| Fig.
#1: The wool strips used were made up of natural Dorr wool plus some recycled
off-white wools to achieve a variety of colours and textures. Put your woolen
strips in soapy water for at least an hour or more so they will soak up the dye easily. Liquid dish detergent works great
for soaking wools. A 3” x 12” strip is an ideal strip but not always
possible when using recycled material. Chose your wool colours such as white, off-white, natural, buff or light beige,
etc., and you will have a variety of colours in your swatches.
Fig. #2: Fill your dye pot with the
onion skins; add lots of water to cover generously. Heat till very hot but not
boiling. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of citrus acid and stir with a wooden dying spoon.
White vinegar can also be used but I find the citrus acid is faster.
Fig # 3: Next add your soapy wool
to the pot. Layer them evenly for the first few minutes to start the dying process
and then stir them into the onion skins. This stirring creates the molted effects. If you do not prefer this effect and want even
colour strips, then do one strip at a time and remove from pot as you achieve the value you want.
Fig #4: Enjoy the magic of watching the wool soak up the dye to create beautiful colours. When the water is clear that is the sign that the wool has soaked up all the dye. However, if you have achieved the colours you want and there is still dye left, save the dye in the fridge
and a few days later try using other light colours of wool colours to make a variety in the values and colours. The weaker values make good highlights or can be used to create distance in pictorials.
Fig #5: As the wool was mixed in
with the onions, it is a good ideal to put them through the rinse cycle then in the dryer to fluff up. One can also do this
procedure by rinsing by hand and hanging on the line.
Fig #6: The above colours are ready
for hooking. It’s that simple. How
you use them is up to your imagination. A few suggestions would be in a red fox,
cat, squirrel, paths, tiles, dried grasses, fall oak leaves. The list is endless.
Use this method for red onion skins. Enjoy. |
