Dyeing Teeswater sheep fleece using Coffee and Tea to achieve natural brown and blonde doll hair shades

I hadn't dyed fleece before, only felt. 

So this was rather fun.

My youngest - Little Pipkin - and I have been making dolls.

He was right when he insisted we really needed some 'natural coloured hair'.

So together, over the next 24 hours, we dyed a portion of the Big Bag

of Teeswater Sheep Fleece, I recently had bought from the UK.

 As usual, I decided to 'wing it' and go by feel. I thought I really couldn't make the fleece TOO dark to use, any resultant natural colour would still look great. 

I knew that coffee and tea could both be used to give a brown colour and that vinegar could be used as a mordant.

This was our method.

back tea. front coffee.

Brown Fleece
12 black tea bags emptied into a stainless steel pan.
Stir in 2L of cold water.
Bring to boil and simmer for 1/2 hour.
Turn off heat and leave to stew for a further 1.5 hours, 
it will begin to cool.
Strain the tea leaves from the water and 
return the brown water to the rinsed pot.
Add 1/2 cup table salt.
Add 1/2 cup of vinegar.
Stir to dissolve salt.
Add 100g clean fleece - very gently submerge.
Place over low heat 1.5hours, with the lid ajar.
Then leave, with lid on, overnight. To soak and cool completely.

*Disturb the fleece as little as you can during the entire process, 

to avoid dreadlocks and felting.* 

tea

coffee

Blonde Fleece

1/3 cup percolator ground coffee into a stainless steel pan.

Stir in 2L of cold water.

Bring to boil and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Turn off heat and leave to stew for a further 1.5 hours, 

it will begin to cool.

Strain the coffee grounds from the water and 

return the brown water to the rinsed pot.

Add 1/2 cup table salt.

Add 1/2 cup of vinegar.

Stir to dissolve salt.

Add 100g clean fleece - very gently submerge.

Place over low heat 1.5hours, with the lid ajar.

Then leave, with lid on, overnight. To soak and cool completely.

*Disturb the fleece as little as you can during the entire process, 

to avoid dreadlocks and felting.* 

rinsing coffee dyed fleece

I carefully poured the entire contents from the pot, into our bath and allowed the water to drain away, before submerging the fleece in cold clean water to rinse.

front towel = tea. 

back towel = coffee

 When no more dye was coming out of the fleece through rinsing, 

I gently picked up pieces to lay on a towelling nappy square, pressed lightly to remove any excess water and then left in the shade outside to dry.

 

Brown on left = tea. 

Blonde on right = coffee

I know just what I am going to use this fleece for!
I will be sharing those creations with you soon.

ღ