A couple of week-ends ago our Rug Hooking group got together to have a wool dyeing workshop. More experienced members were kind enough to teach us newbies how to create beautiful colored wool to hook into our rugs. Fun was had by all, mistakes were made & learned from...especially by me. Having about 14 hookers running madly around a kitchen with hot water & dye tends to create a bit of confusion...my mishap turned into a beautiful piece of rich reddish wool...perfect for fall leaves.
Above a dye solution is mixed to create a wandering pattern. Precise measurements, timing & a prepared work surface are important.
One color dye bath...
Second color dye solution...
Adding the second color dye solution...
Adding the third color dye solution...the wool must simmer for a certain time between each added color.
Above is a photo of dip dyeing...a process where you create multicolored swatches.
First you dye the wool one color(the gold)...then you create another dye bath with a contrasting color(the green)...then slowly dip your wool in & out of the dye bath. Practice is definably recommended.
Practice makes perfect.
Explaining various ways to achieve a mottled look in wool. Fabric swatches can be ordered from various dye companies to help you in your color planning.
Equipment is set out, techniques, rules & recipes are discussed.
A good example of what can be achieved when using the recipe for a spotted/mottled look in your wool.
Below is a set of three dye solutions used to create a spotted mottled look.
Wool must be laid out flat in the pan, crinkled, scrunched with even valleys & peaks.
Dye is then spooned on evenly.
A second color
A third color.
Finished adding the dyes.
Then you have to gently squish the wool to blend the colors a bit & to make sure there will be no white spots left in the wool.
Off to the oven to cook for a while. After heating the wool is ready to be rinsed & dried...ready to use in a new project.
A few gals try their hand at dyeing.
Recipes are looked up & swatches examined.
The results of our dyeing workshop.
The results of our dyeing workshop.
Thanks so much to all for an enjoyable day...great food & great company!
Cheerio, Susan
oh my it looks like so much fun and the colors of the wool are fabulous
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing Ginger
It's so great to see pictures! I can't imagine 14 women in a kitchen all dyeing! It must have been a blast!!
ReplyDeleteGreat results..... and it doesn't even look like you messed up the kitchen! LOL!
Thanks for sharing this...... great photo work!
Cathy G
Wow...this was really nice to see just how involved it is, but it does look like fun & your finished pieces of wool look great ! Think I'll stick to buying it already dyed !
ReplyDeleteWow! That looks hard but fun too! You must have had a great time there.
ReplyDeleteVery creative!
Hugs,
Terri
What a wonderful blog to accidently run into. I've joined your followers and I'm glad to see my blogger friend, Orange Sink here too.
ReplyDeleteI love this dyeing tutorial. It must have been so much fun. The mice are absolutely adorable and I love your title. Looking forward to reading more of your blog. JB
Love this post. What fun it looks like. The results are really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I would love to take a class like that! How fun!
ReplyDeleteYour pieces are gorgeous!
xx, shell
Oooh, pretty! So happy I found your blog today..I'm a new follower. Your wool looks just lovely..you'd never guess it was your first attempt :)
ReplyDelete~Debbie
I just stumbled onto your blog and I find your post about wool dyeing very interesting. What sort of dye are you using? I dye cotton with procion. I love mottled and multicolored results.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful and interesting...Turned out so vivid and pretty.
ReplyDeleteHi how long did you leave the wool in the oven and what temps. Thanks so much. Ro
ReplyDeleteWow thank you for posting this. I am going to share the link on my dimensional rug hooking blog. I am a visual person and have shared some great photos and information here.
ReplyDelete