I really like painting fiber. It’s a nice method because you can dye a ton of different colors while using only one dye pot. It’s really great for days when I’m trying to dye multiple pounds of wool at a time.
A few notes about painting fiber:
- If you are dying some dark colorways and some light ones, do the dark ones first so they are at the bottom of the pot.
- If you are dying a colorway that has light and dark colors you want separated, fold your saran wrapped fiber so that the light color is on top. Otherwise, the dark colors will leak all over the light parts. It helps if you lay your fiber out with this plan in mind.
| Step 1-3 | Repeat steps 1-3 from the immersion method.
Instead of a regular dye pot, you need something that will steam the fiber. A canning pot works well. I use a steamer pot that I think is meant for tamales.
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| Step 4 |  Cover your work area with newspapers and Saran wrap.
I find that it’s worth it not to cheap out and buy a store brand here. The name brand Saran wrap holds together better and doesn’t melt as easily. It makes a huge difference in clean up. |
| Step 5 |  Prepare the dye
Figure out the appropriate amount of dye and add it to the appropriate amount of water. 3/4 of a cup of water per ounce of fiber seems about right for me. I usually throw a little bit of vinegar in with the dye. I like to use clear plastic cups to mix my dyes. You can mix the colors at this time and test them out on paper To achieve bright colors, I use 3% weight of fiber for professional dyes (3ml of solution to 100 grams of fiber), or 3 packets of Kool-Aid to 1 ounce of fiber. |
| Step 6 |  Paint the fiberGently wring out the fiber. If your fiber is too wet, the dye won’t sink in. You don’t want you fiber making pools on the saran wrap.
Lay your wetted fiber out on the Saran wrap. Then you can pour the dye onto the fiber and squish it around a bit with your fingers, or use a sponge brush to apply it more precisely. Be aware the neighboring colors will mix and may or may not end up ugly. |
| Step 7 |  Wrap it all up.
I forget to do this a lot, but you are supposed to spray your fiber with acid before you wrap it. I have vinegar in a little spray bottle for when I remember. This usually isn’t too big of a problem because I add vinegar to the dye/water mix before I apply it to the fiber. Sop up any obvious excess dye puddles and wrap your fiber neatly into a little package. Then put it into a zip lock bag and put it in the steam pot. You can layer several bags in a steam pot, just be sure to put the darkest colors on the bottom in case anything leaks. I let my fiber steam for about an hour, then, if nothing is leaking horribly, I let it cool off overnight. Those little baggies hold heat really well, so be very careful not to burn yourself. It also takes a really long time for them to cool off to the point where they will not felt in the rinse. |
| Step 8-10 |  Follow steps 7-9 from the immersion method
I seem to have a lot more excess dye when I paint, so I usually have to rinse more than once. Check out my gallery for some examples of hand painting. |
