tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325755892024-03-06T23:31:23.458-08:00Cherokee Natural DyesThese are Natural Dyes commonly found in Cherokee Baskets and Natural Dyes in my BasketsCherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-16330989202647225692008-04-03T13:07:00.000-07:002008-04-04T11:56:40.609-07:00Indigo Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiV_4kAYrW_1QBsanmzr7HGPpQEQABGuarBFogp41ZTzTPisujMWBnHj1KyrXij5h4ZhD4yj8ETGbuB32SV6UGe7VKqtpfXnU_QL6DeBsawNQlgOmIBrvrUXxeSFBCo_oFmCFhQ/s1600-h/indigocane2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185114895027787298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiV_4kAYrW_1QBsanmzr7HGPpQEQABGuarBFogp41ZTzTPisujMWBnHj1KyrXij5h4ZhD4yj8ETGbuB32SV6UGe7VKqtpfXnU_QL6DeBsawNQlgOmIBrvrUXxeSFBCo_oFmCFhQ/s200/indigocane2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0gHc2Fafe0PWQcyaf5gn4Jdr4whIkeVhJctxzimkg1NhhhzyW_Sh4GKTZKRMZZJjDgOe6OCs7HVy4_hI7ATUkjcZT7yLbBwCv_e96aXwK3W1Kc6OZLcuirrQleCXwLykumkxtA/s1600-h/indigoreed2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185114899322754610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0gHc2Fafe0PWQcyaf5gn4Jdr4whIkeVhJctxzimkg1NhhhzyW_Sh4GKTZKRMZZJjDgOe6OCs7HVy4_hI7ATUkjcZT7yLbBwCv_e96aXwK3W1Kc6OZLcuirrQleCXwLykumkxtA/s200/indigoreed2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I must say, I really didn't know quite what to expect trying this particular dye on reed and cane. This is my first attempt at using this particular dye as well. However, I was very unexpectedly surprised by the results. This is how I did it. This Recipe came with the Dharma Trading Company Indigo that I ordered from them, <a href="https://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1893-AA.shtml">it's also on the web</a>. One variation I did, because I had forgotten to order the Dharma Dyehouse Color Remover (Thiourea Dioxide), however, I had found another recipe in a book where the recipe called for Sodium Hydrosulfite, don't ask me, that's just what was in the recipe and when I looked at the Rit Color Remover, that was what was in it, plus Sodium Carbonate Anhydrous - I have no clue on the chemistry involved but decided to use it while waiting for my Dharma Color Remover. (Cane photo on top and Reed on the bottom)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Recipe:</div><br /><div></div>1. It is important not to heat indigo too high. 120' to 130' is considered ideal; I have seen in other recipes that call for a lower temperature; but this is just about as hot as the hand can handle to touch;<br />2. 1 coil of cane or reed or both; the two coils above were done out of the same Indigo dye pot;<br />3. 1/2 oz of Indigo dye - now I used a coffee grinder to reduce this to a power; more indigo if you want it darker;<br />4. 1/2 oz of <a href="https://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1535-AA.shtml?lnav=chemicals.html">Dharma Dyehouse Color Remover </a>(Thiourea Dioxide); I used the Rit color remove for this particular batch; you add this last to your dye pot;<br />5. 1/2 oz of Soda Ash; and<br />6. 2 to 3 gallons of water - now I only used about 1 1/2 gallons of water, enough to make sure my material could be completely immersed in the dye pot. Your dye pot for this should be a light color as in stainless steel - I made the mistake of using a blue pot and found it was hard to determine when the mixture had reached a good yellow-green color without having to dip a small bowl into it to see what color it was; you need that yellow-green color to form before dipping you material into it.<br /><br />Further instructions:<br /><br />1. Since Indigo naturally is an extremely hard material and comes in chunks, you need to reduce it down to a paste; You can soak it over night in a cup of hot water and then blend it in a blender with the water the next day or put the dry indigo in an electric coffee grinder which reduces it to a power; I preferred the later method since I use this to reduce other dye materials to a power as well and have found that this works really well. I use just a small grinder that you can pick up anywhere fine coffee things are located; with the power you then add hot water to make a paste; now Dharma calls for straining this mixture after cooking, however, I just added the paste to my dye pot; you will get residue if you don't strain it. Add this mixture to your dye pot;<br /><br />2. In a separate dish I dissolved the Soda Ash and then added that to the dye pot; this is the easiest step;<br /><br />3. Now you add the Color Remover (Dharma or Rit) and stir oh so gently - you don't want bubbles to form which mean oxygen has gotten into your dye mixture;<br /><br />4. Now place it over heat til it reaches 120' to 130'; mine began to steam at this point; the mixture is now starting to turn to a yellow or yellow-green; a very icky color, this is good since it means the mixture has no oxygen in it;<br /><br />5. Now let it stand for 20 to 30 minutes; the mixture should now be that yellow-green murky color;<br /><br />6. I had wet my cane and reed for about 1/2 hour before adding it to the dye pot; I also dipped the reed first and then the coil of cane; the cane coil being smaller in weight; I also left the ties on the coils in place while wetting and didn't remove them until I was ready to dip it into the dye mixture;<br /><br />7. I then took the reed and dipped it sorta tilted to one side down into the dye mixture, I probably held it for maybe 5 or 10 seconds, this all done with the hands, so wear rubber gloves or your hands will come out a really nice indigo color as well; maybe a little longer and then took it out; when you first bring it out the color is that really sick yellow-green; I laid it in the sink, don't rinse it for at least a couple of minutes, you will need to rinse it if you don't strain the dye in the beginning since there will be some residue on it, if the reed goes clear to the bottom but wait before you do that, so the air can turn the color before hand;<br /><br />8. Presto! right before your eyes, that yellow-green turns to this gorgeous blue! Amazing!<br /><br />9. Just a couple of pointers here - you need to hold the reed and cane down into the dye mixture; they both have a tendency to float, so you will need to hold it down other wise any areas above the dye mixture will not dye; the process really takes a very short period of time;<br /><br />10. If you would like to have the dye darker; you can re dip it until it reaches the desired darkness you want; with the reed I think you need to keep it in the dye mixture longer than I did if you want a nice rich indigo blue from it. I did the cane exactly the same way and for the same time however, it appears the cane came out somewhat darker than the reed. If the dye mixture color has turned blue again after doing the reed add additional Color Remover til it reaches that yellow-green murky color again. Always stir this mixture oh so gently so as not to form any bubbles;<br /><br />11. I have heard and read that indigo is extremely tricky to dye with, however, I must say, I found it really easy and quick, so don't be afraid to give it a try!Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-8985379540250088252008-01-02T16:59:00.001-08:002008-01-03T09:48:07.317-08:00Red Sandalwood<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCYXSwWUTQbrxSsYOW0Pd1WV_RIVp6-fivxM79UxVsvJQJ2EqGnVgh1c3nwu4TFG42PF8sRpZZXPwK-0ryB8iKDyYLB94dZNe6vXE7sPstH36H1wu2z2QO_ozAktEVQfri-i5eQ/s1600-h/sandalwood3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151308361119824354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCYXSwWUTQbrxSsYOW0Pd1WV_RIVp6-fivxM79UxVsvJQJ2EqGnVgh1c3nwu4TFG42PF8sRpZZXPwK-0ryB8iKDyYLB94dZNe6vXE7sPstH36H1wu2z2QO_ozAktEVQfri-i5eQ/s200/sandalwood3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWEnbiRPpvlDTjdl4F_n7ese5bU4YH_qsxL6CAO-oHyYdWw9AvCpTu_WMDx5_2ahnGpBovP42Q29bPcvuv04BT7qT2H6QVCGOOK0NsrrRgCG-2IcCYtGQ5CexcdB4v1ipTq16Qg/s1600-h/sandalwood1.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div>This is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pterocarpus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Santalinus</span> by technical name. I use it here because in some books it's called Sanders Wood or Sandal Wood. This photo is too dark. The pink color is the *wrong* side of the cane, the pink/yellow color is the *right* side of the cane.<br /><br />I used the recipe for this wood similar to the Brazil Wood recipe, except I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">presoaked</span> the cane in the Tin solution before putting it in the dye pot - the color after this should be a lemon yellow and although some of the cane did indeed reach a lemon yellow in color it was not consistent, so I may not have used enough. The recipe I was using called for 1 1/2 oz of Tin in the solution. I also didn't use enough of the Sandal Wood in the dye pot, so the original color of this cane was a pale salmon/yellow color. I also added some Soda Ash to the dye pot and some alum, with no change in the color resulting.