Cranberry dye for a new bear

A few weeks ago I came across a bag of cranberries in my freezer. We had picked these a couple of years ago and never used them. I didn't want to be wasteful , so decided to experiment with them as a mohair dye .

So I gathered a pot, some salt and a little vinegar. I crushed the berries in the blender then boiled them in a pot of water on my woodstove. The fire was burning nicely so why waste electricity by turning on the stove :)

The color was very rich and vibrant . I had previously cut out the bear pattern and put the desired pieces in after it cooled a bit. I left it for about 30 minutes stirring often. I kept checking the pieces to see how much color they absorbed.

My son looked in the pot and thought I was making chicken balls with a cherry sauce LOL.

I then washed off all the liquid and put the pieces out to dry. I was a little disappointed that the shade was such a pale pink. It is pretty, but I had hoped for more of a deep cranberry tone. It was fun to experiment anyway.


Well, I spent the last few days working on the bear and she is now complete. I do like the soft tones now and think she looks pretty for my first bear of 2010. I'll get her photos done tomorrow and hope she finds a new home soon.