Thursday, March 18, 2010
I'm dyeing this weekend :)
I've ordered tons of undyed wool and even some tussah silk top. Every day I come home, I have a new package! My daughter and I are going to be dying wool and whatever else we can find this weekend. I'm not brave enough to use the professional types of dye, so we will be using koolaide. I figured this would be a fun way to experiment and if I find it's not for me, then I have not invested too much! If you have any tips for me, please share!
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I agree about acid dyes. I recently had a friend show me how to use these and they're just too scary for me!! I've used Kool-Aid with silk scarf blanks and to 'overdye' finished felt and nuno felt projects. If you plan to wet-felt the wool, I wouldn't dye the roving, but, instead, wait until after the project is done, since the Kool-Aid will really fade during soapy felting. (This happened to me!)
ReplyDeleteI mixed one unsweetened packet with a tea kettle full of boiling water and an ounce or so of white vinegar, then put in the well-soaked item and stirred it until it was covered evenly. After a time, the water will look clear (be 'exhausted') and you can take the item out and rinse it (so it doesn't smell of 'berry blast' or some such!) If you like yellow, try using turmeric powder the same way. It works really well and is much more color-fast, too! Good luck. I can't wait to see what you come up with!!
Thanks so much for the great advice! I'm excited to play! I will also try the tumeric powder. I wonder if more vinegar will help set the dyes. I will post all of my attempts/failures/successes.
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