Eco Dye

Finished Hankies

Dyed with pre reduced Indigo

Blackberry, each took the color differently.

Dyeing Vintage Hankies

Light on the linen

More vintage linens to dye 

This technique is called mokume shibori (wood grain)

Dyeing to make Green

Green is likely my favorite color. I used peach leaves
and wrapped this silk dupioni around a copper pipe.
Dying started on Friday and the unveiling occurred in Arnold
Thanks Maureen for photographing this.

Green coloring show here was achieved
because it was next to the copper pipe.
Eucalyptus acted more like a resist.

Tried steaming instead of submerging the bundle. Steamed for two hours.

This is the dress I made with this fabric.

The purple patches were a perfect match.

Back detail

Dyeing with Passion Fruit

Fabric used for this is a silk wool blend purchased from Thai Silks. Eucalyptus leaves from Pescadero, picked up on the side of the road near Harley Farms Goat Diary. Also, used some rose leaves from my garden. The dye bath is made up of passion fruit from my yard. I used this rusty old pot that I picked up at a junk yard. Leaves were presoaked a previous dye bath to soften them a bit. I clamped the folded bundle between two copper squares with "metal monster clips" and then tied it with string. The bundle was immersed in the bath for two hours, simmering. Let sit overnight before opening.

Indigo Dyeing

Tortoise shell or (Kikko)

Chop stick, jar lids, and the third corner is tied.

Took a class on Indigo Dyeing at the Tin Thimble in Loomis. A two day course taught by Melissa Arnold. We did 5 thread resist techniques on pima cotton on the first day. Then a series of Itajime, board clamping on linen. 

Layering of my fabrics

The results of the past weeks experiments. Not sure what I will create with these fabrics, but I am enjoying the process.

Linen soaked in milk

I opened this bundle of linen/cotton blend that I had in my stash from an estate sale. I had soaked the fabric in milk and let it air dry for a few days. I wrapped it around a copper pipe, leaves used were eucalyptus, flowering plum, and California Buckeye. Before rolling, I sprinkled the folded piece with iron water. The dye bath used was a combination of water from the last three dye baths with lots of flowering plum in the water. Simmered for one hour, let sit overnight (18 hours), before opening. Anyway, I was so amazed at the variety of color . . . I attached a photo. I hung the piece in the shade to dry. Unfortunately the color has really changes once it dried. I attached a photo of the dried piece also. Next time I will try wool and hope to retain some of the vibrancy.

Pleased that I was able to capture this moment.

Color faded once dried, which is to be expected,
but after a gentle saltwater rinse the color changed.

Linen wrapped around a copper pipe.

Peach Fairy

Flowering Plum Tests

Silk wrapped around a rock from Auburn.
Dye Bath flowering plum, eucalyptus, and a copper bowl. 

Silk wrapped around a rock from Auburn, same dye bath.
Pomegranate tea bags, with eucalyptus.

Eco Dyeing on Fabric

I have done 2 groups of dyeing, since the class with India Flint.

First Day:

Flowering plum, eucalyptus, and a old copper bowl in the dye bath. Above is a photo of a wool sample tied around a copper pipe. The areas that touched the copper pipe and where on the outside of the bundle turned a dark green. The pointy eucalyptus leaves (not the scientific name :) I found while hiking and I picked the most crusty leaves I could find, they had spots all over and the edges are chewed up. After dyeing, I strained the plants and kept the dye in a glass mason jar, to use again. The leafs from the dye bath I put in the pages of an old phone book to keep them flat and I plan to use them again and see what happens.

Second Day:

Flowering plum (lots of it) in the dye bath. This time I tried dipping the flowering plum leaves in "iron water" before laying them on the fabric. - I can post photos of the results tomorrow. 

Iron water:

Put water in a rusty metal bucket, added rusty bits that I found at a metal salvage yard in Redwood City. Then I added a cup of vinegar. Letting this sit for days.

Happy Dyeing . . .

Wayfarer's Windfall Cloth with India Flint

Samples stitched together before we cut into them.

Some of my samples.

Plants on wool cloth before rolling.

After dyeing waiting to be opened.

After opening.

Wool cloth wrapped and tied around a found rusty piece from a lantern.

Materials for eco printing.

Tin Thimble, darling shop in a fruit packing barn in Loomis. A must see for any fiber artist.

American River near Auburn, where I stayed. Went hiking on the western states trails.

Hiking in a meadow on Friday.

Needle Felted Character

These characters were dry needle felted. The bodies were wet felted.
The funky Gnome is my creation.

Checks and nose are added to the initial head shape.

Top view of nose.

Next you can see the mouth and chin forming.

The eye socket . . .

Ears and color details added next.

The finished piece is a wine cozy.