Wool Dying!

This week I decided to start going through my thrift wools and do some dying. I have a lot of dyes still and I need to use them, so I started with some of the open ones and over dyed a few colors.

Here is the first batch. I was going to go with the pink and do a darker rose shade to mottle them, but I ended up with a muddy color and grabbed some tans to use it on. I like having a lot of variations in darker colors for backgrounds and animals, so they will work great for those. The pink is more of a peachy hue, but it will be nice for flowers or brighter folk art.

Today I tried some mixed textures along with a red plaid. All thrift wools, I have been collecting for years. It didn't come out exactly like I planned but still nice colors. The darkers are always good for buildings and backgrounds and the plaid is more a darker,  purple/red shade and I think it will make a nice halloween background.

Here is the before photo.

And how they look after, not too sure on the plaid, seems a bit scratchy so maybe not 100% wool, but still usable. I also like using wools like that for backgrounds on wool projects and also great for pillows.

I still have lots of go, so a bit at a time. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Needle Felting and Bad Dye Job!

I have been taking it easy, not easy for me, I hate sitting still so much but I know I need to rest my back so it can heal. I am able to move more since I got it snapped, so now it is just a matter of building up my strength without hurting it again. I appreciate all the kind comments and concern from all of you.

I wanted to try a new felted piece so I took a design from my Laurel Burch book, Legends. I love this design and plan on making the quilted wall hanging, I think it will look nice over my painting area in the new room, a bit of ocean and a bit of art.

I used a white wool that I got from joannes, I think it was a thick wool felt, but feels more like a batting since it is spongy, but perfect for felting on. I had to trace the design with large black marker and even then I could only see some lines, but I got the general layout and added the rest myself.

This is the base, I have some tweaking to do and adding more fiber and colors for variation, then I plan on wet felting it, then adding decorative stitching for detail on the wings and other areas. I am hoping to make it into a bag or maybe a sewing case, will see how it comes out, how it shrinks up and what I am in the mood for, when it is finished. I definitely need more colors in my roving stash.

I wanted to use a dark red for the background, as in the original quilt but I did not have any dark red that worked, so, I went with black. There is a think layer on and I will add some blues and pops of colors as I go. Soooooo..... I decided to do some dying today. Dying should not be done in a rush, I used white wool and made up a dark red bath but it came out more like light purple gray, maybe a future animal. I also threw in some bright red and that came out nice, hard to see in a photo but it is dark with lighter hints, so a nice variation and will be nice for a santa suit. I need to get out my dye books and find some good dark reds and also just variations, will be good for Christmas pieces.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will be working on my new piece, and hopefully getting out a bit to explore.

Fabric Dying!

This weekend I decided to make a rag wreath for spring and use up some of my old stash. I had yellows and greens and some pink and blue that I could add for a spring touch but I soon realized that the yellows had white backgrounds and too much showed on the wreath. This wreath will be for the front door so I want it to show up and not be too white or grungy.

These are the yellows I am using, as you can see they are bright, but perfect for a front door. The backs are just too white especially since there is white in the prints.

I decided to try yellow rit dye to darken up the backs and hopefully not destroy the prints on the front. I used about a half bottle to about two yards of fabric and the dye took nicely and didn't ruin the print, but it spotted the backs so some areas are lighter than I wanted. I did read on their site that using salt can help to set the colors more evenly, so I will have to try that next time. All in all it is a good way to darken up white backgrounds with fabrics that are too light and perfect for rag wreaths. Rit Dye has some wonderful tutorials and a color chart, that will give you recipes when you click on a color and shade that you like.

This is how it came out, not as dark as I wanted, but it will still work in the wreath.

I also had two greens that had white backgrounds and since the yellow was gone from the pot, I added some green and did these two pieces. They took the color better and got a darker background so they will work nicely in the wreath. If you would like to learn how to make your own rag wreaths you can visit House of Stars for a tutorial and a beautiful nautical wreath that you can make. Rags-n-Rhinestones has another wonderful tutorial for a country wreath that has buttons and yo yo's as an added touch.

It is hard to see how it actually looks with a camera shot, but the back  has a nice dark green and is not such a contrast to the front, in person. I hope the links inspire you to do your own dying with ugly fabrics and try a scrap wreath.

Walking and Dying in the Sun!

Yes, I had to enjoy one more day out in this beautiful weather. It was warm again, but at least the breezes kept me cooler this time.

I hope you enjoy my walk at Rome Point. It is a wonderful area to walk, trails in the woods and walks on the beaches and coves, so a lot of scenic variety.

Low tide is a great time to go clamming.

The coves are beautiful this time of year and the seagulls were all enjoying a swim in the inlets.

This guy was enjoying a walk on the rocky shores, looking for clams to open. I think he was hoping we would toss him a snack.

Enjoy a short sail on the bay with me.
If you click on the utube icon, you can get a larger version.

I had some extra java solution, so I left it in a pan on the porch. The sun is evaporating the liquids which draws the colors into the cloth. Hopefully it will also set, well enough to stay on when I wash it.

