Switching Gears ~

I am working on that deadline ~

and am working on some wool applique designs ~

 

so I have grouped my wools and need to get my pearl cottons in order...

 

 

like most of you, I favor certain colors and have my own palette...
they are a little too bright, so I will dip-dye them in my homemade walnut dye ~

 

 

I lke to keep them in their 'twisted' state and dip them half-way down into my dye jar...

dipping them only halfway lets some of the threads stay undyed

so when finished,

 they will have a variegated look.

 

 



'poison' greens now take on a more mellow look...

I'm happy with that!

 

 



here they are all half-dyed and waiting to dry...

 

 



 

 I placed them on a cookie sheet and out into the full sun they go,

to dry just a little bit...

then I'll pop them into the oven to dry completely.

the oven is what gives them that 'look' I like :)

 

after drying in the oven for a bit,

the walnut dye 'scorches' on the cookie sheet,

...and then I flip them over to let that happen again ~

 

 



 

once they're completely dry, the scorch marks lighten up a bit...
giving the threads a nice, old look.

 

 



 

and since I dyed them whilst they were twisted,

the effect is perfect...

not too much, not too little.

 

 



 

now I'm ready to hang them and begin stitching with them...
I can't show you the finished project that I'm working on,

... but I can take some 'secret' snaps and share them with you tomorrow!

 

 



 

did you know that you can use these in your medium-sized Cameo Ultra Punch needle?

use all of the strands together, like you would with regular DMC floss (like I do with all 6 strands)

the finished look is really nice & old looking!

 

Hoping you enjoyed my little tutorial ~

let me know how your Pearl Cotton comes out if you try this technique!

 

Lori from

Notforgotten Farm