Eco Dyeing or Book Boil

When a new acquaintance from the Mavericks invited me to a book boil I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard of Eco dyeing, using natural materials to make dyes, and had even tried it on wool the last few summers. But boil books?!

Judy was a gracious host in her remote South Mountain location, where 9 of us witnessed a book boil in her dye pot. The liquid in the Judy's dye pot has been collecting for a few years. She just keeps adding to it and straining the liquid when it gets thick with plant fibre or even mold. (Sounds yummy so far?)

Judy prepares blank 'books' out of printers paper, thick but smoother than watercolour paper, by accordion folding a long strip of paper. Between each fold she presses various botanicals she has gathered from the desert or from the local florist's remnants. This paper and botanicals package is then clipped together using thin board and bull dog clips. The secured package is placed in a boiling dye pot to boil for an hour and a half. We immediately took out the package for the reveal, but it could remain in the dye pot until it is cool. That would increase the saturation of the background colours.