<br /><br />It was very pretty but not quite dark enough and too much yellow in it. So I re dyed it after seeing how well the Brazil Wood had turned out. So this cane started out pretreated with a multitude of things but the second dyeing did enhance the color significantly. It is now a richer salmon color with the yellow being subdued.<br /><br />Tin or red spirits, it is sometimes called, is a main mordant for getting a red color out of natural dyes. Sometimes used with Cream of Tartar.<br /><br />Some recipes call for using alcohol to soak the Sandal Wood in to unlock the red dye it contains, suggesting that this is the only method in which you can obtain the red dye.<br /><br />This dye stuff takes a long time for dyeing as well.<br /><br />Second Recipe:<br /><br />1. 2 gals of water (my cane was no longer in a nice flat coil, so to compensate for the bunchier coil, I used 2 gals of water but normally you can use 1 gal of water);<br />2. Add one cup of table salt;<br />3. Add water softener if you have hard water;<br />4. Add 4 oz Sandal wood (this usually comes in a power form rather than wood chips, although both are available in some places);<br />5. Bring the dye pot to a boil;<br />6. Add the coil of cane;<br />7. Let is simmer for about 40 minutes or longer;<br />8. Take the cane out of the dye pot and add 1 tablespoon of Tin (you can always add more if necessary - the recipe suggested 1 1/2 ounces);<br />9. Let it simmer for another 2 or more hours.<br /><br />Some recipes call for adding a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pre</span> mordant of tannin; other recipes also use Alum which also gives a really nice salmon color; and some suggest using copper as a modifier for claret-browns; and Iron modifier will make it much darker in color.</div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-14329751784110103092008-01-02T13:23:00.000-08:002008-01-02T14:32:18.413-08:00Brazil Wood<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jt0v7KdmP12L6qxoRpJAQnF8fvr_INm5F7UAekLQ3v3JQmP_AWnRIz5X855ULpcN34EnbOHnJt5DOfcmsh4BlGQXWoLtJ8UMxDbSMASJ9rz4aM-fkNGLjCCR3N13fj1vGIHNmw/s1600-h/brazilwood.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151010294684449218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jt0v7KdmP12L6qxoRpJAQnF8fvr_INm5F7UAekLQ3v3JQmP_AWnRIz5X855ULpcN34EnbOHnJt5DOfcmsh4BlGQXWoLtJ8UMxDbSMASJ9rz4aM-fkNGLjCCR3N13fj1vGIHNmw/s200/brazilwood.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>If you're looking for a really great red for cane give Brazil wood a try. <br /><br />Recipe for Brazil Wood on Cane:<br /><br />1. Soak 4 oz of Brazil Wood pieces in about 1 to 1 1/2 gals. of water over night; then boil it for an additional hour the next day;<br />2. Add 1 cup of table salt or salt of your preference;<br />3. Add a touch of water softener if you have hard water;<br />4. Add 1 lb of cane and let it simmer for about 1/2 hour;<br />5. Take the cane out and pour in Tin mordant to the mixture (I took 1 tbs of Tin and dissolved it in a small bowl before pouring it into the dye pot)<br />6. Now re add your cane to the mixture;<br />7. The cane will almost immediately begin to turn a deep red - let it remain in the dye pot for another 15 minutes or until you have reached your desired color - I left mine in for an additional 20 minutes.<br /><br />This dye works remarkably well on cane but you won't see the red until you add the Tin to the dye pot.</div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-3169891354572011222007-05-27T10:37:00.000-07:002007-05-27T10:54:18.695-07:00More Cutch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGwEemUGnRsPc4J8uJDk9oObxCvbq8zAmEZfVO2mKK05yIIAoVMiz7-KXnTX3UafULVURlTXTtffhKMITM5K5NBRsN3f4AEVI6j8wjHC9asgYpnJP9Rb0t5NxobfYnqTACo3EXQ/s1600-h/IMAG0012w.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069299754691664674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGwEemUGnRsPc4J8uJDk9oObxCvbq8zAmEZfVO2mKK05yIIAoVMiz7-KXnTX3UafULVURlTXTtffhKMITM5K5NBRsN3f4AEVI6j8wjHC9asgYpnJP9Rb0t5NxobfYnqTACo3EXQ/s200/IMAG0012w.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga18JRaL7gzWsbZrNPX_g2u74JSSemRoLaClLi4zztGW6avBSD-waTn3llk_D3P8l-5FALO6GIsmX0ryErdGEiFpSh1R8uD2NOb7HBlRuZOOaz4mi4h_jxma5sWXzcWmZImzSliw/s1600-h/IMAG0009w.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069298990187485970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga18JRaL7gzWsbZrNPX_g2u74JSSemRoLaClLi4zztGW6avBSD-waTn3llk_D3P8l-5FALO6GIsmX0ryErdGEiFpSh1R8uD2NOb7HBlRuZOOaz4mi4h_jxma5sWXzcWmZImzSliw/s200/IMAG0009w.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlbRBTxZruzWU6m8crOPyt1aW8ClIFYlNAl3jwYp1sn9Z3xoT9p2ELSrUNPIfOFhcrq4f5-f22S4X7awXgXdIEcf5IAivZsIq0pOqafP1o6X7mbSfLN_q-_PXcpI1y2E2ctGXQw/s1600-h/IMAG0007w.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069298144078928642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlbRBTxZruzWU6m8crOPyt1aW8ClIFYlNAl3jwYp1sn9Z3xoT9p2ELSrUNPIfOFhcrq4f5-f22S4X7awXgXdIEcf5IAivZsIq0pOqafP1o6X7mbSfLN_q-_PXcpI1y2E2ctGXQw/s200/IMAG0007w.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzlXShXpgwVteLTYpehjjqeA7Ed-Iplp9T7WEkjlhxhRnOrqXPHOv4qbYrheFxi1mLW0uT_ffbXPcTJlffFbbK_TiK8ptdsi_C4DUNMg2aFJEbhghK-IpXY2SOcECoXfS9IDpYQ/s1600-h/IMAG0006w.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069297370984815346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzlXShXpgwVteLTYpehjjqeA7Ed-Iplp9T7WEkjlhxhRnOrqXPHOv4qbYrheFxi1mLW0uT_ffbXPcTJlffFbbK_TiK8ptdsi_C4DUNMg2aFJEbhghK-IpXY2SOcECoXfS9IDpYQ/s200/IMAG0006w.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>These photos are still from the same dye pot shown below and as you can see the color gets progressively lighter.</div><div> </div><div>The very top photo is reed that was just dipped and swished in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cutch</span> twice. The resulting color was just enough to take away that white not dyed look that reed has.</div></div></div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-13855441466026476392007-05-27T10:14:00.000-07:002007-05-27T10:30:46.849-07:00Henna Dye Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_6IDpuuiE-jQCAmLXkbPdP3GLUWOM0FRsBOw4xnacwwZ7kBOdLM5_HnN5U9iSCJCQRED5hI_yqT5vnLDV2uR0mrJYKxKAJEvOxMXSZz2kYvRTup2ezqPu1eOmCBEvuc1vHZ9_Q/s1600-h/IMAG0001w.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069293647248169698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_6IDpuuiE-jQCAmLXkbPdP3GLUWOM0FRsBOw4xnacwwZ7kBOdLM5_HnN5U9iSCJCQRED5hI_yqT5vnLDV2uR0mrJYKxKAJEvOxMXSZz2kYvRTup2ezqPu1eOmCBEvuc1vHZ9_Q/s200/IMAG0001w.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p>This is the recipe used for the Henna dye pictured above.</p><br /><p><br />Into your dye pot put:</p><br /><ol><br /><li>1 cup of salt;</li><br /><li>Now add 2 gallons of water;</li><br /><li>Stir in about a tablespoon of water softener, if you have hard water;</li><br /><li>The Henna comes in power form, so before adding it to the water, put about 1/2 cup of power into a small bowl and dissolve it in hot water;</li><br /><li>Now add the Henna paste to your dye pot; </li><br /><li>Bring the dye pot to a boil; </li><br /><li>Add your cane or reed;</li><br /><li>Simmer to the desired darkness.</li></ol><br /><div></div><br /><p>Now this picture above is of honeysuckle, the dark brown died with the Cutch in the preceding recipe, the light color is the Henna. As you can see there is a very light look to it and a slight brown which doesn't show up good in the photo.</p><br /><p>I originally tried to dye some reed in this Henna and got absolutely no color change on the reed. The reed was just as white after dyeing as it was when I originally put it in the dye pot but it looked really water logged, so I would not use this for reed again. I did not have any cane to try in it, but judging from the honeysuckle it might do better on cane.<br /></p><br /><div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-63257077656669390282007-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:002007-05-27T10:36:06.200-07:00Cutch Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1xEnzR4q5HVd70XzSx8P-i4mcukURpH5eq8EfEoJsnj78YPDH8DnlE43yL9Z1IKx9yMqmJwU5SHBJYLdAeb2Izvt-HGG1I_XGjg8XCeEQ0947u5GCd3Ctmi3ujEtIyBUcQVoLA/s1600-h/IMAG0003w.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069288119625259730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1xEnzR4q5HVd70XzSx8P-i4mcukURpH5eq8EfEoJsnj78YPDH8DnlE43yL9Z1IKx9yMqmJwU5SHBJYLdAeb2Izvt-HGG1I_XGjg8XCeEQ0947u5GCd3Ctmi3ujEtIyBUcQVoLA/s200/IMAG0003w.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is the recipe used for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cutch</span> dye pictured above. The above photo shows the dye on reed and cane.