Sunday, April 8, 2007

Dying Wool Felt with Food Dye



There are many ways to dye felt and this is one of my favorites:

Fill a large pot 2/3 full with water and put on stove (on high).
Add 1/2 cup white vinegar.
Dissolve a small amount of Wilton icing tint paste in a cup of hot water.
Add dye to pot.
Pre-wet felt in warm water and then add to the pot. Let felt simmer.
The felt will absorb most of the dye.
Remove from pot, rinse, and squeeze out excess water.
Dry in the dryer

The tint paste comes in loads of colors and is available in any craft store that carries cake decorating supplies. It is non-toxic and very easy to use.

8 comments:

Aleta said...

I found you through Everyday is a Holiday!! Sweet!! I'm wondering if this dyeing technique will work on mohair? Hmmmm. I'll have to give it a go. Thank you for sharing!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Joyce said...

Beautiful yummy colors~ love them!

Angie said...

Thanks so much for this information. I've dyed with some natural materials and kool aid but never thought of using food dye. And it makes so much sense! I love the subtle colors you can achieve using this method.

In your experience, how fast are these colors? Do some last longer than others?

Thanks for the blog. Your dolls are beautiful and your fabric choices outstanding..I'll be back.

Best-
Angie in WA
http://islandhearthandhandicrafts.blogspot.com

Barrie Hamby said...

Hi Angie,
I find the dye to be very colorfast. The felt is 100% wool so that may play a part in it though. The colors are subtle because I didn't use much dye but you can achieve very vibrant by using less water and more dye. I was just aiming for pastels that day.

Thanks,
Berrie (in the next island up!)

Anonymous said...

I am afraid of the dryer step, won't that just leave dye in my machine to stain the next load? Tips? Hints? Am I just being silly?

Barrie Hamby said...

You can certainly hang the felt to dry if you are not comfortable putting it in the dryer. I like the feel of the felt after it has been dried in the dryer. It is color fast though. I have never had the color run in the dryer.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to try this method with a custom wizard hat that was made with grey felt, as the costume it is for requires a green look

What measurements would you suggest for the procedure?

Sarah said...

This sounds fantastic!

I found this because I was searching to see if you could dry felt in the drier, can you tell me please, does it shrink the felt?

Also about how long does it take to dye the felt this way?

Thank you very much! Off to read your blog now :)