Welcome to the World of Fibre Art and Wool Dyeing

By Linda Ferretti

Fibre art is a creative experience that can be enjoyed by the majority.

Rug Hooking Kits Ideal for Children
Children 8 years and up can start by rug hooking a kit and go on to develop their skills in different fibers and designs. The Bliss fabric cutter is easy and safe for children to use. Young children will require assistance in finishing their projects at the beginning; however they can always glue on a material backing and treat their projects as pictorials. Fibre art is fun, creative and assists in developing our minds.

Rug Hooking Kits Ideal for Adults and Seniors
Fibre art helps to reduce stress as it takes your mind off your worries as you concentrate on artistic form. You can develop your skills at your own pace; no one is demanding anything from you. It is your time to be creative and explore this exciting world by both men and women.

Rug Hooking Kits Ideal for Seniors+
You do require your eye sight to create fibre art. A senior lady of 86 had 2 cataracts removed and completed her rug. If your eye sight is poor, try doing primitives. They are very simplistic, less eye strain, and a lot of fun to do. Simply take more breaks, sit straight, shake out those hands, relax and enjoy your fibre creations. There are more and more groups forming to help each other in this art form, plus rug hooking schools galore. Try it but be warned it is contagious!

Rug Hooking Kits Ideal for Handicapped
Depending on the disability, perhaps fibre art is for you. To experience this creative art form, simply invest in a kit and a strong stand or hoop to start. In this way you can test how you do before investing. If you have arm and hand movement, perhaps finding the right frame to hold the pattern will be a challenge. A swivel stand comes with the hoop and the stand sits down so that leaves both of your hands free to do the pattern. Ensure when you purchase your stand that it is returnable and eventually you will find one that will work.

Learn more about Rug Hooking from these online Instructions.

Onion skins saved for dyeing.

Technique: Wool Dyeing with Onion Skins

By Linda Ferretti

The following wool dying technique is made with wool strips and organic onion skins. When completely dried, the dyed wool is ideal for rug hooking projects.

Materials:

• Wool Strips
• Red Onion Skins
• Liquid Dish Detergent
• Citrus Acid or White Vinegar
• Water

Fig. #1 Presoaked wool strips ready for the pot.

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 Onion skins heating with water.

Fig. #2: Fill your dye pot with the onion skins; add lots of water to cover generously. Heat until 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 Onion skins and wool in pot with citrus acid.

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 Magic in the dye pot.

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 Rinsed and ready for the dryer.

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 Final result of onion skin dyeing.

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. •

About the Author
Linda Ferretti's Web site, LinArt Designs www.linartdesigns.com features a variety of fibre art patterns, kits, supplies, books, and yarns, English and French hooking instructions, guidance, and instruction to help you get started in exciting world of fiber art.

02/20/05