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Into your dye pot put:</div><div></div><ol><li><div>1 cup of salt;</div></li><li><div><div>Now add 2 gallons of water;</div></div></li><li><div>Stir in about a tablespoon of water softener, if you have hard water;</div></li><li><div>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cutch</span> comes in power form, so before adding it to the water, put about 1/2 cup of power into a small bowl and dissolve it in hot water;</div></li><li>Now add the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Cutch</span> paste to your dye pot;</li><li><p>Bring the dye pot to a boil; </p></li><li><p>Add your cane or reed;</p></li><li>Simmer to the desired darkness.</li></ol><br /><ol></ol><p><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cutch</span> does not need heat to dye with, however heating the dye mixture will dye much faster than say living it over night with this particular dye.</p><p>The photo above was both cane and reed that were the first to be dyed in this dye pot, you can see you will get a nice dark chocolate brown from it.</p><p>The 1/2 cup of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Cutch</span> really dyed a lot of reed and cane, so you might want to use say just 1/4 of a cup depending on how much material you want to dye. The 1/2 cup I used dyed 3 coils of reed and 1 coil of cane plus some honeysuckle. It was still giving me a good dye, so I also put some of the dye in a gallon plastic jar, froze it and will see if it works on any future dye batches.</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-66614226535076291832007-02-28T16:04:00.000-08:002007-05-27T12:34:49.057-07:00Common Plants for Natural DyesI'm just going to list some of the most common plants which can and are used in Natural Dyes. I've not tried all of them but just about anything is usable.<br /><br />Plants for Natural Dyes:<br /><br /><ul><li>Cutch, Catechu</li><li>Common Yarrow</li><li>Hollyhocks</li><li>Dyer's Alkanet</li><li>Onions - Red, Yellow or Brown - just the outer skin is used</li><li>Alder</li><li>Dyer's chamomile</li><li>Barberry</li><li>Blackberry</li><li>Cranberry</li><li>Blue Berry</li><li>Birch</li><li>Annatto Seeds - anywhere from orange to brown depending on the mordant you use and when</li><li>Brazilwood - a really nice red to browns</li><li>Pot Marigold</li><li>Heather</li><li>Safflower - this likewise gives a color from yellows to reds</li><li>Fustic, Dyer's Mulberry (wood chips are used) yellows to greens</li><li>Coreopsis, Tickseed</li><li>Dyer's coreopsis</li><li>Yellow cosmos</li><li>Hawthorn</li><li>Turmeric (roots are used)</li><li>Dahlia</li><li>Wild/Domestic carrot, Queen Anne's lace</li><li>Eucalyptus</li><li>Ash</li><li>Lady's bedstraw, Yellow bedstraw</li><li>Dyer's greenweed, Woadwaxen</li><li>Logwood 9 wood chips, graules, or powder)</li><li>Ivy (leaves and berries)</li><li>Hardy hibiscus, Rose mallow (flowers only)</li><li>Saint-John's-Wort</li><li>Indigo</li><li>Woad, Dyer's woard</li><li>Henna</li><li>Osage orange, Bois d'arc (wood chips, shavings or extract)</li><li>Mahonia</li><li>Apple (leaves, bark)</li><li>Bog myrtle, Sweet gale</li><li>Daffodil (flowers)</li><li>Japanese indigo, Dyer's knotweed</li><li>Cherry, Plum, Peach, Almond, Apricot (leaves and bark)</li><li>Blackthorn</li><li>Bracken, Brake</li><li>Sanderswood, Saunderswood (powder or wood chips)</li><li>Pomegranate</li><li>Pear (leaves and bark)</li><li>Oak (oak galls good source of Tannin)</li><li>Weld, Dyer's rocket</li><li>Buckthorn</li><li>Rhubarb</li><li>Staghorn sumac</li><li>Madder</li><li>Blood root</li><li>Rudbeckia, Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan</li><li>Dock, Sorrel, Curled dock</li><li>Willow (leafy stems and bark)</li><li>Elder, Elderberry</li><li>Goldenrod</li><li>Rowan, Mountain Ash</li><li>Comfrey</li><li>French marigold, African marigold</li><li>Tansy</li><li>Dandelion (flowers and leaves) shades of yellows and greens</li><li>Elm (bark and leaves)</li><li>Nettle (plant tops)</li><li>Poison Sumac or Green Moss from trees will give you a Mauve color</li></ul><p>So when you have all those dandelions in your lawn - use them for dyes - using both the leaves and flowers gives you some wonderful lime greenish colors!</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-30372299662276800382006-12-26T09:51:00.000-08:002006-12-26T09:52:58.208-08:00Photos of Baskets using these DyesTo see more photos of these materials made into baskets go here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherokeebasketweaver/">Cherokee Baskets with these dyes</a>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-23752704012330735292006-12-15T14:38:00.000-08:002006-12-26T09:39:55.875-08:00Cochineal Crimson Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ndYAjPO98zDSH_9IyUkbXFSYQCzY2UGnPsoNv0LCD11eUWGTWcaJm7W8UbW1PfIXYb05iRSEW_rXQhIjBlkPiZXoTupBj91weMBLZWBREao0SHELZV5UhLJ7B_YURsVbUhlkiA/s1600-h/IMAG0002w.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5012890643035337298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ndYAjPO98zDSH_9IyUkbXFSYQCzY2UGnPsoNv0LCD11eUWGTWcaJm7W8UbW1PfIXYb05iRSEW_rXQhIjBlkPiZXoTupBj91weMBLZWBREao0SHELZV5UhLJ7B_YURsVbUhlkiA/s320/IMAG0002w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDjlAwhmGWssK5DzUrmKoRmicsCQRyTXwck8srZjeS-zCWF3VL590L4qHA3bqzBomQ3dIurxEK-bAaTM9Q4ZkKeYH0OukaIts0BpVxGNfZ8FRqsnhsb5LsFiOlEw-EdYzuvBPtA/s1600-h/IMAG0004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009151113794957858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDjlAwhmGWssK5DzUrmKoRmicsCQRyTXwck8srZjeS-zCWF3VL590L4qHA3bqzBomQ3dIurxEK-bAaTM9Q4ZkKeYH0OukaIts0BpVxGNfZ8FRqsnhsb5LsFiOlEw-EdYzuvBPtA/s320/IMAG0004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>There are a lot of variations for using this particular dye stuff. I just picked the simplest.<br /><br />Cochineal Basic Recipe:<br /><br /><ol><br /><li>You will first need to mordant your dye material with first tannin (Tara Powder) and then twice with Alum to get the Crimson Color - letting the material dry between mordant sessions at least a day or two; (ok, I'm not patient, I just mordanted and let it dry 1 day between sessions);</li><br /><br /><li>The dye pot is prepared at room temperature with 2 gals of water;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 1 cup of salt and 1 to 2 tbs of water softener if necessary;</li><br /><br /><li>ADD 1/4 cup of the Cochineal dye stuff - Powdered Cochineal; now you may find you want a darker color in which case you would add more dye stuff - I also purchased the whole Cochineal and then used my little coffee grinder to get it into powdered form - worked really well and I got a really nice powder;</li><br /><br /><li>Add your mordanted coil of cane;</li><br /><br /><li>Bring the entire dye pot to 160 degrees - I brought it to a simmer and then turned it down, I'm not sure what the temperature was; Leave it at this temperature until the color develops, again I left mine at this heat level for about 2 hours - mine is a medium color in the dye pot, so I'm going to leave it in the dye solution again over night to see if it will get darker in color. Nope the color does not get darker and a black residue seems to form when it cools, so taking it out of the dye pot when you remove it from the heat appears to be best. You could probably leave the cane in the dye for longer than 2 hours if it has not reached the color to want by then, however, keep it at a hot temperature.</li></ol><br /><br /><p>Now this dye stuff will produce a color anywhere from Scarlet Red to Purple; if the dye stuff gets wet before use, it will only produce purples. Other recipes call for adding at various times, oxalic acid, stannous chloride, stannic chloride for a more scarlet color. Other recipes call for oxalic acid, cream of tartar and tin spirits, stannous chloride and black oak bark. I won't go into how the *spirits* are made, but I suspect you'd need to live in the country with lots of cows around.</p><br /><br /><p>If you'd like to try these other recipes you'll need the book: The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing, Traditional Recipes for Modern Use, by J.N. Liles of the three books I got this one seems to have much better directions in it for the home user. He gives the recipes for cotton and wool as well as silk. He still uses degrees for heat and ozs etc for amounts, so I'm guessing a lot of time on the amounts here, however, he also gives tbs or tsp measurements for smaller amounts. He also gives you a good many variations of materials i.e. if you don't have tannin you can use say 2 oz of Tara Powder, he also tells you where you can purchase some of the other items he uses in his recipes. And he has a number of variations to all his recipes from the simplest to the most complex. His book is available at Amazon or any other online book seller as well.