Dying Fleece: Experiment 1

 Hello my lovelies! 

Today's post is going to be slightly different as I'm going to show you my first ever attempt at dying fleece. I got this idea when I was at the Spinners, Weavers and Dyers show and I could see that lots of the artists were selling hand-dyed fleece or wool. I thought this was a lovely idea as you have total control over the colour and you're always going to get a different effect. 

At the show there was a stand selling dyes and the company is 'Hue & Dye'. They were very helpful and answered any questions I had so I purchased an Acid Dye Starter Kit as I had never used this type of dye before.

Acid Dye Starter Kit

Inside the kit there was everything I needed to start right away.

Content of Starter Kit

The kit included 3 pots of dye of my choice, instructions, citric acid, gloves, measuring spoon and an apron.

PREPARING THE FLEECE

The leaflet said that the fleece would need to be soaked before application of the dye. This is because the dye cannot bind properly or have lasting power without acidity.

Firstly, I measured out roughly 50grams of fleece.

I then set that aside and calculated the amount of citric acid, salt and water I would need to create the soaking solution. For 50g of fleece I would need 1tsp of citric acid, 1/2 tsp of salt and 3 pints of water.

I added all these ingredients into a bowl with the water and then added the fleece. I used hot water so I was careful not to agitate the fleece too much as warm water + agitation = felt!

Adding Soaking Ingredients

Fleece Added to Soaking Solution


The instructions said to leave it to soak for at least 45 mins, however I had to do other things so I left mine for about 2hours.

Once it had soaked I drained off the excess solution until it was still wet but not dripping.

Drained Fleece After Soaking

DYING THE FLEECE

Next came the fun bit, mixing the dyes. 

To make up the solution I put 1/2 tsp of the dye powder into a measuring cup and added a small amount of water to form a paste.

Next, I added 1 cup of water to the paste to form the solution, I then poured the solution onto the fleece. 

I then repeated this will all of the other colours as I wanted a variegated effect.

I then moved the fleece around the dye solution to make sure it was all covered. 

COOKING THE FLEECE

The next step was to 'cook' the fleece on the hob for about 20-30mins. It needed to simmer and not boil. I transferred my fleece and dye into a contained with a lid.

I then put it on a low heat.

  

Once the fleece had 'cooked' I drained it off and rinsed out the excess dye with warm water, again being careful not to agitate the fleece too much. 

The final step was to wrap in clingfilm and then leave to dry naturally!

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience even thought I didn't achieve the variegated effect I was going for. This was entirely my own fault but as I said this was my first time and was an experiment.

I will certainly be purchasing more dyes from this company in the future and would recommend them, they are so helpful and knowledgeable. 

The company I use is called 'DT Craft & Design' and the dyes are 'Hue & Dye'. Debbie, the lady who runs the company is lovely and gives some really good advice!

Website: http://www.dtcrafts.co.uk/

Debbies Blog (please visit, she's lovely): http://www.hueanddye.co.uk/

Email: Info@dtcraft.co.uk

Tel: 0161 718 3818

Lucy x