Copies of Around the World in Colour are being shipped out. More still to come, with the eight deluxe copies issued last (due to the additional work).
While Claudia was putting the finishing touches on the bindings , Barbara completed a series of dye-sample swatch sheets to be inserted into the eight deluxe copies. The swatches were originally created because of the need to organize the dyes, mordants and modifiers.
For this book they ultimately dyed 1,060 sheets of various kinds of paper in 53 distinct dyebaths. Some papers were pre-soaked (mordanted) in alum, or tannin or both; others went straight into the dye. Some underwent multiple dips in the same dye, others were dipped in two or more dyes. Although most of the dyed papers used in the book were unmodified, we also experimented with traditional modifiers, such as cream of tartar, calcium carbonate and iron.
Keeping the swatches up to date ended up being a project in itself, threatening to overtake the production of the book. Categories of dyes became overwhelming, splitting into ever more precise subcategories, including kinds of paper, timing and combinations of dyes.
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