You can easily make your own felted beads or patches to match any color combination you would like, without making a huge investment. Once you know how to dye and shape wool, you can use this technique to enhance jewelry, accessories, dolls, and toys. This dying technique will work on any type of wool or animal fiber, and will be familiar to anyone who has ever dyed Easter eggs!
Things you need (Makes approx. 12 round beads of about 1″ diameter):
1/2 yd Combed Wool Roving
Package of Unsweetened Kool-Aid (in your preferred color)
Water
White Vinegar
Measuring Cup
Large Glass Microwave Safe Bowl or Baking Dish
Rubber Gloves
Plastic Wrap
Plastic Spoon
Things to do:
1. Soak the wool roving in hot water for 20 minutes so it will accept the dye. Tear it into smaller pieces before soaking if you want to make different colors.
2. Dissolve the Kool-Aid in 3/4 cup of water, and stir with plastic spoon. Add 1/4 cup vinegar, and stir. You can adjust this for darker or lighter colors by using more water. or less Kool-Aid.
3. Remove the wool roving from the hot water and squeeze out (don’t wring out) as much water as you can. Place the wool on a piece of plastic wrap.
4. Slowly pour the Kool-Aid over the wool, until it is saturated. Wrap the plastic around the wool roving, and secure with string.
5. Place in the pyrex container, and microwave for 2 minutes. Check the wool, and microwave again if needed. You will know the wool is ready when all of the liquid is colorless. and the wool is tinted. Be careful. it will be hot.
6. Remove the fiber from the plastic and tear off a piece about the size of a golf ball. Roll into a ball. you may need to roll it in your hands for a minute or two to make a firm ball. The more you roll it, the smaller it will be.
7. When you are happy with the size, allow the bead to dry.
8. When dry, string with a tapestry needle and thread, or add beads to embellish.
Project Notes:
You can make several different colors at one time. just use a different piece of plastic wrap for each, and cook them all at the same time.
Wear plastic gloves when working on this project. the dye will stick to your hands.
Kool-Aid is meant to be consumed, so you can use your regular household items for this project.
This technique will work on any animal fiber. but it won’t work on cotton or man-made ones. The wool roving listed here is perfect for this project, but you could also dye yarn or fabric using the same technique.
To make the beads shown here, use Kool-Aid in a variety of colors and saturation, and mix packages to create other colors as needed.