There are many options for cooking one's bundles; the final results are related to the method of cooking chosen. I have three exhibits below, but I have also experimented with solar dyeing and cooking bundles in a crock pot (seemed to leave too much water, but I may try again.)
My first try at pressure cooking yesterday. I went into the back shed and excavated my old pressure cooker. I had my doubts about whether it had survived, but after smashing down the little pressure valve, it chugged right along for an hour.
I will open these in a couple of weeks. When I peeked in the cooker, I could see that the whole scarf had turned color. The lace wrapped silk scarf is a redye and is bundled with Euca polyanthemos and Hibiscus flowers...trying to keep it simple.
The second silk scarf was simply premordanted in alum and wrapped in Euca polyanthemos and Hibiscus. That's a sea sponge dipped in alkanet powder piggybacking on the outside of the bundle. Experiment on.
Pressure Cooked 1 Hour
I had an alkanet bath which had dyed several skeins of yarn a luscious berry purple. I boiled these 2 scarves in the leftovers. One scarf is bundled with soaked fall maple leaves and ornamental purple plum leaves, all wrapped on a peeled cherry stem.
The 2nd scarf is wrapped with "ghost" eucalyptus leaves (they don't transfer much color, just a shape in dark neutral tones) and Euca cinerea.
Boiled 1 Hour in Alkanet Dye Bath
Steaming is best when you want some background to remain white, for delicate flowers and leaves. The top scarf was wrapped with blackberry, flowers, and leaves. The dark blackberry stain is obvious on the left.
Much of the white background is left on the 2nd scarf, and the leaves and flowers are showing through. I will be leaving these a week or two more.
Steamed 1 Hour
