April 07, 2008

hadpainted felt and other stuff

Thanks for the lovely comments on the 2 elementals:)
BW The handpainted felt. I either make my own cream felt from fibres or lately I use some that I picked up on a roll which paints and dyes beautifully. I have a 10metre roll left of it, it is a wool/acrylic mix and very soft. I soak the pieces of felt in washing soda for an hour.Used to buy soda ash but washing soda is the same only much much cheaper.
Then I have my little yoghurt pots of procion dyes made up with a little hot water, from these I either
1/ squirt the various colours onto the felt which I've put inplastic bags, squidge them around so the colours intermingle
or
2/ take different size brushes usually pretty broad and soft and literally paint the colours on to the felt.This I wrap in cling film or recycled carrier bag, squidge a little wrap up.
I leave all of them for 24 hours then rinse til clear.
I also do the plastic bag method but throw various colours in squidge together and see what happens. I don't follow a colour wheel too much, only if I need particular colours. I feel that the excitement of not knowing what you will get is far more fun:))
I've just done the carrier bag thing with a couple of cheesecloth/cotton skirts I picked up in the charity shop. Also some new white socks for Mr Mog have been moggied. He hates plain white so all his socks/undies and mine get the plastic bag treatment before wearing. Pictures of socks/skirts tomorrow when theya re dry
Weary today, I went to bed around 8.30 last night as I was in so much pain and I don't feel any better today. Sometimes I think early nights make me much worse. Mr Mog has been quite low past couple of days. I think the daily treatment routine is getting to him. We are in single figures now though, just 9 more to go:))

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I shall try that out soon, thank you.

Are you using Procion Acid dyes or Procion MX?

I've just bought some of each (primary - dye - colours so I can hopefully mix the rest) but haven't tried them out yet (used them at a class last summer and only just went somewhere where I could get some off the shelf) and I haven't quite worked out exactly what to use each sort for. If it was just wool I'd use Acid (wouldn't I?) but with the acrylic in with the wool too I'm not sure? And MX are for cotton?

I also haven't yet discovered how long they will keep once you make the powder into liquid?

Last time I did serious dyeing it was with natural dyes and Dylon. There are so many chocies on the market now!

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