[thundersweet]

I have two aristocrats so I might as well dye one up. Now will the color bleed though onto clothes and whatever else she is sitting on if it gets too wet? Like in the middle of the night is it going to turn my SP hemp diaper red?

 

[Tuppy]

I did mine the easy way and it seemed to have worked ok..I started with three packets of kool-aid and about six cups of water..I used a medium size pot and threw the cover in there and let it set for about 4hrs...I ended up using three more packets of kool-aid because I felt like I added too much water and the color wasn't deep enough.

I did read some instructions that used the microwave but I didn't want t take the chance of shrinking my cover...I've also read somewhere that you can add vinegar. Try doing a search on Kool-aid and you'll come up with a bunch of stuff.

ooops...I just did mine last night so I haven't tried it out to see if it bleeds.

Have fun!!

 

[thundersweet]

I want to do the kool aid dye thing on one of my aristcrats but all the instructions say to heat the water. I would think this would cause it to shrink. Any tips?

 

[Midnightowl]

Here's what I did:

In a glass baking dish, soak item in water with a generous splash of vinegar for 30-45 minutes. Use just enough liquid to cover. Drain excess liquid.

Mix one packet of Kool-Aid to 1/2 cup of water. Add about a tablespoon of vinegar.

Pour over soaker.

Microwave for two minutes. Rest for two minutes. Microwave for two minutes.

Let cool, then rinse with water the same temperature as the soaker.

Wash with Euculan.

I haven't had any problems with bleeding dye. I used two packets of lemon-lime, but at the time wished I had three.

Lisa

 

[Knittin' in the Shade]

it's the combination of heat and agitation that causes shrinking, so if you don't touch it at all while it's in the water, and then let it cool naturally (instead of dumping it into cold water, becuase extreme temp changes cause shrinkage too) then you should be okay

 

[Kermit]

You don't really have to use heat, if you are concerned and aren't in a hurry. I dyed mine in room temperature water. It just takes longer for the dye to soak up if you want the more vivid coloring. You could set it outside in the sun in one of those tea making jugs (ya know the ones with the spout?) to help warm it more gradually.

 

[Sandra Dee]

http://www.geocities.com/knitter01/koolaid.html

I found this GREAT site that has wonderful directions on Kool Aid dye -including a color chart! YAY!! So now you can see what your cover *might*look like before you go to the grocery store to buy your dye! :LOL

Does everyone agree that this is the "correct" way to do it?

Also - does this formula hold true for silk as well? I have some playsilks coming soon, I hope, and I planned to Kool Aid Dye them.

Kool Aid Dye

 

[Scarlet]

dunno about that formula, but I washed mine in soap and hot water and squeezed it out (leaving the soap in). Then I put the kool aid and water in a baggie, added the silk and squished it around. Heat set it in the microwave, rinsed well and ironed it dry. I did this in sewing class while everyone else was playing with their fancy machines.

 

[Scarlet]

oh, you can also use food colour or left over egg dye if you want.

 

[Jenny_adoptChina]

That's my favorite page on Koolaid dye! Yes I use those instructions all the time and it works great (I've only done yarn but I'm sure it would work with finished covers too)! Haven't tried silk, but that's a good question.

 

[Mommy&Will]

I just got some playsilks as well that I want to dye. I think I'll try the kool-aid, too. Our grocery store had 20 packs of kool-aid on sale for $1. Woo-hoo!

Julie

 

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

does this work on any type of cover or just wool/silk ones? I'm a new first time baby and CD mummy and I'm building my stash for our DD (EDD 22 SEPT 03) I'm staying basic to start with and then I'll let the obsession set in after she's born. So right now all I have cover-wise is some plain white Green Earth and Prorap covers.

Do you CDing goddesses think I could do the Kool Aid thing with them too? ('cause right now they're just kinda boring-- uh oh, I can see the early signs of CD obsession setting in...... excuse me ladies, I think I need to go hide my pocketbook from myself)

Thanks,
Kate

 

[mamamoo]

I just wanted to say for wool covers you may not want to heat it up. I think a couple of mamas ended up with very small cover that way.

The way I do it is I mix the kool-aide with vinegar, then paint on a damp cover(if doing designs or something), or poor it in a small tub of lukewarm water, and let sit for an hour or so(less if you want light color). Then rinse in cool water and lanolize. Very easy, and no shrinking...

 

[Jenny_adoptChina]

Koolaid only works with animal fibers like wool. But there are other dyes you can use for cotton and other fabrics. I haven't tried it yet, but I bought some RIT dye at Hobby Lobby to try on cotton.

 

[Scarlet]

procion dyes cotton beautifully. Walmart sells tie dye kits with it in if you only want to dabble but a cheaper way of doing it if you have a bunch of things to dye is to buy it from Dharma trading.

Heating wool... I make no promises.. but if you want to full (what most diaper users call "felt") wool you need agitation and temperature shocks to do the best job.

Soooo if you want to heat set the colour and make it permanent you can heat the wool slowly and gently (if you live in AZ or FL try laying it out in the sun) by putting it in the microwave and putting it on defrost and watching carefully. When it is done put a teatowel or something on top and let it cool down slowly. Whatever you do, don't swish it around when wet or hot and don't take a hot cover and rinse it in cold water unless you want it to full!

It will take a little more time but will be kinder on your cover.

 

[mamamoo]

I just wanted to add that I have dyed probably 10 covers this way and the color does not bleed, nor has it faded...