There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart
Celia Thaxter
1. Make a wish 2. Dandelion textures 3. Dandelion 24. All that we lost 5. Universe
6. Taraxacum Officinale (Blow-Ball)
7. Dandies 8. Blowball 9. One
a final goodbye to summer ...
that end of summer feeling
As always thank you to my flickr friends and faves in both mosaicsfor sharing their beautiful photos:
1. . 2. Save the best for last 3. Letting go 4. Almost
and welcome autumn with all it's beauty
pumpkins and gourds
I'd like to introduce you to a flower I've come to love
pumpkins and gourds
I'd like to introduce you to a flower I've come to love
the montbretia or crocosmia
It looks and grows like wildfire in Cornwall
Until a couple of years ago I considered it to be a problem plant in the garden, very hard to control, very prolific. Every Autumn, I would clear my garden of it, pulling most of it up at the bulb, but each Spring it would be spread across the garden. It even grows in our granite walls, in the tiniest of stone crevices
Until a couple of years ago I considered it to be a problem plant in the garden, very hard to control, very prolific. Every Autumn, I would clear my garden of it, pulling most of it up at the bulb, but each Spring it would be spread across the garden. It even grows in our granite walls, in the tiniest of stone crevices
It's now my new best friend ;o)since discovering that it produces a lovely yellow dye
Last year I managed to get a really strong, sunshine yellow batch of fabrics
This year, not quite so vibrant but still a pretty, true yellow
This year, not quite so vibrant but still a pretty, true yellow
I used snippets of the faded montbretia fabricsto make some hearts stuffed with lavender
with beaded danglies
beaded danglies
snippets of montbretia fabric
For this one I used scrim dyed with onion skins
(see the last post)
shells, beads and french knotsone of my favourite combos
... and so I thought I would answer
some frequently asked questions about natural dyeing ...
some frequently asked questions about natural dyeing ...
The question I get asked most is whether or not I use a mordant
when I dye with plant materials
The answer is that I've never mordanted my fabrics before dyeing. However, some silk fabrics may have been pre-treated for colour-fastness before purchase which is why the silks are more vibrant sometimes
My interest in natural dyeing lies in the gathering of the natural plant material, the dyeing process, what colours can be fetched from leaves, berries and flowerheads and how strong and naturally colourfast the unmordanted fabrics stay with time. I'm experimenting and recording my results with samples ... and the results you've seen on my blog so far are all completely natural
Treating fabrics with the correct mordant prior to dyeing will make them more vibrant and colour fast. I shall be repeating all my experiments with treated fabrics at some stage, but at the moment I'm still playing with the natural process
beautiful patterns on a eucalyptus leaf
The other most frequently asked question is about the process
I tend to use same method, no matter the plant material I'm using
There is nothing fancy required
Very simple recipe for natural dyeing
Ingredients
dedicated* metal pan/saucepan
dedicated*seive/strainer
dedicated* spoon
some old glass jars/jam jars
a variety of different natural textured fabrics
(ie. cotton, linen, silk, scrim, old bits of crochet or cotton lace, cotton/silk threads)
your chosen plant material
* dedicated = a utensil saved especially for dyeing purposes
(not one you are going to cook tea with later!)
[I have to say this - it's health and safety!]
♥
Method
1. Boil a kettle of water
2. Place your berries/leaves/flowerheads in your pan
3. Pour over boiling water - just enough to cover your plant material
4. Set a timer for approx. 15 mins
5. Simmer the pan on a low heat for approx. 15 mins
6. Allow the pan to cool
7. Pour the liquid into the glass jars (straining off the plant material)
8. Put your fabrics in the jars
9. Leave for up to a week
10. Don't worry if it smells a bit or if mould forms on the top - it makes interesting marks
11. After a few days or up to a week - rinse fabrics and wash thoroughly
12. Dry fabrics and iron (if required)
More ideas ...
Place soggy leaves/flower heads between sketchbook pages and press
Use the dye for colourwashing sketchbook pages or drawing with a dip pen
Natural dyeing with eucalyptus leaves
already a darker brown - I'm feeling hopeful!
My interest in natural dyeing lies in the gathering of the natural plant material, the dyeing process, what colours can be fetched from leaves, berries and flowerheads and how strong and naturally colourfast the unmordanted fabrics stay with time. I'm experimenting and recording my results with samples ... and the results you've seen on my blog so far are all completely natural
Treating fabrics with the correct mordant prior to dyeing will make them more vibrant and colour fast. I shall be repeating all my experiments with treated fabrics at some stage, but at the moment I'm still playing with the natural process
beautiful patterns on a eucalyptus leaf
The other most frequently asked question is about the process
I tend to use same method, no matter the plant material I'm using
There is nothing fancy required
Very simple recipe for natural dyeing
Ingredients
dedicated* metal pan/saucepan
dedicated*seive/strainer
dedicated* spoon
some old glass jars/jam jars
a variety of different natural textured fabrics
(ie. cotton, linen, silk, scrim, old bits of crochet or cotton lace, cotton/silk threads)
your chosen plant material
* dedicated = a utensil saved especially for dyeing purposes
(not one you are going to cook tea with later!)
[I have to say this - it's health and safety!]
♥
Method
1. Boil a kettle of water
2. Place your berries/leaves/flowerheads in your pan
3. Pour over boiling water - just enough to cover your plant material
4. Set a timer for approx. 15 mins
5. Simmer the pan on a low heat for approx. 15 mins
6. Allow the pan to cool
7. Pour the liquid into the glass jars (straining off the plant material)
8. Put your fabrics in the jars
9. Leave for up to a week
10. Don't worry if it smells a bit or if mould forms on the top - it makes interesting marks
11. After a few days or up to a week - rinse fabrics and wash thoroughly
12. Dry fabrics and iron (if required)
More ideas ...
Place soggy leaves/flower heads between sketchbook pages and press
Use the dye for colourwashing sketchbook pages or drawing with a dip pen
Natural dyeing with eucalyptus leaves
already a darker brown - I'm feeling hopeful!
... and finally ...
a very simple autumn project for the children
printing with leaves
using paints and rubber stamp pads
kick through some leaves this weekend
and collect a few favourites to take home
Happy weekend
Carolyn ♥
a very simple autumn project for the children
printing with leaves
using paints and rubber stamp pads
kick through some leaves this weekend
and collect a few favourites to take home
Happy weekendCarolyn ♥