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Dyes and Colors

DYEING REED WITH BASKET DYES

Basket dyes are available in powder and liquid form; powdered dyes are my favorite coloring agent to use. Any dye product that will color wood or fabric can be used to color rib baskets. Most packages of dye will color a 1 lb. (0.5kg) reed coil. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. You can buy specific colors and mix them together to create new shades for your reeds. You can also reuse the dye solution several times, dipping new coils into the color. The first coils will dye darker in tone than the later coils. This gives you a nice gradation of color from just one dye batch.

Before you begin, prepare your work area by covering it with old newspapers or a large trash bag. The basket dye will color anything it touches. Use latex gloves to avoid dyeing your hands. Most dyes require an aluminum pot for the solution. If you will be dyeing an entire reed coil, remove any strings or ribbons.

The subtle brown and vivid red shown here were both achieved with basket dyes.

1 Gently loosen the coil to allow the dye solution to reach into the deepest areas in the bundle. You can also pull out individual strands of reed to be dyed. Roll these reeds into small coils of five to six strands each. For powdered dyes, add the recommended amount of water to an aluminum pot and bring the water to a boil. Add the dye, stirring well with an aluminum spoon. Turn off the stove burner and move the pot onto a wooden cutting board.

2 Using your metal spoon, lower the reed coils into the dye. For evenly coated, solid-colored strands, immerse the entire coil at once. You can dye several small coils at a time to create identical coloration for those strands. When the reeds have reached the desired color, remove the coil(s) from the dye bath. Allow the coil(s) to drip well over the pot and then move them onto a stack of newspapers to allow to dry.

3 Space-dye your reeds by dipping only half of the coil into the dye solution. After this area develops a dark color, roll the entire coil through the dye to apply a small amount of coloring to the remaining section of the reeds.

You can achieve a surprising variety of looks using dyes like this.

COLORING REED WITH ACRYLIC CRAFT PAINT

Acrylic craft paints can give your baskets bright, colorful tones that are permanent. When coloring reeds before weaving, thin the paint to allow the color to soak into the reeds uniformly according to the following instructions.

1 Thin the paint with about one tablespoon (15ml) of color to one cup (240ml) of water. This will allow the paint to totally saturate the reed.

2 Dip a large sea sponge into your thinned paint. Wrap the sponge around one end of the reed and slowly pull the reed through the paint-laden sponge. Allow the reed to dry completely. You can reapply color later to darken the tone.

3 Dye or paint a few extra reeds whenever you are coloring. They will be ready for that moment of inspiration when you want a touch of color in your next project.

Alternatively, to create a distressed color effect, use the paint directly from the bottle or jar on the finished basket. Brush one to two coats over the outside surface of the reeds. Allow the paint to dry completely, and then use 220-grit sandpaper to lightly sand the outer surface of the reeds. The sandpaper will lift the paint from the high areas of the weaving patterns, leaving the color where the reeds tuck under a spoke.

DYEING REED WITH POWDERED DRINK MIXES

While you will often dye individual reed strands to create small areas of color in a basket, you can also dye an entire basket one color after the weaving is complete.

This 5" (12.7cm) diameter wheel-ear basket was dyed using a powdered drink mix after all of the weaving steps were done. By dyeing the entire basket at once, you can ensure that the basket comes out with a consistent color throughout for each of your hoop, spoke, and weaving materials.

Note that different materials pick up color differently, though—for example, in this basket, the wooden hoops don’t look the same as the reed weavers, and the braids of raffia hardly picked up the color at all. Any given basket is created from multiple plant fibers, and each material will absorb color at a different rate. Raffia may accept only a small amount of dye, while rattan reed will dye to a deep color tone.

The steps for dyeing with this method are simple. Mix one packet of powdered drink mix with one quart (950ml) of warm water for light colors, or use two packets per quart for stronger colors. Stir well. Wearing latex gloves, roll the basket in the solution until every area of the basket is wet. Remove the basket from the mix and allow to drip dry for about ten minutes. Repeat until the basket is the desired color. Allow to dry thoroughly.