How do you prepare onion skin dye for pysanky?

Onion skin dye should be made from the outer, dry skins of yellow onions (for traditional onion skin dye). Do not include any actual onion pieces. Save these until you have a lot of them (at least a "generous" handful), and then cut them up into small pieces. Put the onion skins into a pot, and add just enough water to cover them. Use a glass or wooden stirrer (not metal). Heat the mixture to a low boil, and then cook until the water reaches the desired color. Onion skins will produce anything from a light gold to a deep reddish-brown color. This could take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. Keep in mind that the color of the eggs will be much lighter than the color of the dye solution. Strain the mixture, after it has cooled, though a cheesecloth or strainer into another container. DO NOT add vinegar. Store in the refrigerator in a closed glass container until needed. (The dye may stain plastic containers.) When dyeing, you will need to bring the dye back to room temperature before using. Dyeing natural dyes takes much longer than with chemical dyes (which dye in minutes, if not seconds), so be prepared to wait a while. Also, natural dyes do not last very long (although refrigeration swill prolong their effective life). If the dye begins to smell funny or get cloudy or moldy, throw it out.