Four Winds books – dyed and dried

I love how these booklets turned out. I gave the books a dip in an iron-vinegar solution before dyeing (India Flint’s “magic potion”). Some fabric scraps turned very dark immediately and I was concerned that the whole batch would be very dark, like my “clearing in the woods” fabric circles. But instead I got lovely dark edges and an interesting mix of colors and prints from plant materials.

Bundling: I used sardine tins retrieved from the recycling, two sets of metal can lids, and two heavy stone tiles to bind over batches of booklets to protect them.

Boiling: using my copper dye pot, I simmered the bundles in a broth of red onion skins for about 25 minutes. I needed a rock to submerge the sardine tin bundle. In the background: sprouting red onions from last year’s crop. They know it’s time to grow!

After cooking, I let the pot sit overnight to cool. Next day, I removed the bundles and let them sit for 2 days.

Here they are unbundled and sans plant material, drying. When dry, I pressed them overnight.