Arnold's Mom's Marigold Dye Bath

First collect the marigold flowers. You may not have quite the adventure that Arnold had, but you never know!

Second, find something to dye and prepare it if necessary. Here is a link to mordant information: www.earthhues.com/aboutmordants.html I did not mordant my cotton since I do not plan to wash it and I knew it would accept the marigold dye.

Simmer the flowers over medium heat for at least a half hour. Arnold's mom let him stir and mash the flowers while they were heating.

Find cheesecloth or something else to strain the dye from the flowers with. Another fabric or a mesh strainer will work. There may be some pieces of flowers if you use a metal strainer. Arnold's mom doesn't like that so she makes sure she has cheesecloth on hand. Arnold likes to use cheesecloth because it has the word cheese in it and well, he is a mouse after all.

Place fabric in dye. This looks to be a beautiful color of golden brown. Stir and let sit until the fabric stops absorbing color. I left mine for a couple of hours. Arnold and his mom went to pick apples while their fabric was dyeing.

Perfect!