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SnowFox102 In reply to CareerFromDistrict4 [2011-11-27 22:31:56 +0000 UTC]

I don't like to time myself so I'm not sure exactly, but I guess it took a few hours. Not very long for a needle felt. For me, needle felting is similar to sculpting with clay in terms of how long it takes. I actually prefer making little things, they go faster. I actually find large things more tedious, because they have more space to cover with dress fiber (I still haven't finished my life-size Marine Angemon because of that.) I do tend to poke myself more often with tiny things, though.

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SnowFox102 In reply to grygon [2011-11-25 22:49:44 +0000 UTC]

That's exactly what it is. They're in the episode "Swarm of the Century" and they're basically the MLP version of Tribbles.

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SnowFox102 In reply to ixris [2011-11-25 07:38:51 +0000 UTC]

From what I've seen it's the same as any other acid dye. If water was going to fade the color, it would do so during the rinse. All acid dyes can fade in direct sun, though. The citric acid in the Kool-aid, combined with the heat applied during the dye process, sets the pigment into the fiber. If you're using a material that responds to acid dyeing (protein based) the fiber sucks up the dye like crazy and doesn't let it go. I like using Kool-aid because I know it's not toxic, but I can use other, more standard acid dyes if asked. I like using Kool-aid on little things like this, especially when I'm just trying things out, because it's much cheaper than buying RIT or Jacquard dye.

Here's a couple sites about using food-grade dye for wool. Kool-aid tutorial: [link] An in-depth article about food color dye: [link]

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ixris In reply to SnowFox102 [2011-11-27 15:19:55 +0000 UTC]

Oh! Thank you so much for that explanation! I knew that back in the 80s/90s, kool-aid was popular for hair dye because it rinses out so easily. So I was kind of applying that science to this (different proteins in different fibers, I guess?).

Thanks so much for the links, too. I'll be sure to check them out! !

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SnowFox102 In reply to ixris [2011-11-27 22:41:21 +0000 UTC]

I guess dyeing your hair would be different because you can't apply the heat needed to set the dye, so it only stays in until rinsed out. To make acid dye permanent, you have to heat the dye bath to near boiling. If you just soak without heating, most of the dye comes out when you rinse. (And I do rinse my fiber thoroughly, that's why I know the dye won't come out. It also keeps the fiber from smelling like Kool-Aid. ) In the Kool-Aid tutorial I linked, they use a microwave to heat the dye bath. It's actually a vital step, though you may not realize it if you only read about it without experimenting. It's also pretty fascinating to watch. I follow that tutorial's method of heating in 2-minute increments, and check the results at each interval. If you get the ratio of dye to fiber right, the fiber will soak up all the dye and the water left behind will be totally clear in a few minutes! I use the microwave for heating RIT dye as well as Kool-Aid, they work exactly the same, if you ever want to try it. I haven't used any other brands of acid dye, but from what I've read they're pretty much the same in terms of usage.

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SnowFox102 In reply to TamiFTW [2011-11-25 04:42:27 +0000 UTC]

Of course! Note me if you want to commission one.

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TamiFTW In reply to SnowFox102 [2011-11-25 05:20:38 +0000 UTC]

OK note sent

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SnowFox102 In reply to ElCubanote [2011-11-25 04:42:33 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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