Sweetfern and onion skin

I tried some bundle-dyeing with some of the goldenrod cloth and some paper for an upcoming book project. The cloth turned out okay but I really like the papers.

This is a bit of a process post. Most of this l learned from India Flint but the wrapped can idea came more recently from Jude.

Laid out sweetfern leaves along length of cloth strip, then folded in half lengthwise and laid out more.

Rolled can over the folded strip. Awkwardly bound onion skins around exterior and tied to keep the onion skins and fabric sandwich in place. I did this twice with two different cans. (I forgot to protect the fabric from the gluey spots on the can, and the glue did come off on the cloth.)

For the papers, I used two large floor tiles I keep for this purpose. First layer was a square of parchment paper to reduce sticking. Then a layer of onion skins and leaves. Then paper. More skins and leaves. More paper. Repeated for all four pieces, then a final layer of parchment and another tile to complete the sandwich. I used two large bulldog clamps to hold it together while I wrapped with twine.

I realized I’d forgotten to dampen the paper. Since I didn’t want to undo the bundle, I submerged the whole thing in a trough out in the yard for awhile. Hoping I wouldn’t get dry spots in the center with no transfer of color – it’s happened to me before.

I put the bundles into an electric turkey roaster I got at a yard sale. The tiles didn’t fit flat so they had to rest diagonally. The cans were partially submerged. Very haphazard.

I removed the cans after an hour or so of cooking. At that point, I thought the papers might come out uneven because only the bottom of the tile sandwich was submerged. So I rotated the tiles, added more water, and let that go for another hour or so.

Meanwhile admiring the golden leaves of the hardy kiwi vine falling on the deck.

Left the bundles outside overnight in a bucket to drip dry a little more. Opened in the morning.

The onion skins really worked beautifully on the paper. (Arches Text Wove) Even once dry, they kept the vibrant golds and oranges, and on both sides! The sweetfern leaves didn’t contribute much, just a few shapes here and there.

I was very surprised by the dark marks left where the can touched this fabric, a piece of an old tablecloth. This only happened on one segment of one cloth. I suppose I could repeat this process if I wanted more coverage like that. it looks interesting.

The other cloth is more bland in color, but the sweetfern leaves left much more distinct, greener impressions. You can see the stripes from the sides of the can as well as a glue mark in the upper left. Most crisp where the fabric touched the can.

I’m happy with the papers and will use them to make book covers or end papers. I might do more dyeing with these cloths, we’ll see.