Yo! Help me out here! Yes, YOU!

ok - my title promises you quandries, so here goes - I have two of them for you! Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions!!!

Quandry #1: I had my husband dry my own hand-dyes in a hot dryer. DUH. So now they are all shrunk up, and I usually do NOT preshrink my stuff. S0 - the other main fabric that I bought for this project was a hand-dye as well - 5 yards of the stuff, and gorgeous. My question? --> Are commercial hand-dyes pre-shrunk????? This is all for a project that WILL get washed LOTS (baby quilts) and I don't want differential weirdness, and I am *already* bummed out that it won't get that lovely puckered look around the stitching from drying that I love so much...

Quandry #2: Did I mention that I overdyed the hand-dyes I made for this project? The shrunken ones? Did I mention that I am STILL not happy with the value of the finished pieces? They are WAY too close in value to the commercial, patterned hand-dye piece, and the other color is white, so it really shows. WAAAH! My question? --> Do I overdye them *again* or what!?!?!? Yes, I am going to be experimenting with paints next, and no, I don't want to do that to these, for several reasons: I want to *get on* with these already, already; and I do NOT want to mess with these fabrics while still in the experimental phase of my painting work. Not that I'm not still in the experimental phase of my dye work too, but I got results that will work, even if not hugely well...

Bonus of the day? I found ANOTHER 40% off coupon for Michaels in the freebie paper yesterday. So... off to get that *other* book on painting fabric for dirt cheap!

Comment: You may have noticed that I said I was pretty broke the other week? Well, folks - Kevin got a job!!! He has lots of apps out, but has one solid offer, so we are off famine rations around here, even though he won't get paid for a month yet. He would like some of the other jobs to come through, since the one he got was his 'backup' job, but hey - money is money, and hopefully *another* job he wants will open up for him in Oct, so he won't be at this one long anyway. Hurray!!!!