Eco dyeing - Flower pounding

[Teri Berry]

My new library card arrived last week (something of a novelty for me as I haven't been into a library for over a decade) so I spent an hour mooching through the craft section of my local library and found an interesting book titled, "Flower Pounding". The author describes how to transfer the colour from flowers and leaves to fabric by bashing them with a hammer.

This book suggests cooking your cloth in an alum bath for 40 min and then rinsing it thoroughly before drying and then flower pounding. This strikes me as a little odd, surely if you rinse it thoroughly you remove the alum and therefore it no longer acts as a mordant? I know some of you are chemists, can you comment on this please?

My experience of eco dyeing is pretty limited but I'm sure we added the alum to the dye bath with the plant material??

Has anyone tried flower pounding? What were the results?

[MTRuth]

I have tried flower pounding with good results. I didn't use any kind of mordant and it worked fine. Just pounded the flowers on to washed cotton. I am certainly not a chemist but I think that leaving the alum in would make more sense. But perhaps if you aren't washing the fabric after the flower pounding, then the alum may do something to the fabric long term if left in?

[Teri Berry]

Thanks Ruth, did you find your colours faded over time without the alum?

[MTRuth]

I did this before I started my fiber art. So I did not save anything. But I think it would have faded. But if you follow India Flint who does all kind of eco dyeing - fading is expected.

[koffipot]

Firstly I'm no chemist, more of an alchemist.

Fibres will absorb enough mordant during the 'cooking' process to assist absorption of the dye, and must be rinsed before dyeing. The fabric would take up some dye without mordanting, but a better effect is achieved with a mordant.

Most natural dyes are not light or washfast, some fade more easily than others. I only began natural dyeing very recently and I'm having a lot of fun. Let us know how the flower pounding goes - I may give it a go - looking forward to the garden coming back to life.

[halay]

I found an interesting link about flower pounding with precise instructions but as you will read these colours are not permanet- davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/167/#b ..

[Teri Berry]

Thank you Halay and Judith. I would much rather have an alchemist in my circle than a chemist... far more interesting experiments

On Judith's advice, I will be a good girl and follow the instructions in the book, I just need some flowers to play with... Sounds like I will have to just accept that the colours will fade

Thanks for the link Haylay - the instructions are remarkably similar to the book (making me wonder if the web author was copying, very naughty!)

[Pandagirl]

I have some old blueberries in my freezer I intend to play with, but it's such a small amount I wonder if it's worth the effort. I've read all the natural dyes fade. But it might be fun to try. :-)

We have quite a wait for flowers now with more than 60 " of snow on the ground. :-)

[Teri Berry]

Feb 9, 2014 20:22:19 GMT Pandagirl said:

I have some old blueberries in my freezer I intend to play with, but it's such a small amount I wonder if it's worth the effort. I've read all the natural dyes fade. But it might be fun to try. :-)

If my limited experience of dyeing from plant material is anything to go by, I guarantee the colour will be anything but blue... my money is on some shade of brown...   Beetroot on the other hand gave quite a nice shade of pale blue though...

Would love to see the results if you give it a go though

[Pandagirl]

I'd definitely post my results. But thanks for the heads up on the color. It may not be worth the time. :-(

[koffipot]

Blueberries should give a pink/mauve colour. Different modifiers will give different shades eg copper will brighten and iron will 'sadden' the colour. It's fascinating and fun.

Halay - Beetroot is an indicator, so if you put it into an alkaline solution it will become blue, in acid it will be pink - like litmus paper.