I love to dye fiber with food coloring. It isn’t as hazardous as dying with professional dyes because it is food grade and doesn’t contain heavy metals like chromium, cobalt, nickel, or copper. Food coloring is also easy to find at my grocery store. For this project I’m using a four pack of Wilton Gel Food Color. Also, every spring, I pick up a couple packs of discount Easter Egg Dye. Then, I have a fiber dying party in my kitchen!
Check out my video to see the whole process from start to finish. You can also see the process I used step by step written down below.
Materials
Dye:
PAAS Color Cups (These were the standard PAAS egg dye tablets)
Wilton Gel Food Color 4 Pack Magenta, Orange, Teal, Purple
Fiber:
Hand Spun Wool Yarn: 8 oz
Suri Alpaca: 4 oz
New Zealand Wool Roving: 2 oz
Panda (Superwash Merino 60%, Bamboo 30%, Nylon 10%): 1 oz
Mohair: 1 oz
Easter Mystery Fiber: 1 oz
Other Materials Needed:
Water
White Vinegar
Plastic Wrap
Pot with steaming basket
Bowls
A pokey stick
Step 1
Soak the fiber in water mixed with vinegar. I added ¼ cup of vinegar per 8 oz of fiber with enough water to cover the fiber by a couple inches. The wool especially will soak up the water and expand. Leave it for at least 20 minutes until the fiber is saturated.
Step 2
Prepare the fiber by placing plastic wrap on a working surface. Lay out each fiber on the plastic wrap with extra plastic wrap around the edges. I put handfuls of suri alpaca into each of the PAAS Magical Color Cups.
Step 3
Add the dye. I placed the PAAS egg dye tablets around the skein of handspun yarn. and dripped the Wilton food color over the other luxury fiber…the wool roving, panda top, mohair, and mystery fiber. The suri was already in the color cups with the dye.
Step 4
Spread the dye around by adding water until the dye dissolves and saturates the fiber. I added extra vinegar to the PAAS Easter egg dye tablets because they contain Baking Soda which neutralizes the vinegar. An acidic environment is required for the fiber to take up the color of the dye. You can also gently poke the fiber with a pokey stick (I used a wood shish kabob skewer.)
Step 5
Roll up the fiber into little plastic wrapped packets and put them into a steaming basket in a pot with water on the bottom. Bring the water up to a boil, cover, and set the timer for 30 minutes. It’s a good idea to check on it after 10 minutes to make sure it is steaming.
Step 6
Remove the fiber from the heat. I leave the packets in the steaming basket until they are cool enough for me to touch with my bare hands. Be safe! Don’t burn yourself on the steam!
*Tip
This is the time when accidental felting is the most likely to happen. Do not agitate the fiber when it is steamy. Also, don’t shock it with temperature changes by trying to rinse the fiber too soon with a cooler temperature. Patience is key. Let it cool on its own.
Step 7
Rinse the fiber. I gently dunk the fiber into room temperature water in a bowl and look for any dye coming off into the water. I repeat until the water is completely clear. I don’t run water over the top of my fiber because it is more difficult to control and I don’t want any agitation to accidentally felt the fiber.
Step 8
I spin the fiber in a salad spinner to remove all the excess water. Then I lay it in the sun to dry.
Step 9
Admire your beautiful fiber in all its lovely colors!
*Troubleshoot
If it looks like your fiber did not take the dye, add some more vinegar and try to steam set the fiber for another 30 minutes. Don’t start the timer until the steam is going. Also, the dye will not be set until the fiber is steamed so don’t judge the outcome until the full process is complete.
That is how it is done! Tag @jillianevefa on Twitter or Instagram if you dye your fiber with food color or Easter egg dye. I would love to see your creations. If you have any questions, drop a comment down below and I’ll try to help you out the best I can.
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Have you used food coloring to dye your fiber? How did you like your results?