Before & After Overdeying
Hooked Easter basket wrap
Today is the day that most folks are dyeing Easter eggs. When you walk into my kitchen, you smell that familiar vinegar and simmering water, but if you peek in the pots on the stove, you won't find eggs! Overdyeing wool -- that's what I am up to today. The other day, I dyed some wonderful soft spring colors (not my usual deep primitive shades) to use in my hooked Easter basket wrap. I used one of my favorite Longaberger baskets and created a tie-on wrap to convert it to a basket I can use on my Easter table. See the pic?
So, what's the attraction in overdyeing wool? Why don't I just buy the color I want to begin with? Truth is, you just can't always find the exact color you need, or you have found some great bargains on recycled woolens at the local thrift shop but they aren't the colors you need either. You have several red wools that you want to use in the same piece, but they really don't coordinate as well as you'd like. So in all these cases, you can get out the dyes and change them! If you have not tried overdyeing, don't wait any longer. It's simple to do, just a bit time consuming, but oh so worth the effort. Here's the basics ( you can find these same steps but with photos to further explain the process, on my web site here:) How To Overdye Wool
Step 1 - Gather Your Equipment.
IMPORTANT CAUTION: Only use these tools for dying -- do not use again for food preparation.
Step 2 - Select & Soak the Wool
Step 3 - Prepare the Dye Bath
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Select your favorite dye pot and fill it about 2/3 full of water.
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Add a Tablespoon of uniodized salt, which helps the dye absorb evenly.
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Put the pot on the stove & allow it to come to temperature; bring the water just to the boiling point, then turn down to a simmer before you add the dye and wool to the pot.
Just a note here about my favorite pots -- I use an old enamelware pot to soak my wool and I use both stainless steel and enamelware to dye in. My enamelware pot is an old slop pot I bought at an antique shop (don't pay over $20.00 for these -- not worth more than that). I like it because it has a lid and a sturdy bail handle. My larger pot is stainless steel and I love it too because I can dye a lot of wool at one time in it -- it is 20 quarts.
Step 4 - Prepare the Dye
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Wear rubber gloves, and prepare the dye according to the manufacturer's directions. I use Cushing Acid dyes, ProChem dyes for wool, & Aljo dyes - they each have their own prep directions.
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In general, you'll add the dye to one cup of boiling water (commonly abbreviated as 1 CBW). Dye recipes can include three or more dye colors to be mixed together in the boiling water to achieve the color for dying. To prevent the dye colors from intermixing, stir your measuring spoon in a container of salt to remove left-over dye between colors.
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Use a small whisk or a plastic fork to thoroughly mix the dry dye until it is completely dissolved.
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When the dye bath is at the simmer, add the dye mixture to the pot and stir gently.
Step 5 - Dye the Wool
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Add the pre-soaked wool to the dye bath (do not wring the water from the wool). Push the wool to the bottom of the pot, without allowing any wool to poke above the water line.
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For primitive, mottled color, stir the wool gently only when it first goes into the pot. For more even color, stir when you add the wool, and several times throughout the dye process.
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Cover the pot and leave it for 30 minutes.
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Check the wool to see if it is the color intensity you want (it will be lighter when it is dry). If the color is right, add about 1/3 cup of white vinegar to the pot and stir thoroughly.
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Cover the pot again and allow the vinegar to set the dye into the wool. Leave for 30 more minutes (I know some only simmer with the vinegar for 15 minutes, but to be sure the wool is color fast, you should leave it for another 30 minutes.)
Step 6 - Rinse the Wool
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Carefully move the dye bath from the stove to the sink. Wear protective gloves to prevent being burned.
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Slowly cool the wool by running first warm, then tepid, then cool water over the wool. Do not go immediately from hot bath to cold rinse or you could felt your wool, making it too thick for hooking.
You can also just turn off the fire under the pot and allow the wool to cool in the dye pot overnight. I usually can't wait that long to see the wool!
Step 7 - Rinse & Dry the Dyed Wool
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Remove each piece of wool from the cooled dye pot and wring out excess water.
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I rinse & spin the wool in my washing machine -- just using the rinse cycle on cold.
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Put the wool into your automatic dryer with a bath towel and a dryer sheet and allow to dry on medium heat.
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Open the dryer and be surprised at how beautiful your wool turned out!
So, go ahead and give overdyeing a try. Next time, I'll tell you how to change the color of wool without dye--too cool!
***Happy Hooking and Happy Easter***