Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Dyeing Cocoons

Did a bit more dyeing for the silk day. Food colouring, cake colour, vinegar and cocoons.

Soak cocoons for several hours if you have the time. Not necessary though. With the boiling, they get soft.

Add vinegar to the microwave safe bowl. A Tablespoon or good glug will do. The more vinegar, the faster the colour will take up into the cocoons.

I try and do everything in the same container. Less washing.


Add enough water to cover cocoons if they were to sink. A couple of inches or 5 centimeters.

Decide on the colours you want, mix if necessary and add directly onto the wet cocoons. You can get multi colours by dyeing half and then rinsing and do the same again turning them over.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes, let stand for 2-3 minutes. Repeat. You should have good saturation at this point. Make sure you turn them over part way through if you want an even coverage. They will be soft when done, but will go back to very hard once they dry.

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