least three hours. Dissolve the dye in vinegar—the dye bath should be warm.
The “Basic Colors” will give satisfaction, but I would suggest in cases where a great deal of work is to be done that the fast acid colors be used.
The color work in basketry plays a very important part as well as a fascinating one. There are numerous ways in which a basket or tray may be touched up, giving a charm to it that is most pleasing to the eye and attractive to the craftsman.
The entire basket may be made first, and then either dipped, allowed to stand in the dye a few minutes, or boiled five to thirty minutes; it may be painted with Easy dye, stained with any desirable furniture stain, varnished and waxed up. The basket may be finished off by using either fine sandpaper, or powdered pumice stone, but in finishing colored baskets, it will be found that singeing will be the most successful method.
Again to have a contrasting color with the natural or two tints of the same color, the reed should be dyed first and then the desired effect worked out.
In dyeing reed allow it to soak in a mordant for two hours. This opens the pores and makes the dye a permanent part of the basket. Three ounces
of alum to one quart of water makes a good mordant for many vegetable dyes.
Beautiful shades of brown, green, blue and red may be obtained by using logwood, indigo, fustic, cutch, madder, cochineal, and copperas. A very pleasing finish is secured by painting or staining the article with Light Oil Finish, combining it with turpentine in whatever proportion desired. Malachite green stain used with turpentine and Light Oil Finish make a very attractive pale green. The alert basket maker, who desires to experiment, must be on the watch in the autumn for natural dyeing material. The leaves and flowers of plants, the bark of trees, berries, etc., may be used most successfully in obtaining very desirable dye, and with patience and care beautiful and delicate shades may be obtained from vegetable dyes.
The following recipes may be used for vegetable dyeing:
Brown