</p><br /><br /><p>The photo above was taken just after removing the cane from the dye pot. This seemed to lighten even after leaving it in the dye pot over night, so it might be that you would get a brighter color if you removed it after the dye solution begins to cool or after removing it from the heat. There seems to be a black residue that forms in this dye if it gets cool, so dyeing and removing the cane after a couple of hours appears to work better than if you leave it over night.</p><br /><p>I have also added some honeysuckle to the dye pot to see what it will do. The top photo is the Cochineal after it has dryed.</p></div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-40782751400797347352006-12-14T10:49:00.000-08:002007-01-02T10:18:29.402-08:00Osage Orange Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTEhKzYGAv94BfcHlB3BDTqCTGtm4xbziN55Xiq1iVAZ9VcF_JYGPn6pC2qQQGuYL40Nbs713hAoTBaJ0Uwg1n0BP5Di9wb4WIUgn48iCCKat-pfEhJotwW5B9sJLgjOknyiZxw/s1600-h/IMAG0002d.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009177124116902450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTEhKzYGAv94BfcHlB3BDTqCTGtm4xbziN55Xiq1iVAZ9VcF_JYGPn6pC2qQQGuYL40Nbs713hAoTBaJ0Uwg1n0BP5Di9wb4WIUgn48iCCKat-pfEhJotwW5B9sJLgjOknyiZxw/s320/IMAG0002d.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mGfovaLP8i54bzV0t5r77p7KBvrsNW_eG5YQtEiSA2-oc7V9VA1UruqsqnCJVZzmQYLEm_dXxWk7bCp4ZE0SDujQ5T9iRRbxuRdbXMzNVmRcioT3nNCo1wy4DN1l_X0SXaRGwQ/s1600-h/IMAG0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008866904086706818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mGfovaLP8i54bzV0t5r77p7KBvrsNW_eG5YQtEiSA2-oc7V9VA1UruqsqnCJVZzmQYLEm_dXxWk7bCp4ZE0SDujQ5T9iRRbxuRdbXMzNVmRcioT3nNCo1wy4DN1l_X0SXaRGwQ/s320/IMAG0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Osage Orange Recipe:<br /><ol><br /><li>Add 1 gal of water to your dye pot;</li><br /><br /><li>Add one cup of plain table salt - the salt works as a leveling agent, which gives you a more even dye - remember this is cane I'm dyeing so this may not work on cloth materials;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 1 cup of Osage Orange powder/saw dust;</li><br /><br /><li>Bring all of this to a boil;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 1 more gal of water so you have a 2 gal dye pot;</li><br /><br /><li>Boil for 2 hours unless you've let your Osage Orange saw dust soak over night, then boil for 1 hour;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 1 coil of cane and boil for an additional 2 hours;</li><br /><br /><li>Remove from heat and let soak over night. I did not let this particular batch soak overnight because I was looking for a somewhat light color and this turned dark really quick. I left it in the dye pot for about 4 hours after removing it from the heat. The finished test I took, got much lighter than it appears in the above photo, which is what I wanted.</li><br /><li>Always rinse your cane after you remove it from the dye pot.</li></ol><br /><br /><p>Now, I had used a tannin or tara powder mordant on this coil of cane prior to adding it to the dye pot. I did not use any alum because I didn't want the dye to turn too yellow, I'm looking for more of a tan color.</p><br /><br /><p>Sources also suggest adding a copper modifier towards the end of the dyeing process.</p><br /><br /><p>The photo at the top is the cane after it is dry and the photo at the bottom is the cane which has dried some so it's not fresh out of the dye pot. Photo of it dry coming.</p><p>This Dye stuff is really easy to use and gives you good color on the cane.</p><p>To see this dye in a woven basket - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherokeebasketweaver/">PHOTOS</a></p></div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-71958237279086665012006-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:002006-12-16T10:08:06.176-08:00Dyeing NotesNotes on using Natural Dye Stuff:<br /><ol><li>Some sources say that you can dye any natural material in a cool dye bath as well as heated, however, some dye stuff requires heat to release the dye;</li><li>Although a cool dye bath may work, generally heat I think is the better method, since your dye will adhere to the material faster and cane may be different than other materials such as cotton or linen;</li><li>I have purchased an <a href="http://www.nextag.com/Aroma-PHP-323-Electric-501604344/prices-html">Aroma PHP-323 Electric Halogen Range</a> for use in my dyeing; this is a fancy word for *hot plate*; this one however has a really large base and works well with the larger dye pots I use; and it heats and cools down very rapidly;</li><li>Most natural dyes are not toxic so although you can dye in your kitchen, it is better to have some sort of ventilation for the area anyway and I don't think I'd be eating any of these whether toxic or not; be sure and wash or rinse your hands after each handling of any of the dye stuffs for safety;</li><li>Mordants on the other hand can be toxic, so follow instructions well with those and make sure you have lots of ventilation for them;</li><li>Most of the dye materials will have their own unique funky smell as well;</li><li>The above halogen range will also work well outside if you prefer to dye out of doors, my preferred place is outside;</li><li>Always remember that if you finish a recipe and the color just isn't as dark as you'd like add more dye stuff;</li><li>I'm also beginning to think that with any dye stuff you will need at least 1 cup of dye stuff with 2 gals of water at a minimum; anything less than that will not give you a true indication of the dye color when finished; remember your dyed material is going to look dark when wet in the dye pot but as it drys it will get lighter in color.</li><li>You should also NOT place a naturally dyed basket in direct sun light, sun light will cause the natural dye to fade very rapidly;</li><li>Sources also suggest drying your newly dyed material in the shade rather than direct sun light.</li><li>I always add 1 to 2 tbs of water softener to my dye pot since I have hard water whether the recipes state that or not.</li><li>When experimenting you may want to dye the cane first and then try your color modifiers, this way you can see what the color change is; you would make your color modifier just like you would a dye pot but wait until after you have dyed your material, then put it in the color modifier solution. The all in one dye pot doesn't give you the benefit of seeing the dyed material and then what the color modifier will do to the color.</li><li>Always try a test piece of cane in the color modifier before putting the entire coil of cane in the solution. Don't want to ruin that gorgeous original dye, if the modifier doesn't do what you think it will.</li><li>Every dye batch will be a different shade or variation of the color, so be sure and dye enough material for your project, so you will have some consistency in color.</li></ol><p>And most important have fun.....:)</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-81924898954777154662006-12-13T13:04:00.000-08:002007-01-02T10:16:35.338-08:00Annatto Seed Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNhcj40lMhKc7pzSDy9F2tRNRrIUDCubomZZB6NKRFAFzORZh4xKnDk2HsxJZbPKzbyPOyts7ginxK2ThpPce3HXlP-Tgu92TvBTWzSuJ0MxZat58oLYD_HdWr32ZxcxNDcB3Mw/s1600-h/IMAG0001w.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008515897884441202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNhcj40lMhKc7pzSDy9F2tRNRrIUDCubomZZB6NKRFAFzORZh4xKnDk2HsxJZbPKzbyPOyts7ginxK2ThpPce3HXlP-Tgu92TvBTWzSuJ0MxZat58oLYD_HdWr32ZxcxNDcB3Mw/s320/IMAG0001w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfOGXOF8QwaI3Vi-IZ5soFCMObSHs1Gt9qTZ9Vfgm-S2nw770qHzRvI_Sz4TREDvbuKKC2MObgr1P8MoGt4DExpxl2l2Kt75SRpRSdRIhNBD6FCBHIwEwtToJICpnyg6JwLLaLw/s1600-h/IMAG0002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008452783340026466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfOGXOF8QwaI3Vi-IZ5soFCMObSHs1Gt9qTZ9Vfgm-S2nw770qHzRvI_Sz4TREDvbuKKC2MObgr1P8MoGt4DExpxl2l2Kt75SRpRSdRIhNBD6FCBHIwEwtToJICpnyg6JwLLaLw/s320/IMAG0002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><p>This dye material will give you an orange to orange/red color without any mordants or modifiers.<br /><br />The Recipe:<br /><br /></p><ol><li>Add 1 gal of water to your dye pot, 1 or 2 tbs of water softener (I'm using Calgon for this) and 2 tsp of washing soda bring to a boil;</li><li>Add another gal of water to the dye pot, so that you will have a 2 gal dye pot;</li><li>Add 1/2 cup of Annatto seeds to the dye pot (depending on how dark you want the dye 1 cup might be better - also remember you are first putting these in a nylon stocking before adding them to the dye pot);</li><li>Bring the dye pot to a boil and boil for 1 hour;</li><li>Add 1 coil of cane and boil for another hour (I washed my cane off before hand, so that it was also wet when added to the dye pot);</li><li>Remove from the heat after 1 hour and you can either remove the cane from the dye pot, depending on how dark you want it or leave the cane over night in the dye pot. I left mine in the dye pot over night.