How To Mix Needle Felt Wool Colors

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Wool felting is a great way to create unique accessories, such equally hats or bags. Some people cull to dye their wool before felting it, but others prefer to dye it later on. The most popular method is with material dye because the results are colorfast. If your project won't get wet, yet, you can attempt the simpler method involving food coloring instead.

1
Soak up to 1 pound (454 g) of white, felted wool in warm water. The wool needs to exist damp before you dye information technology, otherwise it won't pick up the color. The wool doesn't need to soak for a specific amount of fourth dimension, so you can prepare the water and dye in the meantime.
- Gently squeeze the wool under the water. This ensures that information technology soaks up the h2o evenly.
- For best results, use white felted wool. You tin can try off-white, ivory, or a very pale grayness, but be enlightened that the dye won't come out exactly the way it looks on the parcel.
- You tin can dye less than 1 pound (454 g) of wool, simply yous shouldn't dye more than using this recipe.
2
Bring 1 gallon (three.8 50) of water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Set a large pot on the stove and fill it with 1 gallon (three.viii Fifty) of h2o. Bring the water to a boil over loftier heat, then reduce it to a simmer. Depending on your stove, this will be between low and medium-depression oestrus.^[1]
- For all-time results, use a stainless steel pot. Aluminum and copper pots sometimes react to fabric dyes.
- Do not employ the pot for cooking again. If you lot need to, buy a cheap pot at a thrift store or garage sale.
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Stir in your textile dye. How much dye y'all employ depends on the shade you want to get. In lodge to become the shade that'due south on the bundle, plan on using i/two bottle of liquid cloth dye or 1 packet of powdered fabric dye. Alternatively, you can use a sugar-free, powdered drink mix, such as Kool Aid.
- You lot tin also use less dye for a lighter shade, if y'all prefer.
- Shake bottled dye offset; this ensures that the dye particles dissolve properly.
- One packet of powdered drink mix is enough to dye an viii ¹⁄_two by xi in (22 by 28 cm) sheet of wool. Be aware that it may non be colorfast.
4
Add ane cup (240 mL) of white vinegar, so stir the dye for 2 minutes. Fabric dye needs extra acid in order to stick to wool, so the vinegar is a must. Once you add the vinegar, stir the dye bathroom with a wooden spoon. Again, make sure that y'all won't employ this spoon for cooking again.^[2]
- Some wool crafters recommend adding vinegar to powdered drink mix dyes. This will help the color adhere to the wool meliorate.
5
Add the wool into the pot and submerge it completely. Over again, you can only dye upward to 1 pound (454 g) of wool. If you want to dye more wool, you will have to prepare another dye batch. If yous endeavor to cram also much wool into your pot, you won't get a consistent color.^[three]
- The wool will want to float to the summit, and then push it down with your wooden spoon.
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Simmer the wool for up to thirty minutes, stirring it occasionally. The longer you leave the wool in the dye, the deeper the color will be. Afterward 30 minutes, it should reach the darkest color possible, which is the colour on the packaging.^[4]
- If you want an even darker color, you'll accept to add together some blackness or brown dye.
- If you desire a lighter shade, pull the wool out sooner.
seven
Rinse the wool in plain water for five minutes or until the water runs clear. Employ your spoon or a pair of kitchen tongs to pull the wool out of the dye. Rinse the wool under clear, running water until the water turns clear--nearly 5 minutes.^[5]
- If you need to handle the wool with your hands, put on a pair of gloves starting time, or the dye will stain your hands.
8
Clasp the excess water out, then allow the wool to air dry. The best way to dry the wool is to spread it out on a dry towel, and leave information technology alone for 1 hour.^{[half dozen]} Alternatively, yous can set information technology downwards on a wire cooling rack, but be aware that this may go out behind an banner.
- Wire cooling racks are best reserved for smaller pieces of felt. Movement the felt around oftentimes as information technology dries, otherwise the wire grid will exit creases.
- If the wool came out wrinkled, iron it using the cool or wool setting on your atomic number 26.
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1
Fill a shallow pan with plenty water to embrace your wool. Choose a large baking pan, such as a jelly curl pan or rimmed baking canvass. Pour just plenty water into information technology to cover your wool. Different the other method, you can reuse your pan for cooking because the food coloring is edible.^[7]
- For example, if your wool is ^ane⁄₈ inch (0.32 cm) thick, brand the water ¹⁄₈ inch (0.32 cm) deep.
- Exist aware that this method is not colorfast. The colour volition come out if the wool gets wet. This method is best for craft projects that won't go wet, like figurines.
2
Soak your wool in warm water, then squeeze the excess water out. Your wool can be the same size equally the pan or smaller. How much you end up using depends on the size of your pan. You lot should be able to spread the wool out in the pan without crumpling information technology.^[8]
- For best results, employ white wool. Off-white, ivory, or stake gray may besides work.
three
Add a few drops of liquid nutrient coloring into the water. You tin can use merely ane color, or you can use two colors. If you cull ii colors, make sure that they become together. They will mix to some extent. How many drops you add is up to you, but try to coat most of the surface.^[9]
- The more dye you use, the deeper the color will be.
- For example, bluish and yellow work well together, because they make green. Regal and xanthous don't work well because they make chocolate-brown.
iv
Swirl the drops together until you get the look y'all want. How much y'all swirl the drops together is up to you. Y'all can swirl the drops together completely to create a solid colour, or you tin can swirl them together lightly to create a marbled or tie-dye effect.^[10]
- You can swirl the drops together with a spoon, a toothpick, or even your finger! If y'all use your finger, information technology might be a good idea to wear a plastic glove.
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Prepare the felt into the pan and press downwards on it. Make sure that you press downwardly firmly plenty so that the water soaks through the felt. Exercise not move the felt effectually, specially if you simply slightly swirled the drops together.^[11]
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Accept the felt out of the pan and blot off the backlog h2o. Set the felt downwards on a towel, then gently dab the backlog water off with a make clean towel. Be aware that the food coloring may stain the towels, and then it'due south all-time not to use any that you care virtually.^[12]
- If you don't take whatsoever towels that tin can become stained, use newspaper towels instead.
- Yous don't need to soak the felt for a specific flow of time--as long as the felt is soaked through, you can move on to the adjacent step.
7
Let the felt to air dry. Yous can utilise a wire cooling rack, but you will need to move the felt around often, otherwise the wires volition create an imprint.^[13] Alternatively, you tin set it downwards on a make clean towel to dry out. It will take nearly 1 hour for the wool to dry out.
- If the wool is wrinkled, y'all can iron it with the cool or wool setting on your iron.
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Exist gentle when squeezing the water out. If you wring it too much, you may cause the wool to felt more and shrink.
Use a steel pot; don't employ aluminum or copper. These metals sometimes react with the dyes.^[14]
Some dyes don't turn out vibrant enough on wool. In this instance, only dye it again, or double the amount of dye for the next batch.^[xv]