Modifying natural dyes

[koffipot]

I mordanted some silk in Alum and Cream of Tartar and dyed it in elderberry dye some time ago and decided to cut it up and try some modifiers.

The copper water is made with offcuts of copper pipe which have been soaking in 50/50 white vinegar and water for a few weeks. It's not up to strength yet, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway, and I rather like the green splashes achieved by applying the solution on with a dropper.

The iron water is made in the same way with 50/50 vinegar and water, but with some rusty bits and bobs. I expected a dull, dark colour, but was surprised and delighted with the black.

The photo shows from left to right:- Elderberry on Alum and Cream of Tartar mordant, same, modified with white vinegar,
modified with copper water applied with a dropper and the 4th modified with iron water.

CIMG0392 - Edited (2) by koffipot, on Flickr

[halay]

Judith, very interesting results! Were they predictable or a total surprise? Do you think the colours would be stable or fade away?

[MTRuth]

Wow Judith - that is a very good black. Black is always hard to get, even with commercial dyes. Looks like you had fun with your experiment.

[koffipot]

Halay and Ruth, I expected the iron to 'sadden' the colour but the black was a complete surprise. It may well fade as Elderberry isn't stable.

I had great fun and have another experiment cooling in the dye pot.

[Pandagirl]

Very interesting experiment Judith. I like the elderberry and vinegar ones the best. They seem to have sharper images. How do you know when the solution is ready?

[felicity]

How very interesting Judith! I do know the elderberry plant, but what is elderberry dye? Is it leaves or berries?

[luvswool and dyestuff]

Intriguing process and results! What color was your patterned fabric when you began the experiment with elderberry?

[zed]

I don't really understand what you did, did you soak the pieces in different solutions, or at least the vinegar and iron ones, and apply the copper water with a dropper? Did you just leave them for a while? The results are great

[Shepherdess]

Interesting results. It will be interesting to see if any colour is left behind with the black one if the elderberry fades. Or if modifying it will stabilise it.

[koffipot]

Luvswool. I used the berries to make the purple dye. You can use the leaves to make green or the bark to make beige. Of course these can be modified to get other shades.

Ann - the iron may help to stabilise the elderberry, I was thinking of chopping each sample in half, keep one lot in the dark and the other in the sun. A good black can be difficult to get and this is a real sooty shade. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to repeat it!

Marilyn - It's ready when you've achieved the colour you want.

Zed. I soaked them in the solutions, apart from the copper water which I dribbled on with a dropper and left it overnight to surprise myself in the morning.

[Pandagirl]

Thanks Judith!

[luvswool and dyestuff]

Thanks, Judith! Awesome and inspiring dyeing.

[koffipot]

Thanks, my cotton dyeing in ivy looks somewhat uninspiring, though the dandelion is a little better. I'm going to try some modifiers on these and will post some pics. Unless a miracle happens with the modifiers, I think I'll be sticking to animal fibres in future.

Ah well, nothing ventured......