Cabbage Head Beet Hands

Hello blog. Not much exciting has been happening around these parts lately. I met a friend on campus the other day and while I wish I had things more figured out (ie. a job) it does feel nice not having to go back-at least not to this university. I still have my grad show to finish, but not being on campus for classes is right cool with me. Speaking of grad show, I think I have finally (finally!) committed to an idea. Basically it's a combination of the ten thousand other ideas I had been thinking about, more focused and simple. 
Because I am on a very very tight budget I have been researching to find out how I can affordably achieve the aesthetic I am going for. My show is going to be a sculptural installation involving fabric. I figured by buying thrifted fabric I could then dye it the colours I needed. From here I went one step further and began researching homemade fabric dyes. With that research I bring you a DIY project: at home fabric dye!
You will need:

• vegetables (I used red cabbage and beets)
• big pot
• water
• cutting board
• knife
• strainer
• large bowls
• rubber gloves (optional)

Step One:

I forgot to take a photo of this part, so here's an illustration I made. You're going to want to chop up your vegetables.

Step Two:

Boil your vegetables in enough water to cover the chopped pieces. I set up one pot for the cabbage and one for the beets. Let each boil for about an hour.

Step Three:

At this point your house will smell like you're boiling cabbage and beets. Turn off the stove and let everything sit over night. The next day, strain your dye to remove all vegetable pieces. I returned my dye back to the pot I had boiled it in for the actual dying process (which I will be making into another post) or you could transfer it to some type of jar. 
Now to see how well it works. . .happy weekend!