1) . Is it practicable to pre-shrink the fabric enough to prevent this
happening again? And still have the fabric be usable (ie not wavy and
weird to work with)?
2) I know dyeing is always a bit unpredicatable, but how do I guess what
color to overdye with to get what shade?
Yes, you can pre-shrink.
For both questions, you need to use samples. Cut a square of fabric and
measure it. The bigger the better if you want to evaluate the
hand/thickness/flexibility, etc. Wash and dry the sample, measuring it
BEFORE and AFTER. Keep notes. If you can buy enough extra, do several. Wash
all of them once, save one out and label it 1, wash and dry the rest, save
one out and label it 2, etc. This will tell you if the fabric continues to
shrink after 2 or 3 washes.
The fabric is less likely to get wavy if it isn't twisted and pulled while
washing. Using a front loader will help, but the rate of shrinkage might be
less per washing.
As for dyeing, you'll have to cut lots of small samples (2x2 at least) and
test several different strengths of dye, and maybe several colors. You
might be able to just use the color you want (raspberry) and overdye with a
medium strength. You might need a weak grey, blue or tan, etc. depending on
what kinds of colors are "inside" the dyes used on the fabric and the dyes
you use to shift it to a duller pink.
Experiment, Experiment, Experiment. ;-)
Denise B
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