The Benibana Museum (The Safflower Museum)
13. Benibana Dyeing for Everybody (誰にでもできる紅花染)
- Pluck the petal. (At the time when the color of flower turns
to bright yellow and becomes crimson.)
- Rinse them in water.
- Wring slightly and close tight in plastic bag.
- Take them after overnight and grind them in a mortar.
- Wring tightly the ground flowers and take a shape of coin
and dry them for one week or so in a ventilated shade. This coin
shaped is called "beni-mochi" (紅餅).
- Take "beni-mochi" into a cotton bag and "beni-mochi"
and cloth needs an equal weight. Put them in water and give an
occasional wring and leave them overnight.
- After overnight, the water has yellow color. Take out the
cotton bag from water and wring. This yellow water is used for
yellow-water dye.
- Change the water again. Put the bag in the water for five
hours or so and wring again. Repeat this three times a day.
- Continue the previous process (8) about a week, till the
yellow water doesn't come out.
- Get 8% potassium carbonate liquid at a drug store. And put
the previous bag into the liquid.
- Squeeze out the water every ten minutes and wring after 30
minutes' rubbing.
- Return the No.11 process in newly changed liquid.
- Return the No.12 process and make enough liquid of dye for
three times.
- Gather the liquid. This is the dye for red color dyeing
- Put the cloth to be dyed into water and give a slight wring.
- Begin dyeing the cloth.
- Make liquid of a tea cup full of 10% citric acid that was
bought at a drugstore. And take the cloth up from water and pour
two cups of the liquid and soak the cloth.
- Repeat the No.17 process until a tea cup full of citric acid
is all consumed. (To pour the liquid little by little prevents
the unevenness of dyeing.)
- Move the cloth sometimes not to make an unevenness.
- Take the cloth out of the liquid after the red color is changed
to yellow.
- Make the 10% citric acid liquid again and soak the cloth
about ten minutes and settle the color.
- Rinse the dyed cloth and dry it in the shade.
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