Natural dyed little figures

[teriann]

More little figures made with plant dyed fiber.
The "gold" of the goldfinch is dyed with sweet onion skins.
This batch came out a nice bright yellow. Very close to the color of the forsythia.
The blue of the bluebird is indigo.
It was from a prereduced indigo kit but the box says it's "natural" indigo.
The "coral" color on the goldfinch beak and the sides of the bluebird is wool dyed with cleavers weed roots.
My garden is infested with cleaver weeds so I am going to try again to see if I can get a darker color.
Cleavers are related to madder but they are annuals and the roots are really small.
I don't know if red is really possible but I haven't given up


I made two new little owls. Another try at a screetch owl and a barn owl.
They are dyed with choke cherry bark.
I used an alum mordant on some of the wool dyed with choke cherry. It has a more yellow color.
For example the feet on the screech owl.
Without alum the color is more toward peach, like the head of the barn owl.

I also dyed some wool with ammonia and copper scrubbies (aqua) and some with crab apple bark (orange)

I think I will use these to make a witch and a pumpkin.

[zed]

They all came out really well
I've been saving the papery bits from red onions for a while.
The birds and owls are gorgeous

[lyn]

All your birds are beautiful but I am especially drawn to the goldfinch.

[teriann]

Zed,
Thanks.
With plant materials it's often a bit of a surprise to see what you get.
In my experiments, all other things being equal, red onion skins gave a darker, slightly "greenish" or "brassy" yellow.
I didn't get any of the red.
Kind of dissapointing but, from what I've read, a typical result.

[Shepherdess]

The colours and owls are wonderful.

[karen]

Teriann they are gorgeous and i love your owls, the colors came out great to

[MTRuth]

I love to see all the colors you get. Your birds are wonderful. I've been saving onion skins too.