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| Here's the book I use as basic information: "The Complete Natural Dyeing Guide" by Marie Sugar, published by Rug Hooking Magazine. |
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| I began by gathering the marigold flower heads. |
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| As you can see by the measuring lines on the pan, I gathered about 4 cups. |
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| Spread out a piece of cheesecloth and place your flowers there. |
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| Use some string and tie the cloth tightly into a bag. |
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| Place the bag of flowers in a pan and fill with water to cover. |
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| Weight the bag with a saucer and I put a rock on top to hold the flowers under water. Wait 24 hours before going on to the next step. |
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| Fill a large pan with water and squirt in some wetting agent per directions. If you don't have any you can squirt in a few drops of dish detergent BUT you'll have to let it set overnight because the fiber must be thoroughly wet. Since I use the Wetter Than Wet, I could proceed in 10 minutes. [NOTE: I am told that Jet Dry works just as well as Wetter Than Wet as a wetting agent, but I couldn't verify this.] |
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| Here's what the bottle looks like; I order this product online. |
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| So here's the wool I'm using, soaking for 10 minutes in the wetting agent. |
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| Meanwhile, I removed the wool from the pan and here I am adding 2 t. alum and... |
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| 1 t. cream of tartar to the pot of water. This is the mordant that makes the dye "take". |
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| Stir well to dissolve the alum and cream of tartar. |
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| Add the wool and stir. |
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| Turn up the heat and simmer uncovered for one hour over low temp. |
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| Cover and let sit for 24 hours. (Since I don't have a lid that fits this pan, I use foil.) |
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| Next day, remove the wool from the mordant water and gently squeeze (don't wring) the wool. Rinse out the pan. |
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| Pour your marigold water and bag of flowers into your large pot. |
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| Squeeze the bag of flowers to release as much of the "dye" as possible. |
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| Throw the bag back in and add water that you think will cover your fabric. Simmer this mixture for one hour. |
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| Meanwhile, rinse the wool in warm water. |
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| After the one hour, add the fabric to your dye pot and stir. You can either leave the flower bag in the pot or not at your discretion. Simmer for 1 hour uncovered. |
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| Cover and let sit 24 hours. |
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| Remove your fabric from the dye bath and rinse well in warm water. Not too hot or not too cold; you don't want to "felt" your wool. |
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| I dried the wool in the dryer with a load of jeans. Here's the finished product. |
If you have any questions, email me. My email address is in the "Welcome" section on the right.