Dying and Stitchery

I decided to try some fabric dying today.
I want to make some simple art style quilts and batik type fabrics.
My first attempt was a bit dark, but still mottled, plus it was on tea stained cotton. The next ones, I used an old white cotten I had, and the colors showed better. I just twisted the cloth, then knotted it and threw it in a pot. I want to keep the colors simple, since I will be using machine stitchery to enhance them. I used red and yellow rit dye to get the shades.



I also finished another stitchery. This one I will paint too. It is a design from Primitive Blessings. I think I would like to do this one in a larger version and use applique for the main design. Today I started a punch with another of Tiffany's designs, it is an experiment, so we shall see how it turns out. I wanted to try some punch, but my hand still hurts, so I will have to take it easy after this one.

More experiments and a new Kitty

I was at it again today. This time I took what was left of some old floss and the pearl cottons I had. I threw them all in a bath together and tried to make my own version of khaki drab.

This is what they looked at before hand.





For the dye, I used rit dyes and one part black, one part blue and about 4 parts yellow. This is what came out of the pot. It lightens as it dries and this is still wet. I also meant to mention, I did two skeins on plastic holders and they came out flat, so twisting is a good way to get varying colors. Another trick is to use a baster to baste the colors on. Once I have dyed them, I rinse a little and then pour vinegar onto the skeins. Then I add a little soap and rinse clean. I have noticed that without vinegar, the colors keep bleeding out, but once I use it, the color stays and rinses clean.

I got some interesting combinations and the pearl cottons will be great for big stitchery on quilts. I finished a piece tonight using some of the purple shades and as soon as I finish mounting it, I will show you how it came out along with some other new pieces I have made.



I got a package in the mail today, I have to treat myself sometimes;) I won a kitty doll set from Miss Pootie's Primitives. Penny makes the most wonderful creations with sayings and I just loved this one. My husband and I area always saying our daughter is like him or I. You could say we each blame each other for her horrible behavior, lol. It is just such a fun piece and she really pays attention to detail. I put her with the books for now, but I will make a special shelf, just for her.

Wonderful Prize and bad dye day

This week, Brenda of Pumpkin Patch Primitives held a contest for those of us in her yahoo group. We had to name the pattern she was working on and the winner got a copy of the pattern. Well, I went through every page on her shop and found it, lol. I couldn't believe I was the first to answer, considering my server was being slow that night.

Today I got my package and I can't believe how quick it came. I was expecting a pattern, but Brenda sent along a package of goodies and all items I love and needed. I have bowl fillers and with the new items, not enough filler, so now I have more pumpkins to add to my mix. I also need prim candles and cannot find good ones around here and she sent me three. Plus, a beautiful bundle of hand dyed wools. All that along with the pattern. I love the pattern and it will be so fun to make. I feel like I won the lottery;) Be sure to check out Brenda's shop. She has great prim patterns from all the best designers, wonderful fabrics and great deals.

Now for those who may have misunderstood my title and thought I had a prize, keep your eyes out on my blog. I am nearing the 100th post and will be doing a contest soon.




I thought I would accomplish something today and pulled out a bunch of wools to over dye. I need lots of black for my big runner and grabbed all different types of thrift wools. Well, so much for my big plans. I only got a small batch that turned black enough to use and the rest would not dye right and was too thin. This is wool, I always check my tags and do the burn test, but for some reason, some wools will not dye right. So, those will go in the craft pile. They are great for backings, penny rugs and I may even use some in a scrap rug. I have another pile in the dryer, and some darkened, but not the right shades of black. I really wanted my runner to be consistent, but being so large, I cannot afford that much new wool. I will use what I have and see what happens;)

In the dye pots: A recipe

I need more blacks for the background of my rug, so I decided to do some dying the other day. I used various shades and then overdyed them with hook book black. Well, the recipe called for dark brown, which I don't have so I used seal brown. It also called for olive green from cushions and I had an olive green from CK so I used my substitutes. I am not sure if it was the wool or the changes, but most of the wools came out darker, but not black.

But, it is a nice recipe so I thought I would share it with everyone.
I do not measure exactly and I do not put a set amount of wool in the pot, I just throw a bit of this and that in, lol.
So, these are estimates and you can try your own experiment.

I used about a half yard of wool. I used 1/4 teaspoon of black, 1/2 tsp of seal brown and 1/2 of olive green. Make sure you heat your water and stir the powders till they are completely dissolved. I add my pre-soaked wool and let it sit in the pot, until the water is almost clear. Then I add about a cup of vinegar. I used procion (C&K Craft) for the black and the olive green and cushing's seal brown.

This recipe can turn light grays into brown, that is what was so great about this experiment. The wool I used here, was white and gray when it started. Now it is a wonderful mix of light to dark browns. This would be great for trees, animals or backgrounds. So, if you do not have an olive green, try another shade of green or substitute the brown and make up your own new color.