</li></ol></div><div><br /><br /></div><p>This dye material can also be done in a cool or room temperature dye pot without using heat but you would need to soak the Annatto seeds over night. This particular dye material does not need a mordant, however, sources say that adding a couple of teaspoons of vinegar to the rinse water after dyeing will give you a salmon color. I did not do anything to the cane before putting it into the dye pot except rinse it in a mild (PH) dish soap.</p><div><br /></div><p>The photo at the bottom is the dyed cane after taking it from the dye pot and is still wet. The photo at the top is the dried cane. This is really a nice color of red/orange. I did not grind the seeds for this batch but next time I will try grinding them before adding them to the dye pot which may yield more color and will try it with 1 cup of Annatto seeds to see what result I get. This however, really looks like Blood Root when dry, amazing.</p><div><br /></div><p>When grinding seeds or other dye material a small coffee grinder can be used. They are rather inexpensive and can be found at most stores like K-Mart, Wal-Mart or Target. This is a handy gadget for the home dyer.</p><p>To see this dye in a woven basket - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherokeebasketweaver/">PHOTOS</a></p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-81200191777860419482006-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:002006-12-26T09:50:21.812-08:00Walnut Dye Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHERPgw2WydhK77a2VkPOOUWucxrCyajxDDGASwRIwH-L4rEZw2tzs1OiUTExS8HAn8XFMVrm6hcYImB3_-1-lRna1hQzo0Gi0-V585ksA_TycoQyzYg2gKeDfl_hzgglyIlLW9g/s1600-h/IMAG0008w.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5012893297325126242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHERPgw2WydhK77a2VkPOOUWucxrCyajxDDGASwRIwH-L4rEZw2tzs1OiUTExS8HAn8XFMVrm6hcYImB3_-1-lRna1hQzo0Gi0-V585ksA_TycoQyzYg2gKeDfl_hzgglyIlLW9g/s320/IMAG0008w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQXCnFI_0E-MKmen9sAJlki0SWZ68QMFM9IPZBVBOUMYAhkGy-HSwet0_avKwt9cxvrdhKVrL-N4H2vGgCPogs6xiGG6M1H7k6WK8t-13rm2G_3rDF9bMQWr5iHFu0S4hV_CFjw/s1600-h/IMAG0009w.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5012893301620093554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQXCnFI_0E-MKmen9sAJlki0SWZ68QMFM9IPZBVBOUMYAhkGy-HSwet0_avKwt9cxvrdhKVrL-N4H2vGgCPogs6xiGG6M1H7k6WK8t-13rm2G_3rDF9bMQWr5iHFu0S4hV_CFjw/s320/IMAG0009w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31sX3hgalKoWgF_J8m6vrTLULJFgbEDfmJrmk6mt79dwjI3fGbsqsi77orz25YlK0rT_3Oa-3oY5jlrsNyW_Qcf6grYORrqCurLLrGVuaMw8ngmTdzNQj1zLkAzyoPnS3qq6jCg/s1600-h/IMAG0003h.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009179602313032258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31sX3hgalKoWgF_J8m6vrTLULJFgbEDfmJrmk6mt79dwjI3fGbsqsi77orz25YlK0rT_3Oa-3oY5jlrsNyW_Qcf6grYORrqCurLLrGVuaMw8ngmTdzNQj1zLkAzyoPnS3qq6jCg/s320/IMAG0003h.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdb4Gn0TMAA5raOYPZc2MGkQMQLXDgQEFuNYB-cC-htIvq41K-HzinYATgci8MrNYtY7O7Os7KktQwg_n0injtIhuDyeg8dOoXyKJmSJLybNbxxhEwTy5AwsOie4x9ASw1GJrzxA/s1600-h/IMAG0003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009149198239543826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdb4Gn0TMAA5raOYPZc2MGkQMQLXDgQEFuNYB-cC-htIvq41K-HzinYATgci8MrNYtY7O7Os7KktQwg_n0injtIhuDyeg8dOoXyKJmSJLybNbxxhEwTy5AwsOie4x9ASw1GJrzxA/s320/IMAG0003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div>The Recipe:<br /><br /><ol><br /><li>Starting with 1 gal of water in my dye pot and adding 1 tbs of water softener;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>I have put 1 cup of Walnut Hull Powder into a stocking and added it to my dye pot;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>Bring to a boil for about 1/2 hour;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>Add another gal of water and bring to a boil;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>Add one coil of commercial cane in this case I've also added a small amount of Honeysuckle as well;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>Simmer for 1/2 hour;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>Let stand for as long as it takes to get the color you want - I'm probably going to leave this batch at least 3 or 4 days in the dye pot;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>At least once during the day I again bring the dye pot to a simmer and then leave it again over night;</li><br /><br /><br /><li>I removed the dyed material from the dye pot on the 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">th</span> day, you may want to leave it longer if you want a darker color.<br /><br /></li></ol><br /><p>I have done this batch a bit different to see how it comes out. I am first going to dye the cane in the Walnut dye and then after it appears to have gotten as dark as I can get it, will add it to an iron solution, the color modifier, to see what result I get.</p><br /><p>This can also be done in an all in one dye method and that is usually the preferred method, however, I'm trying to see just exactly how much iron would be required to make it that nice chocolate brown. Or if perhaps adding the dyed cane to an iron solution afterwards would make it darker or not work as well.</p><br /><p>Once again this dye recipe comes from Sandra <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Pallie</span> of Oklahoma, she however, uses the rusty nail method for the iron, where I use the iron crystals. Not many rusty nails in my area...:)</p><br /><p>Photo at the bottom above taken on the 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">th</span> day of steeping in the dye pot. It's beginning to rain in Sunny Southern Cal so might take awhile for this to dry. The photo at the top is the honeysuckle which was dyed in the same dye pot at the same time as the cane. Neither have had iron added to them and are still wet from the dye pot. The top two photos are of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dried</span> honeysuckle and cane. </p><p>The top photos are also after I put it in an iron solution. I just dipped and swished these a couple of times in the iron solution, so as you can see they really came out dark. I used a fraction of the iron that I used in the dye in one method.</p><p>I have also discovered another source of making iron solution is steel wool pads. If you add say one pad to a pint or quart of water with some vinegar, you will also get a very nice iron solution for dyes.</p></div></div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-7024202874335312442006-12-11T14:01:00.000-08:002006-12-11T14:10:08.562-08:00Finished Basket using Blackberry Natural Dye<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExIA1NIf5bjhEi-C2Oh_bEOm_qpYFJ-nwlfsIrw_3oCxrhXm9IhPwoiILJEeyB70ma5Dj5ZTzw9NKD2SnH2gFJ4XVVgkx4EAmaRITr8ihcy3gpXbK9ZwUnlNRNPXduUOGcw5cOw/s1600-h/IMAG0001w.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007394863534271410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExIA1NIf5bjhEi-C2Oh_bEOm_qpYFJ-nwlfsIrw_3oCxrhXm9IhPwoiILJEeyB70ma5Dj5ZTzw9NKD2SnH2gFJ4XVVgkx4EAmaRITr8ihcy3gpXbK9ZwUnlNRNPXduUOGcw5cOw/s320/IMAG0001w.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is the finished basket using blackberry dye. This is the Flowing Water design, I'm going to also make a lid for this one.</div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-88095583073178665002006-12-04T16:36:00.000-08:002007-02-28T16:35:02.254-08:00Tannin as a Mordant RecipeThere are two types of fibers from what I can gather.<br /><ol><li>Vegetable fibers, also called cellulose fibers such as cotton - this is the type of fiber that most <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">basketweavers</span> use. So most recipes are given for both cotton and wool, so when choosing take the cotton recipe.</li><li>Animal Fibers, also known as protein fibers, such as wool - although I've read that any dye that will work on Wool will also work on Vegetable fibers.</li></ol><p>Tannin is usually used on all Vegetable fibers because it helps either the mordant of Alum or any of the others adhere to the fiber better. Tannin can be used as a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-mordant or alone as a mordant but most of the sources suggest using the Tannin first or also in the all in one dye method for best results on all vegetable fibers.</p><br />The earliest and richest source for Tannin was in the Gall Nuts of oak trees. They were produced by insects who would deposit their eggs in small punctures they made on young branches.<br /><br />Other sources of Tannin were the barks of alder, chestnut and oak, each has a varying percentage of tannin.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tannic</span> acid is still used in some types of dyeing and medicines.