Ombre dyeing gives a nice subtle, ethereal look to fabrics.  It looks harder than it actually is.

Supplies:
Fiber Reactive dyes (MX dyes)
Soda ash
Salt
Buckets for dye bath
Rod to hold fabric
Chairs or some sort of support to hold your rod
Rubber gloves
Pins or clamps

Technique:
1.  Wash the fabric in Blue Dawn (unless using PFD fabric).                            Note: Some instructions say to presoak the fabric in soda ash solution.  I prefer not to do this to avoid too much color wicking up the wet fabric.

2.  Use pins to mark increments along the length of the fabric.
3.  Pin the fabric to plastic hangers for easier handling.  

4.  Mix up 20 ml of dye at a concentration of 100 mg/ml in Urea water
5.  Place 2000 ml of warm Soda Ash solution in a plastic container.
6.  For the lightest shade in your ombre pattern, add 2 ml dye concentrate to the soda ash solution.
7.  Wipe the inside of the dye tub to prevent unwanted dye marks on the fabric
8.  Dip fabric to the farthest pin and move up and down several times.
9. While holding the fabric above the dye tub, add 2 ml of dye concentrate and mix well.
10.  Dip  the fabric the the second pin and move up and down several times.
11.  Repeat steps 9 and 10 but adding 2 ml of dye concentrate each time until ten sections are dye at increasingly darker color.
12. Pull fabric out of the dye tub and hang over a container to collect any drips.  Allow dye to batch for 2 hours. 
13. Rinse the fabric in cold water, wash in Blue Dawn, dry and iron.










Some of my earlier posts included scarves that were ombre dyed.  Here are some images to show some additional samples of ombre dyeing.