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Post by angie on Sept 13, 2015 15:08:10 GMT
A plethora of eye candy! The colors are fantastic!
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Post by halay on Sept 14, 2015 3:36:12 GMT
Wow, some awesome threads, Ruth.
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Post by koffipot on Sept 14, 2015 13:52:29 GMT
Wonderful threads Ruth, gorgeous colours and I love the shading. I have wool and cotton yarns and some silk fabric soaking just now, ready for mordanting later and perhaps some dyeing tomorrow. I'm planning to use some of my foraged plant materials.
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Post by MTRuth on Sept 14, 2015 16:46:03 GMT
Thanks everyone - I look forward to seeing your results Judith.
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Post by halay on Sept 15, 2015 8:42:43 GMT
I had another dyeing session yesterday. On a walk with my friend I picked some brambles www.google.si/search?q=brambles&espv=2&biw=1034&bih=727&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDMQsARqFQoTCO-p347S-McCFUEbFAodpoIGAg#imgrc=S25SfkpD5tu0iM%3A and then stewed them in a pot with water and potassium mordant, strained the liquid, put in silk and wool which have previously been soaked in water with some mordant and continued simmereing for about an hour. I was very pleased with the colour and then continued my experiment: I did post-mordating i.e. I soaked one piece of already dyed silk in rusty water and got another interesting colour (the silk on the top left in the picture). Finally I got the colour I like. I think I'm going to pick more fruit (most of them are not ripe yet) and freeze them for some later experiment. Now I am already thinking of making a nice scarf.
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Post by zed on Sept 15, 2015 11:26:52 GMT
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Post by koffipot on Sept 15, 2015 13:47:31 GMT
Lovely dyeing Nada, such a pretty shade. Our blackberries are ready in the hedgerows here, my mother would be thinking 'Bramble and Apple Jelly, Bramble pies', etc. but I'm thinking dye baths and eco printing! I may be able to spare a few for a pie. I also came across a few late blackcurrants this morning. I have just raided the huge Fennel which seeded itself in my herb patch. It's more than 2 metres high and the main stems look like bamboo. We've been eating the leaves all summer with fish, salads etc. and now the house smells glorious with some cotton yarns simmering away in the juices. I mordanted several skeins of cotton yarn in iron water this morning and have silk fabric and wool yarns mordanting in Alum and Cream of Tartar. I'm trying a long mordant for these - bring it all to a simmer, then turn off the heat and leave it overnight. It's meant to preserve the sheen of the silk.
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Post by halay on Sept 15, 2015 16:02:58 GMT
Like you Judith, I raided my decorative nettles and before winter I am going to freeze the leaves to use them later.
To continue my story about the dyed scarf which I posted about above: I laid out two wools on silk, a commercial one the dyed one. When I started felting the scarf, both, the scarf and my dyed wool changed colour from delicate violet to green!!! I was devastated but finished the scarf anyway and rinsed it well and soaked in water with some vinegar. And lo and behold, the scarf regained its original colour, however, the wool didn't. Now I have some green areas. Fortunately all the colours are pastel and the scarf is usable but not what I expected. I say, with natural dyes you need to be ready for all sorts of surprises.
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Post by Pandagirl on Sept 15, 2015 16:33:19 GMT
You all are so lucky to have such wonderful plants to use. While I live in the cornfields, there are mostly weeds around.
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Post by MTRuth on Sept 15, 2015 16:46:35 GMT
Interesting experiments for sure!
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Post by koffipot on Sept 16, 2015 15:56:22 GMT
You all are so lucky to have such wonderful plants to use. While I live in the cornfields, there are mostly weeds around. Weeds can yield dyes too! Dandelions, nettles, cleavers, Queen Anne's lace, mullein, sweet woodruff, cranesbill, foxgloves, poppies.......
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Post by Pandagirl on Sept 16, 2015 16:17:00 GMT
You all are so lucky to have such wonderful plants to use. While I live in the cornfields, there are mostly weeds around. Weeds can yield dyes too! Dandelions, nettles, cleavers, Queen Anne's lace, mullein, sweet woodruff, cranesbill, foxgloves, poppies....... Dandelions and queen Ann's lace we have the rest I'm not familiar with. Thanks Judith. What part of plant and what mordant would you use for for queen Ann's lace?
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Post by koffipot on Sept 17, 2015 19:28:00 GMT
The mordant is dependent upon the base fabric. For animal fibres the easiest is probably Alum or Alum and Cream of Tartar. Vegetable fibres work well with iron. There are many others but these are probably those which are easiest to come by. You can usually use any part of the plant, though different parts may give very different results. e.g. leaves and twigs may yield a different colour to say roots, berries and flowers. Season can make a difference too but how many natural colours are not to love? You will get some nice greens from the dandelion leaves and Q.A.L. Yellows from dandelion flowers, though I should think the flowers have finished by now. I've just unwrapped a super bundle of mulberry paper with leaves, flowers and berries all wrapped in a wild rhubarb leaf and sprinkled with a little each of iron and copper modifier. I will post some pics tomorrow when it's daylight and they have dried.
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Post by Pandagirl on Sept 17, 2015 21:25:12 GMT
Thanks Judith. I wish I had taken chemistry. I may try the QAL which are still blooming. Yes, dandelions are gone. I look forward to your pics.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Sept 18, 2015 17:06:11 GMT
I didn’t take chemistry, but my interest in eco-dyeing has opened a whole new (mysterious at times) world of plants and their effects on fibers.
I have been foraging for plants around my neighborhoods (parkways only, no private property) but discovered eucalyptus leaves at Trader Joe’s yesterday. I had looked at three different local florists, no deal. Got the TJ tip on an eco-dye blog.
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