Canning Kettle Method
1. The pot or canning kettle must be deep enough to hold the wrapped fabric and wide enough so that the fabric bundle does not touch the sides of the pot. Invert the wire basket or bottle rack and place it in the bottom of the kettle. This serves as a platform for the bundled fabric to rest.

2. Make sure your painted or printed fabric is dry. Loosely roll the fabric, jelly roll fashion, in between a piece of muslin, cotton sheeting, pellon, blank newsprint, or kraft paper, so the patterned surface does not come in contact with itself. Then roll it like a cinnamon roll and loosely tie it to secure this shape.

3. Place the fabric bundle on top of the inverted wire basket. Wrap a towel around the lid of the canner to absorb condensed steam. This protects the fabric bundle from droplets of water falling back onto the bundle, which causes bleeding of the dyes.

4. Put water in the bottom of the steamer. Make sure the water is up to, but does not touch the bottom of the wire platform where the fabric bundle sits. Turn on the heat and once the water is boiling and is producing a good head of steam, place the fabric in the kettle. Set the timer for the allotted time according to the dye direction sheet. Check the amount of water periodically and add boiling water as necessary.

The steam time varies depending upon the dye, and the type and weight of the fabric. For heavier fabric, remove the bundle after the allotted time, open bundle carefully and re-roll in opposite direction. Add boiling water if necessary and steam for the same amount of time.

Tall Steam chamber: this method steams up to 10 yards of fabric.
1. Invert a clean 10" ceramic planting pot in the bottom of the canning kettle. Use a six foot long and ten inch diameter, galvanized steel air conditioning or chimney duct. This duct fits tightly inside a canning kettle. Place the canning kettle with the inverted pot and fitted duct on top of a hot plate.

2. Lay the fabric flat on a table and smooth out all wrinkles. Place a sheet of newsprint or kraft paper, that is a couple of inches wider than the fabric, on top of the fabric. Roll the fabric onto a cardboard tube that is about four inches wider that your fabric width. Once the fabric is on the tube, wrap an extra two layers of paper around the entire bundle and secure with masking tape. Roll ends of the fabric roll with extra paper to protect the fabric selvedges from getting too wet.

3. Put water in the bottom of the steamer. Make sure the water is near, but does not touch the top of the ceramic planting pot, where the fabric bundle sits. Turn on the heat and once the water is boiling and is producing a good head of steam, place the fabric in the kettle. Rest the tube on the inverted ceramic pot and suspend the rolled tube up top, in the middle of the duct. Wrap a towel around the lid of the pot, to catch condensation.

4. Set the timer for the allotted time according to the dye direction sheet. Check the amount of water periodically and add boiling water as necessary.

The steam time varies depending upon the dye, and the type and weight of the fabric. For heavier fabric, remove the bundle after the allotted time, open bundle carefully and re-roll in opposite direction. Add boiling water if necessary and steam for the same amount of time.