Boiled Books plus fabric

An overripe pomegranate  was sitting on the counter and I thought I'd try using the bright red juicy berries to add to a boiled book.  Maybe it would turn red inside?     Hmmm... Do you think?   

I also thought it would be a good time to try some liittle pieces of old cotton fabric from a pillow case.  Seems like it should absorb about anything it's so old.      So, I alternated fabric and watercolor paper in a stack with leaves off my deck, and the pomegranate seeds.      Same routine as former experiments, layerd between tiles with rocks on top in the pot.  This time I didn't use any clamps.     I trusted the weight of the rocks to keep some pressure on the papers.      Boiled1 1/2 hour, took out and let them settle overnight.      Here's how they looked the next day.

Here is the fabric as I peeled it off the leaves.   

 Some good leaf impressions on the papers.

 This page shows the pomegranate seeds on the page after the cooking.  All the color disappeared.    Darn.   I had high hopes.

 This is one of the fabric pieces after it's dried.  there is a pinkish cast - perhaps from the pomegranate?

More of the fabric pieces.

I don't know how lasting this color will be.  I didn't pretreat the fabric with anything to help it set the color.      I guess time will tell.   I might try ironing half of them anc compare later.    

I'm not tires of this process yet, so will probably do more experiments as time permits.      I hope you have tried it too.   

Another basket of owls

Here is the latest batch ready for the gallery.     

Felted landscape - newest

This is one that I made based on a quick sketch.    But, as it evolved, it turned into something else entirely.  I can't even recognize it from the sketch.  Oh well.  It is what it is, and I like it fine.  

I've got a little more tweaking to do and will call it a wrap.  

I have had such a hard time finding the green wools that I need for these.  I may need to resort to dying my own.    

Boiled Books - a new batch

Inspired by leaves on the street on a blustery day, I captured a few by chasing them down the street pushed along by hefty gusts of wind.   Must have looked a fool, but I got some good leaves.  

 Rather than press them or cover them to keep them fresh, I went straight for my dye pot and cut up some watercolor paper and started stacking.    The usual mix of water and some big glugs of white vinegar in the pot.       I put a tile on the top and one on the bottom of the stack of papers and leaves, and left them for almost 2 hours simmering on the stove with a couple rocks on top to hold them down and keep them flat.   

Here they are the following day.  I took them out of the pot after the allotted time, and set them on aluminum foil to set the color better, leaving them overnight.   


 Next morning this is what I found as I opened them up.  

If you are a  nature lover, you'll love doing these yourself.    It is sooooo easy.  I encourage you to try it.