Button Business

Posted by VP for Tamar Group on 4 September 2014 | 9 Comments

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Tamar Valley Group had a 'Button Dyeing" experiment day, with mixed results.

Ingredients:

Buttons, White mugs, Boiling water, Dyes, Stirring sticks, Microwave oven, Paper towel, Cold water.

Method:

  1. Take an old white mug and fill to 1/3 with boiling water.
  2. Add 1/8 teaspoon of Landscape/Gaywool Dye, stir thoroughly.
  3. Add Buttons threaded on string, loop the string around the handle of the mug.
  4. Microwave for 1 minute, only 1 mug at a time.
  5. Remove from oven, wipe up any bubbled over mess with paper towel.
  6. Dunk string-threaded buttons into cold water.
  7. Repeat for each colour

Results:

Good colours on ordinary plastic buttons and on wooden buttons. Pearly buttons didn't take dye, neither did clear buttons.

Notes:

  • Start with less dye than you think you need, you can always add a bit more and re-microwave to get a better depth of colour.
  • Mugs work well, the handle is a bonus for removing from the microwave as the dye liquid is boiling hot.
  • Great for getting buttons that match your handpsun, home dyed yarn!
Tamar Valley Button Day