<br /><br />The recipe:<br /><ol><li>Dissolve 1/2 ounce (light colors) to 1 1/2 ounces (dark colors) of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">tannic</span> acid in 4 to 6 gallons of hot water (130 to 170 degrees) in a nonreactive pot (I use a small stainless steel pot). An Iron pot will produce a grey, black or a dull color from the tannin.</li><li>Place the fiber in the tannin solution and steep for 8 to 24 hours; Do not heat the bath again; in fact, cotton <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mordanting</span> occurs well at room temperature, remember cotton is most like the fibers <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">basketweavers</span> use;</li><li>Remove, rinse once and dry;</li><li>After it has <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">dryed</span> then do your other mordant if desired or place the fiber into the dye pot.</li></ol><p>Although <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Tannic</span> acid is the best tannin source for bright and light colors, it may not be available in which case tannin-bearing plants will work as well.</p><p>For 1 ounce of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Tannic</span> acid you can use:</p><ol><li>4 ounces dried or 8 ounces fresh sumac leaves and shoots</li><li>2 ounces <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">cutch</span> extract or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">tara</span> powder</li><li>10 ounces oak galls</li><li>18 ounces <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">myrobalans</span> or</li><li>14 ounces <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">divi</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">divi</span> (I have no idea what that is....:))</li></ol><p>I used the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">tara</span> powder which is about 50% tannin, I added 1/4 cup to a gal of water and then added 1 coil of cane and leave it sit overnight. Depending on the tan color achieved, it will mordant several coils of cane. Once the color reaches a light tan the Tara Powder has been used, so you will need to make another batch to mordant more cane if you desire.</p><p>If you use Tara Powder put it in a nylon stocking to prevent the residue from floating around in your solution.</p><p>Many sources will tell you that a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">pre-</span>mordant to a cellulose fiber will make the dye adhere better to the fiber and prevent fading of the natural colors.</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-79876336675371679842006-12-04T16:01:00.000-08:002006-12-05T08:12:28.781-08:00Blackberry The Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Rfm7tVbvB-Yu9lzgdIPkyXlWuOKqVa37KjXPeRk99dIoVUbGZvUtbZNoSaGH8RhXZxTMiglrms5JbDEyromFdIteHWma9lKznAS7w7Qc30oWmL3iP4sh0vTkqQctSgn82PacQQ/s1600-h/IMAG0002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004827855414976818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Rfm7tVbvB-Yu9lzgdIPkyXlWuOKqVa37KjXPeRk99dIoVUbGZvUtbZNoSaGH8RhXZxTMiglrms5JbDEyromFdIteHWma9lKznAS7w7Qc30oWmL3iP4sh0vTkqQctSgn82PacQQ/s320/IMAG0002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D6tmmVaZ7ZV0Swv_o3C-GTF15J5AjP-yG7sxRAyvC0ohXZHV4Da2bDg5aYkLSGOMvjUGdoO2DnFGJK6LXmPyUntSm6zst4n0Dl8F_atOR8QjwRfIIhThHnu3dOZ8URcBan6Mug/s1600-h/IMAG0004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004827859709944130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D6tmmVaZ7ZV0Swv_o3C-GTF15J5AjP-yG7sxRAyvC0ohXZHV4Da2bDg5aYkLSGOMvjUGdoO2DnFGJK6LXmPyUntSm6zst4n0Dl8F_atOR8QjwRfIIhThHnu3dOZ8URcBan6Mug/s320/IMAG0004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ok, remember that Red Onion Cane, well, this is that cane dyed again with Blackberries. The top photo is the cane dry, bottom is the cane still wet.</div><div></div><div>This is what I did.</div><div></div><div></div><div>Recipe:</div><ol><li>First I soaked the cane in Tara Powder (a source for Tannin) over night, more on this in another post;</li><li>I took 18 ozs of Blackberries and while still whole added them to my nylon stocking pouches;</li><li>I then smashed the blackberries in the dye pot, so you don't loose any of the juice that comes out from smashing them;</li><li>I then added 2 gals of water to the smashed Blackberries in my dye pot;</li><li>I left the cane in the dye for 2 days, that was 2 nights and 2 days total and removed them.</li></ol><p>When you do not heat the dye pot this is known as the cold method of dyeing and you can do this with some natural materials but not all. </p><p>After I removed the cane from the dye pot, I then added some honeysuckle to it, the honeysuckle likewise had been soaked for at least over night in the Tannin solution; I should have enough dye color to also get a nice red color on this, but we will see.</p><p>The Tannin Solution is suppose to help the dye from fading as it usually does after several days. On the honeysuckle test I did with the cane, the dye eventually got so light you could no longer even see it. Tannin is suppose to help prevent this. Tannin is what is called a pre-mordant or a mordant; in most sources I have read tannin applied either first or with the dye material is a mordant for vegetable fibers, more on this later as well. Tannin is also used as a pre-mordant for alum on vegetable fibers, you soak your cane in Tannin over night, then soak it in an Alum solution over night, then add it to your dye pot. Takes longer but it is suppose to really help your dye adhere to a vegetable fiber.</p><p>Likewise you will notice that in this dye pot I did not add salt. Salt is known as a leveling agent, it makes the dye apply evenly on the fibers, so I will have to try this in my next blackberry dye batch. Now depending on how dark the honeysuckle gets, I will probably also at some point boil the blackberries for about 10 to 15 minutes and see if the fruit will bear any more dye. In some cases, heat will extract more color from the dye stuff and you will get a faster dye than using the cold method. After you boil the dye stuff, you place your cane into the dye pot and let it set at least over night or longer depending on how deep of a color you want. It also appears at some point the fibers just don't accept any more dye.</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-51719458205287563222006-11-30T19:43:00.000-08:002006-11-30T20:05:43.627-08:00Note on Dye StuffWhen you are determining the amount of dye stuff to use in your dye pot, it is not the amount of water in the dye pot that determines the strength of the dye. The amount of water in the dye pot does *not* dilute the dye color. The amount of dye stuff is what determines whether the resulting color will be light or dark and the amount of dye material you put in the dye pot to be dyed. Generally you use the same weight of dye stuff that is equal to the material you are dyeing. So 4 oz of cane would require 4 oz of dye material. The dyed material, in our case, cane, will absorb the same amount of dye in 2 gals as in 4 gals of water, but you need to make sure you've added at least 4 oz of dye material. Then depending on how strong you want the color you can either add or subtract dye stuff from the initial amount used. If it is too strong, you might use it to dye another coil of cane in a lighter shade.<br /><br />Natural dye colors often will not be consistent even when using the same dye stuff. Most natural materials require heat to extract the color. Powered dyed stuff can be mixed into a smooth paste with a little warm water then added to the dye pot and simmer for 1/2 hour. Generally you will need 1/2 the dyed material weight for the dye stuff. So with a 4 oz coil of cane you would need at least 2 oz of the dye powder. This will give you a strong dye pot, which you can then gauge from there whether you wish to add or subtract from that amount.<br /><br />If you dye in a cool dye pot, then it can take several days to get the color you want. Some dye stuff also may require heat however for best results.<br /><br />I would say, 2 cups of red onion is not 4 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">ozs</span> in weight, so next time I'm going to double or triple the amount of red onions skins.Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-49876518398715559802006-11-29T14:37:00.000-08:002006-11-30T18:56:54.227-08:00Mordants and ModifiersI must say this is an extremely interesting subject because if you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">pre</span></span> mordant you will get various colors, then add the fibers to the dye bath the colors will dye depending on the type of mordant used and then if you add a color modifier after you dye the same fibers, you will get even more variations of colors. Fibers that are say <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">pre</span></span> mordant in all five mordants below will yield 5 different colors, then when these fibers are added to say a madder dye bath, you get 5 different colors again, then using the same dyed madder fibers and putting them in 5 different color modifiers you get another 5 different shades. So out of 5 different mordant fibers groups, you would get up to 15 different color variations.