ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Issue 48
The Refresh Issue
Make Gym Equipment
Preserve Summer Fruits
Tailor Thrift Store Finds
Check out the RM Photo Gallery

Homemade Fabric or Paper Dye

Make natural dye with cranberries. A web exclusive project.

by Britt Browne

Photos by Britt Browne

Britt Browne’s materials are just as essential to her art as her designs. She makes her own ink using homegrown plants, then prints on handmade paper. Here, Britt shares the secret to making greeting-card-ready paper or fabric using the season’s most ubiquitous berry. thepapermoonproject.com

    1. Combine cranberries and water in the pot and place on the stove over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.

    2. Crush the berries with the spoon and simmer for another 15 minutes.

    3. Strain mixture through the sieve (or cheesecloth) into the bowl and discard the berries. Allow to cool.

    4. Store ink in any nonporous, non-reactive container or add the material to be colored to the dye.

    5. Let the material soak in the dye, remove and allow to dry almost completely (for about 10 minutes), then repeat soaking and drying until the desired color intensity is reached.


    6. Allow fibers to dry and use the paper or fabric to craft greeting cards.

Try painting with the dye directly on paper.

Cranberry Dye

$4

ingredients

    • 2 c fresh cranberries
    • 1 qt water

tools

    • Large enamel or stainless-steel (not aluminum) pot
    • Sturdy wooden or plastic spoon
    • Fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth
    • Large bowl
    • Fabric (natural fibers like raw silk, cotton, hemp or linen) or fibrous paper (heavy weight, like watercolor paper, is best)