Projects

These are instructions based on how we dyed fleece for the home ed group felting day. The instructions may or may not be technically correct!

Buckets of 50/50 white vinegar and water – soak fleece for 25 mins. Fleece must be immersed. Vinegar is your mordant (makes the dye stick).

Throughout this process it is important to handle the fleece as little as possible. Squeezing, wringing, rubbing, etc will begin the felting process.

Squeeze gently and move to buckets of diluted dye. The more you dilute them, the more pastel your results will be. We used food dyes. You can use commercial fabric dyes, and ‘teas’ made from plants such as cosmos petals, beetroot, onion skin, berries etc.

Keep colours separate when dying and steaming or they’ll run. Leave to soak in dye for up to 30 mins.

Remove fleece from dye bath, gently squeezing off excess. Place into microwave safe bowl (eg: glass), loosely cover with plastic wrap. Cook on High for 2 mins. Turn fleece and rest for 1 minute. Cook again on High for 2 mins. Allow to cool.

If you do not have a microwave, place in steamer for 30 mins, turning every 10 mins. The heat sets the dye.

Once fleece has cooled, rinse under cool running water (not very cold water or the fibres will shrink and matt together).

The fleece should keep the colour that it has reached and it should just be excess dye that is washed off. Keep going until the water runs quite clear.

Squeeze excess water away gently, fluffing the fleece out as you spread it on a drying rack or towel or over a single line.

Or, if you are felting the same day, at this point you can start felting!

Homemade Playdough Recipe

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in an airtight container when cooled.

Child-sized Wooden Rolling Pins are available through Spiral Garden

Instructions for Tapered Candles

- Cut the beeswax sheet diagonally – from one corner across to the other. You will use one triangle per candle.

- Place the wick onto the shortest edge of the triangular sheet, leaving about 2cm of wick sticking out of the top. (The top is the point where the short side meets the diagonal side.)

- Tightly roll about 5mm of the wax over onto the wick, enclosing it tightly in the wax. Press gently, but evenly, along the wick to make sure that it is well surrounded by the wax.

- Roll the wick end of the candle towards the small end, keeping the roll tight and the bottom even. Gently press and "seal" the final corner to the base.

- Use the other triangle to make a matching candle!

Candle Kits are available through Spiral Garden.