*  We are still experiencing a shortage of natural bamboo velour. The velour is in stock now, but it is not expected to last through January, if you are thinking of getting some, now is the time.

*  The wool blend is ready and waiting to ship. We have good stock and should continue to have stock through Valentines Day. The 100% extra soft interlock is about out, I may have a weeks worth on hand. We have ordered more and expect that April 1st.

*  We have a beautiful selection of wool jersey in both natural and colors, if you haven’t tried wool jersey before, now is the time. It is a very versatile fabric that works well for diaper covers, tops, dresses, and outer wear accessories.

-Jeanne

This month we are featuring an article on how to dye wool fabrics.  In order to be successful, wool needs a lot of heat to really absorb and hold the color.

When I dye wool, I felt it first then dye it. That is just my preference. Wash warm, rinse cold and dry hot. Do that twice. The blend will shrink a lot. Like about 13″ to the yard. I recently washed 3 yards and I was left with just a bit over 2 yards.

Here is what I do. I put the pot of water on the stove and add the dye. Stir in the dye and let it go a bit. Then I toss in the DRY wool. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. Really, a boil. You don’t have to stir a lot while waiting for the boil. I stir now and then, but nothing wild.

Once it is boiling, I add 1 cup of vinegar, while stirring like mad. (Be very careful not to have your pot too full, when you add the vinegar it will boil up a lot. I recently over boiled the pan and it shorted out the stove. My $50 longies almost became $200 longies). I stir about 5 minutes and then see if there is still color in the water. I take out a clear measuring cup full of hot water to see if it is clear. If it isn’t, I add more vinegar, stirring like mad again. It should clear after 5-10 minutes. If not, more vinegar. You can also let the pot cool on the stove, as it cools the water will clear.

After I am satisfied I throw it in the washer just to SPIN. Spin it out and toss it in the dryer for 15 minutes.

You can also use this method to set the color in wools that are not color fast when you get them. Simply omit the adding of the dye and you should have good result.