How-to: Overdye Upcycled Felted Wool to Create Custom Colors

gently handle a finished piece to overdye itIf you’re overdyeing a finished piece, as I am, then be especially mindful that you don’t felt it even more with water that’s too hot  or warp it under its own weight as it become saturated with liquid. I laid my felted wool Christmas trees nicely in the colander attachment to my dye pot to dye them, turned them carefully by hand, and set them back up straight to drain.

Notice that these dyed trees are still pretty dark–that’s because they’re wet. They’ll lighten up considerably once I’ve rinsed them and they’ve air-dried.

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5 thoughts on “How-to: Overdye Upcycled Felted Wool to Create Custom Colors”

  1. Thank you for sharing this technique. I’m wondering since the trees were rinsed and not washed, if there would be a problem w/color fastness…would the overdye bleed if they were placed on a tablecloth or other cloth surface? This is definitely a technique I will consider as I am rummaging through old wool sweaters!

    1. There would be a problem with color-fastness if the trees got wet. Three solutions:
      1) Whenever possible, overdye your felted wool before you create with it. I only overdyed a finished project because it was a craft emergency!
      2) If it’s a decorative object, like my felted wool trees on a cloth tablecloth, glue something waterproof to the bottom of the object, such as a piece of an old plastic grocery bag.
      3) Hand-wash the object, which will allow you to completely rinse away excess dye as well as keep the finished object sound.

  2. Pingback: Crafting a Green World | Crafty Christmas Projects for Upcycling Old Sweaters | Page: 1 | Crafting a Green World

  3. Pingback: Wool Felt Thread and Felting –wool challenge « easy sewing projects, beginner sewing projects, sewing techniques, tips on sewing,

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