<br /><br />The basic difference between mordant and color modifier is when you apply it to the cane. A mordant is applied before putting the cane in a dye bath. A color modifier is used after you have dyed the cane. If you use the all in one method, they probably become more color modifiers than mordants. Plain table salt or other salts are also considered a mordant, although they would probably not be considered color modifiers. Anything applied to the cane to help the color adhere to the cane would be a mordant and some mordants work better with some dye stuff than others. If the color modifier (mordant) is applied after dyeing then you are more likely to get a change in the original dyed material. Putting your cane in a mordant solution alone prior to dyeing it is said will help the dye *stick to* the cane, if you add it to the dye pot at the same time, the mordant has a tendency to adhere to the dye and leave the cane out of the loop, thus not being quite as affective. I think I really like blood root...you get a really nice good clear or dark color with none of this fuss!!<br /><br />The major types of Mordants are: Alum, copper, iron, tannin and rhubarb leaf solutions.<br /><br />The major types of Color Modifiers are: Acid (clear vinegar), Alkaline (washing soda), Copper and Iron. Wood ash if you have a wood stove or fire place. Clear vinegar and ammonia can also be used as modifiers. One or two teaspoons of vinegar makes an acidic modifier and a few drops of ammonia makes an alkaline modifier.<br /><br />So as you can see both copper and iron depending on when you add it to your fibers will give you a different result.<br /><br />The mordants help the dye *stick* to the fibers so to speak and if added before you dye the fiber gives you also more control over the coloring process.<br /><br />For color modifiers: 1 tablespoon of modifier crystals dissolved in 2 pints of boiling water will be enough for several applications because you only use 1 or 2 teaspoons of the modifier solution each time.<br /><br />You can <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">pre</span></span> mordant, dye and then use more than one color modifier as well. Put the dyed fibers into one modifier and then put it into another. Sometimes more than one pot or kettle or bowl is necessary, since you need to keep the modifiers separate. The all in one method probably wouldn't work if using more than one mordant or modifier.<br /><br />Actually it appears that any of the mordants can also be used as color modifiers, if used after the fiber has been dyed and any of the color modifiers can also be used as mordants. Tannin can be used as a dye, as can any of the other mordants, since they will give give a different shade to the original fiber. Tannin produces tans, copper a pale blue, alum a yellow and rhubarb a grayish tan.<br /><br />All you need do is add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the mordant or color modifiers to a pot of water, 4 to 8 gals, although a gal would work, and stir well, then add your fibers. However, with color modifiers you won't be able to see the change if you add it to your dye pot, so making a modifier solution say with one gallon of water would seem to work as well. Then after you have dyed the cane you can then put it into the color modifier solution. You do not need to leave the cane in these modifiers for very long to see the changes. Just leave it in long enough to get the desired color and in some cases that may not be more than a minute, give or take a few seconds.<br /><br />For acidic modifiers, most common is clear vinegar, add the dyed fibers and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the fibers when the color changes, rinse well. You can also do this in a cool solution, just take bit of vinegar say in a bowl, then a sample piece of your cane and dip it into the vinegar. This one will help some reds, as in my red onions. You should however, test any of these on a sample before immersing your entire coil of cane into the solution.<br /><br />For alkaline modifiers, most common is washing soda (Arm & Hammer Soda) add the dyed fibers, no need to heat, soak them for about 1/2 hour, if the color change is not enough, remove the fibers and add more alkaline modifier and then add the fibers again. Repeat this until the desired color is achieved. Remove the fibers and rinse well. This one likewise can be done in cool water, this will turn towards yellows.<br /><br />For copper add the fibers and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the color changes, remove the fibers and rinse well.<br /><br />For iron add the fibers and simmer for about 5 minutes, remove fibers and rinse well. (this may not work with walnut - but I am certainly going to give it a try, watch for the results!). I did a couple of samples of iron modifiers and you really need very very little of this to change the color. My water was very light yellow and it still turned one sample grey, this was the cane that had the alum added to the dye pot while dyeing and the other really black, this was the cane that was dyed with red onion. So start with just a very little and if need be add more unless you want black, then a larger amount is needed.<br /><br />Let's just say, you will probably get different color results with cane or reed than you do with wool. You also may or may not need more dye stuff for cane and reed than you would for wool.<br /><br />Also remembering that Hamburg cane has already been *chemically treated* to remove the hard outer shell, so by rinsing and washing the cane first in a mild dish soap, this might make a difference as well.Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-85666246425146329832006-11-29T13:36:00.000-08:002006-11-29T13:53:04.477-08:00Finished Basket Natural Dyes<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/913633/IMAG0002w.jpg"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/18560/IMAG0004w.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/320/277322/IMAG0004w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is the finished basket using the dyes below. As you can see, I think the red onion turned out way to light and the beets had too much alum added although it did turn out with a nice yellow and the pomegranate has too much iron in it which turned it quite black.<br /><br />In the next batch I will try adding just 1/2 tsp of iron or less to the pomegranate but first I might try getting just a nice dark red color and also add less alum to the beets once again starting say with 1/2 tsp and working in more if needed for a more pale yellow and also trying just the beets to see how deed the red becomes. </p><p>To see photos of the blood root and walnut dyes in finished baskets click this link: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherokeebasketweaver/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherokeebasketweaver/</a></p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-46131953454188599722006-11-24T08:32:00.000-08:002006-11-24T08:41:04.511-08:00Red Onion Dyed Cane<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/992600/redonionw3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/320/140688/redonionw3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This is the results of dyed cane with red onion skins. This looks very similar to the pomegranate dyed cane.</div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-32139019455461214032006-11-23T12:19:00.000-08:002006-11-30T20:10:30.222-08:00Red Onion Recipe<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/144528/redonionw.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/320/441999/redonionw.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Red Onion Recipe. </div><div></div><ol><li>Add 2 gals of water to your dye pot, this time I added a tsp of water softener, we have hard water here in California so the water softener will result in removing some of the water impurities;</li><li>Add 4 cups of Red Onion Skins, minimum; the darker you want the color the more onion skins you will need; putting the skins in a nylon to prevent floating dye material in the dye bath; </li><li>Add 1 cup of salt, again I use plain table salt;</li><li>Bring the mixture to a boil for 1/2 hour;</li><li>Add your coil of cane;</li><li>Simmer for an additional 1/2 hour;</li><li>Remove from heat and let stand overnight.</li></ol><p>Remember this method will work for any of the Onion Skins, Red, Yellow or Brown. The long you let it stand the darker the color will be as well. I have found the Brown Onion skins to produce the best color thus far, however, I added more than 2 cups of crushed skins.