Eco-print bundles require heat, to transfer the colour from the dyestuff to the fabric/paper. There are two main options for this – you can boil your eco-print bundles, or you can steam them. So how do we do this, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?
Boiling
To boil your bundles, put them in a dye pot, cover with water or a dye bath, put on a well-fitting lid, and cook.
Benefits of boiling
- Boiling is a very simple set up.
- My favourite benefit of boiling bundles is that you can cook them in a dye bath. This is a lovely way of getting patches of solid colour around your leaf prints. There are so many different ways to fold your garments and cook them in dye. If you are interested in learning some methods, you’ll find them in my Leaf and Colour book, or my Wool & Shibori ecourse. I’ve also just added a couple of bonus lessons about this to my Intro to Cotton ecourse.
Downsides of boiling
- Some people say they get more bleeding when boiling bundles. I find this is not a problem with the methods I use. This onesie was cooked through the boiling method, and you can see that the prints are nice and clear:
Steaming
To steam your bundle, you’ll need some kind of steaming set up. I’ve seen people do this lots of different ways. One option is using steaming pots on top of your dye pots. Another option is steaming inside the dye pot, by balancing your bundles on top of some bricks, or having something else to hold the bundles above the water level.
It’s best if you have a well fitting set up that doesn’t have big gaps for the steam to escape. This will cook the bundles more efficiently, without filling your house with steam!
Benefits of steaming
- Some people swear by steaming as a method for getting clear prints without bleeding. As I said above, I find that with my methods most of the time I can get this from boiling anyway.
- The one time that I find steaming beneficial is when using dye blankets. Boiling bundles with dye blankets in them can cause the dye to seep out into the bundle. Steaming the bundles instead helps all the colour from the dye blanket transfer over to the fabric/paper correctly. Here’s an example of paper from a steamed bundle with dye blanket, from my EPOP101 ecourse:
Downsides of steaming
- Steaming is a more complicated set up than boiling.
- It can be harder to fit bundles in a steaming set up than in a simple dye pot.
- You need to remember to pre-wet your bundles. If you steam a dry bundle, not much moisture will penetrate during the cooking process, and it is the moisture that helps the colour transfer from leaf to fabric/paper.
- You need to keep a close eye on liquid levels, so your pot doesn’t boil dry.
The Verdict
As with many aspects of eco-printing, both methods have their place. Your choice might depend on:
- Your available equipment
- The specific techniques you’re using
- Personal preference and working style
So are you on team boil, team steam, or do you do a mix? Have you got any pros or cons to add to the list?
