Home Fiber Dyeing

I often find quality wool sweaters at thrift stores for reclaiming. Some of them are my size and work well as they are. This one by Eddie Bauer is soft and squishy lamb's wool but the color is too blah.

I've heard you can garment-dye wool, so I decided to give it a try. I went into it as an experiment, if it didn't turn out, it wouldn't be a great loss. I researched dye removers and learned which one worked best on wool. I had bought a bottle of Rit dye, but then found out from fiber friends that it washes out over time. So I got acid dye instead.

I used my enamel canning kettle and cooked it on the stove. There were a lot of warnings about fumes and the need to wear a mask, but I didn't find the smell to be that strong.

The forest green came out lovely, a little uneven, but it gives it a funky look that I like.

It must be sewn together with nylon thread, because the buttonholes and the seams didn't take the dye. I colored those with a green sharpie. I also changed the buttons to match the new color. I love it! I wear it all the time.