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Post by zara on May 5, 2014 21:06:05 GMT
... and then the next question is what to do with the dyed wool? As it was Easter I obviously had to felt an Easter bunny and a couple of eggs. :-)
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Post by MTRuth on May 5, 2014 21:55:25 GMT
Very lovely colors from your "Easter" wool dyeing session. And your bunny looks like he has to keep his eyes open so nobody steals his eggs.
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Post by zara on May 5, 2014 22:01:33 GMT
Yes, he does look a bit worried... ;-)
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Post by Pandagirl on May 5, 2014 22:07:44 GMT
Great experiment Zara, the wool and the bunny and eggs turned out great. I love his expression. ;-)
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on May 5, 2014 22:14:19 GMT
Zara, my wool dyed with food coloring didn't quite hold the dye and bled into the surrounding wool when I wet felted it. Did you have a similar experience? Maybe the tablets you used are different from the food color gels?
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Post by zara on May 5, 2014 22:43:19 GMT
I have never used food color gels. Do you use vinegar as well? The bunny and eggs were both wet and needle felted, and the color seemed to hold well.
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Post by zara on May 5, 2014 22:47:29 GMT
The tips of the wool absorbed more color than the cut ends, which I assume is due to the tips being more worn and having less lanoline (although the wool was washed). But I like the different shades, it gives more life to the wool.
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Post by zed on May 6, 2014 9:17:47 GMT
Maybe the dye tablets are for protein fibres, I remember a few years ago someone saying they'd dyed silk ties with Easter Egg dyes. I hadn't dyed then though.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on May 6, 2014 13:26:59 GMT
I did use vinegar with my food color gels, but that did not prevent the bleeding when wet felting. However, since then I have moved on to acid dyes, which do not bleed. If I was working with young children, I would choose the food dyes or Easter egg dye tablets for safety purposes.
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Post by Shepherdess on May 7, 2014 1:07:19 GMT
Zed I remember people dying eggs with silk ties. you wrap the silk tie around the egg and boil in vinegar water. the dye pattern transferred to the eggs.
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Post by Pandagirl on May 7, 2014 1:19:45 GMT
Ann that sounds really interesting, but I can't imagine using a perfectly good silk tie to do it. :-) Perhaps some Jerry Garcia ties would make for some interesting eggs.
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Post by Shepherdess on May 7, 2014 1:40:03 GMT
I forgot to say I liked the bunny, he looks like he ate a bit to much chocolate.
Marilyn look for garish ones at the second hand store.
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Post by zed on May 7, 2014 10:12:54 GMT
Oh, was that it Ann? That does sound right now you say it! Trust me to get it backwards!
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mindy
Junior Member
Posts: 16
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Post by mindy on Jun 6, 2014 17:17:49 GMT
Hi I have dyed with Wilton's coloring from the jars, and the colors broke terribly, and were way too vibrant for my tastes. I was going for a lavender color, which turned cotton candy pink! Yikes! So today I am going to try it again, only using their liquid food coloring. I am soaking the wool in plain water first to let the air bubbles out. Then will try it in the microwave with the dye, one or two increments, then add the vinegar? I am guessing that is what split the colors?
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Post by MTRuth on Jun 6, 2014 18:04:33 GMT
I usually soak the wool in vinegar water first. The food dyes just don't hold up well to dyeing fiber. I would recommend biting the bullet and buying acid dyes (the acid is just vinegar) and you will be happier with the results. Food dyes and Kool-aid do work but it is hard to get the colors you want and they tend not to be water resistant afterwards so you lose a lot of color.
Good luck and do show us your results - we'd love to see.
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