</p><p>With 2 cups of red onion skins, my cane was much too light as seen above. You might also add 1/2 or 1 cup of vinegar to your dye pot or after dyeing you would put the cane into a solution of vinegar to enhance the red color. Not sure this would work on the Brown Onions.</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-25117295999393563942006-11-22T14:02:00.000-08:002006-11-22T14:30:54.623-08:00Alum SolutionThis is the Alum Solution which you can use to soak your cane in before you add it to the natural dye pot. Although this is referred to in most text as a mordant, it is also a color modifier as you can see from what happened when dyeing beets with Alum added. Some texts will also tell you to treat your material with tannin solution before soaking it in the Alum Solution. The washing soda is added to the Alum Solution to help the material absorb the Alum. Tannin and Alum can both be purchased at most basket shops online as well or through Dharma Trading Company via their online shop.<br /><br />Depending on how dark you want the dye bath, you can soak the material in Alum more than once but it is suggested you treat the material with tannin first.<br /><br />Remember in most cases for a really deep and bright color result you will need to apply the alum mordant at least twice. You may also want to test your dye material to make sure the Alum will not modify the color as it did with the beets.<br /><br />Alum Recipe when using 1 coil of commercial cane:<br /><br /><ol><li>Treat the material with tannin first; this likewise might give you a different result on the beets since I didn't use tannin in my beet dye pot;</li><li>Fill your dye pot with 2 gals of water;</li><li>Dissolve your Alum in about a cup of water before adding to the dye pot;</li><li>Place 4 tsp of Alum in the boiling water and make sure it is dissolved and add it to the dye pot;</li><li>Dissolve 2 tsp of Washing Soda (I used just plain Arm and Hammer Soda) in about a cup of boiling hot water, after it is completely dissolved, add it also to the dye pot (you'll get a lot of bubbles and fizzing when you add this);</li><li>Now add the coil of cane to the dye pot;</li><li>Bring the dye pot to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes and remove from the heat;</li><li>Now let the material sit in the dye pot for 8 to 24 hours;</li><li>Remove the cane and if you wish to apply another bath don't rinse the cane, just let it drip for awhile to remove the excess liquid and then let it dry over night;</li><li>Now re wet the cane and add it to a second Alum Solution bath and repeat the above steps letting it sit in the Alum Solution for another 8 to 24 hours;</li><li>Remove from the Alum Solution and before dyeing be sure and rinse it really well; note there is no dye material in this solution, this is just simply to add a mordant prior to dyeing the cane;</li><li>Now add them to the dye color of your choice.</li></ol><p>The all in one method just adds the dissolved Alum and Soda to the dye pot along with the dye material and cane.</p><p>Tannin instructions coming or are already above.</p><p>Remember, Alum can also modify your dye color, so you may want to experiment to see what it will do with your natural dye material.</p>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-38131364569978513612006-11-22T13:32:00.000-08:002006-11-30T20:15:47.842-08:00Beet Recipe<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/622141/beetsw3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/320/48289/beetsw3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/652860/beetsw2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/320/648028/beetsw2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/622141/beetsw3.jpg"></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I didn't get a photo of this in original form. I used the all in one Dye method for this batch which was probably a mistake, since the resulting color is quite surprising!<br /><ol><br /><li>Using my enamel dye pot I filled it with 2 gal of water;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 4 medium size beets cut up and placed in your nylon stockings; my beets were probably about 3 or 4 inches in diameter, there should be about 1 cup of dye material;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 1 cup of salt, plain table salt;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 3 tsp of Washing Soda, I used plain Arm and Hammer Soda;</li><br /><br /><li>Add 3 tsp of Alum;</li><br /><br /><li>Boil your mixture for about 1/2 hour and then add your coil of cane;</li><br /><br /><li>Simmer for 1/2 hour and remove from heat;</li></ol><br /><p>Depending on how dark you want the material, you will let it sit in the dye pot overnight.</p><p>Generally the dye material is first soaked in an Alum solution, this solution is used to help the dye adhere to the dyed material better and it also gives the dye a clear color.</p><p>As you know beets are a deep red and when cooked much of that juice is a nice deep red as well and would probably make a really pretty deep red color on commercial cane depending on how long you let the cane sit in the dye and the amount of beets you use. However, since I used the all in one method for this dye batch, I will never know. I think this is one disadvantage to using the all in one method for dyeing, you don't get to see the original dye material in it's natural state.</p><p>The dye was originally red from the beets, then turned a nice golden orange and then flipped over into a quite vibrant yellow. This is probably a result of the Alum and/or Soda that was added.</p><p>Using just the beets and table salt would probably give you the deep red color only from the beets, which I'll try next time.</p><p>The top photo is the cane wet and the bottom is the cane dry, it came out a real nice ecru color. And this from Beets with Alum and Soda added.</p>I would probably not add the alum or washing soda to this if you want a nice red dye and once again you may want to increase the amount of beets used for dyeing. I also might try a vinegar color modifier to enhance the red.<br /><br /><p></p></div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-75126417154251959522006-11-22T10:47:00.000-08:002006-11-29T10:22:46.743-08:00Pomegranate with Iron added after Dyeing<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/pomiron1w.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4197/3976/320/pomiron1w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/pomiron1w.jpg"></a>I added 3 tsps (I would start with just 1/2 tsp of this solution and then add more as needed to get it as dark as you'd like) of the hot Iron Solution to my Pomegranate Dye Pot and brought the entire mixture to another boil. I simmered it for another 1/2 hour and this is the resulting color. So as you can see, Iron is going to make your dyed material a darker color. If you want it lighter, you would use less Iron Solution. This particular photo of the cane is still wet, so it likewise is going to be lighter when it drys. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>Looks a lot like my Walnut Dyed Cane and this could probably be used as a substitute for the Walnut.</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>Iron will always make your dyed material more muted and dark.<br /><br /></p></div><div></div><div><br />Next up is dyeing with beets.<br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32575589.post-6666003466217552052006-11-22T10:21:00.000-08:002006-11-22T10:46:01.483-08:00Iron Mordant or Color Modifier<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4197/3976/1600/ironsolutionw.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4197/3976/320/ironsolutionw.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>I use the crystals you can purchase at most basket shops or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Dharma</span> Trading Co. I also dye one coil of commercial cane at a time, which weights a little over 4 oz., so I round it to 5 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">oz.</span> when preparing dye materials.<br /><br /><ol><br /><br /><li>1/4 cup of water;</li><li>Bring the water to a boil; </li><li>Add 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">tsps</span> of Iron crystals, stir well to make sure all the crystals have dissolved;</li><li>The resulting mixture is a yellowish/brown liquid, just like you find if you were to put rusty nails or other rusty material into a jar of water and let it sit for several days and this indeed is another way to make iron solutions;</li><li>I then added 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">tsps</span> of this Iron Solution to my Pomegranate Dye Pot.</li></ol></div></div>Cherokee Basketshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14370474388373212376noreply@blogger.com0