These dyes are terrific! We have successfully dyed: reed, cane, seagrass, pine needles, wood splints, and gourds. The colors are very intense and depending on the material - take almost immediately. We have been using 1 tsp. dye, 1/3 cup vinegar, with 1 qt. water. Heat to hot (not boiling). Dissolve dye in small amount of hot water before adding to dye pot. Dip material into pot to dye.

There is very little runoff of color with the rinsing.  Let the material cool before giving it a cold water rinse. Rinse until clear, and you should have no bleeding to speak of. You will probably want to adjust the amount of dye to water to get the color you desire. We have been using 2 tsp. black to get a very beautiful solid black color. Some of the colors are almost florescent in their intensity. One tsp. dye will do approx 2 lb. reed. The chemicals in the water you use may affect the dye.