like silk, shirts, jeans, etc.  I don't know what all I'll add to my arsenal for these new-to-me avenues.  We shall see.

My next major addition to the area will be sun/wind screening.  The plan is to mount a rail (made of conduit) and make the screens out of outdoor fabric.  I'll make the screens with tabs or a sleeve across the top and velcro tabs on the sides.  The velcro pieces will be long enough to wrap them around the carport posts.  I'll post pictures and let you know if my "grand idea" works (once I get them done).

I won't go into detail about all the tools - these are things that are specific to what I like and use.  I'm always on the lookout for new "tools" everywhere I go - dollar stores, flea markets, etc.  I never know where something will catch my eye and give me a new idea.  Everyone has their own ideas based on their own needs.  As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  I'm happy to share information.