Dyeing (Part 1), Goodies and DJ Block

I have been thinking of dyeing some of my fleece with Kool-Aid,for some time. I went online to get instructions, and found some really good ones at this site. I have been unable to contact the owner of the site, to tell her I have linked to her, as there is no email address. I do like to let people know in advance I am talking about, or linking to their site, as it is considerate (netiquette) to do so, but in this case I hope Carol does not mind.

I used Berry Blue Kool-Aid , three packets for just over three ounces of fleece. I mixed up the Kool-Aid(KA) with the vinegar and water (1 cup vinegar to two cups water) and poured it into the crock pot (£5 out of the charity shop!)

 Now Carol said to put on rubber gloves,  as you might end up with blue nails! I did not do that, as I was not going to handle the dyed wool. I got one tiny drip on the counter, and I wiped it up without thinking! Guess who got a blue thumb and finger and a blue nail, all from one drip. The rubber gloves went on there-after!

Before I mixed up the KA, I soaked my fleece in cold water. I had previously soaked it in detergent, to get rid of some of the muck on it. You can see that there is a slight blue tinge, at the bottom of the picture. That is where I tried to clean my blue fingers!!

When I put the fleece in the crockpot, there was not enough liquid to cover the fleece. I mixed up more vinegar and water in the same ratio(1:2) and poured it gently in. I could not mix it really well, as the fleece is not supposed to be agitated, or it will become felted. I thought that this might give me an interesting result ... you will see tomorrow. The picture below shows the fleece in the Kool-Aid. I do not think I could drink this, but it is a lovely colour!

 I cooked the fleece on low in the crockpot until the water was clear and then let it cool overnight. I will show you the results tomorrow. I also started a dyers recipe book, so that I can replicate anything I produce. I used KA at the moment, as I am not sure if commercial dyes will affect my septic tank. Anybody got any info on this? I would like to do some natural dyeing,  but I know the chemicals used for mordents can be hard on the enzymes in the tank.

Thankful Thoughts
We were out last night with friends. We were talking about how the actions of one person can not only affect their lives, but the lives of everybody about them. I thought about this when I went home and realised how much Rosa had affected my life. If she had not offered chunks or chunkettes of Civil War fabric as a giveaway, I would not have commented on her blog. She would not have posted about my sister dying on various newsgroups, and I would not have received such a wonderful amount of material, goodies and well wishes from people all over the world. I would not have started a Dear Jane quilt, and my patchwork skill would not be improving so much. I have been in contact with such wonderful people. My sister would have been tickled pink that this has happened. It is just wonderful. I received a lovely, surprise packet from Rosa again, and today she was emailing me, as I had been quiet for a little while. What a wonderful friend!!

Below is the latest DJ block - J4 - Adelaine's Apron Strings - a very easy one, because I am struggling with two others, which refuse to piece together properly. If they think they are going to win, they will have to think again!

Till tomorrow!!

tich