Dyeing Fabric

The Mississippi River Valley Chapter of EGA had an interesting challenge for the group this year. We were given a large piece of Hardanger fabric and challenged to make something with it. I knew exactly what I was going to do with it! My beloved sister-in-law is a minister and has been desiring a Hardanger stole. The fabric was perfect except for one thing-it was white and she wanted a green stole. (And I now know it is too short, but I will deal with that later.)

I did not want to use green thread on the white fabric so I needed to dye the stuff. The only problem was it is wool. (Very soft!) A friend had some dye but it was a cold water dye for cotton and linens. Here is a picture of it: I was given an extra piece of fabric to experiment with so I decided to try it. It took less than a teaspoon of dye to color the vat green:

I added 3 tablespoons of salt to activate the dye and allowed the fabric to soak overnight. Then I added baking soda to neutralize and set the dye. Then I rinsed the piece in cold water. To set the dye I heated my iron to high and while the piece was still wet, I ironed it. The kids said it stunk! (Think wet sheep!) Anyway, it seemed to work. I know my sister-in-law won't be getting the finished piece wet or dirty, but I did wash a small piece to make sure the color stayed. It did so I think I am ready to look for threads. Here is a photo:

I will probably use Impressions, but want to go to my LNS to check colors.