A different way to eco-dye

Today I'm in my kitchen where I'm getting ready to do some eco-dyeing.  Now I realize I've eco-dyed before.  It involved gathering, wrapping, steaming for several hours, then leaving the cooled product in a closed bag for several weeks.  It works best in winter or late autumn because you are less susceptible to the fabric getting mold on it.  I explain the process in this post.

Today is much different, though.  Although there was the gathering, this time it included some of my left over basil that had gone to seed, along with a few rose petals, as well as a couple of unknown flowers and stems from the flowering plant I brought in last Friday.  A couple of "past their prime" geranium leaves joined the mix, along with some oxidized wire.  If the wire looks familiar, that's because it's the same that I used as my beaded hanger on Day 2 of AEDM. 

Also on the table is a new container of very expensive alum I had to buy today, and an empty and clean glass jar and lid.

Two smaller pieces joined the mix, since I had gathered more than I could put in a single bundle.  CAUTION, please: wear disposable gloves when handling anything rusty (like that rusted lid) since rust affects the hemoglobin in your blood.

Something else different is instead of wrapping the bundles tightly in wax linen, I left one unwrapped, and I wrapped two in rubber bands.

Next I got out my CRAFT ROOM ONLY measuring utensils,

then realized I hadn't torn the tamper resistant cover off the top of the jar.

I needed one teaspoon of alum for every cup of water I placed in the glass jar.  Remember, PLEASE!  I don't care if this is a cooking product, or toxic, DO NOT use it in food preparation after you have used it in your art.  It's like me saying don't throw your acrylic paint in your 13 bean soup.  You wouldn't do it, so PLEASE keep all craft products, including those measuring spoons and the alum you have just dipped that measuring spoon into, in your craft room or studio, and don't allow them to stray into your kitchen for anything other than an art project.

OK, I'm climbing off my soap box now, because while I was ranting, I was also stirring the alum into the warm tap water.  Yep, this is straight from the tap.  I added the dry bundles to the alum/water mix, screwed the lid on the jar, and 
set the jar in my sunny south window.  If this actually works, I'll do it again after I show YOU my results.  But for now, I'll just let it sit on my kitchen windowsill and let it soak up the late autumn sunshine.  That is, until the jar cluttering the windowsill starts to bug me, and then I'll probably get tired of the clutter and peek.

This was Day 16 of AEDM, and I prepared some bundles for sun eco-dyeing.  Thanks for visiting and joining me on this journey through the month of November.  Some days are more fun than others, and today was one of those fun days.