Monday, December 19, 2011
New blog sites that are great!
I stumbled on two new blogs today while searching for eco-printing on paper. I'm having a little difficulty attaching them to my blog list, but I don't want you to miss them. Wendy Felberg at wendyfe.wordpress.com and Casandra Tondro at casandratondro.blogspot.com. They are two really fine artists, and both have contributed information that I had not run across before in our field. Take a few minutes to check them out. It will be well worth your time. Some of you already are familiar with them and their works, but for those of you who aren't, don't miss them.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Loving Autumn's Bounty!
This is a wonderful time of the year for dyers. There is such a huge collection of things to choose from to make colors and prints with. On the left is a photograph of 3 silk scarves that were all dyed/printed with Autumn leaves, bits of metal and cooked in an iron pot for an hour. The left scarf is a combination of wild cherry and maple leaves combined with rectangles of steel mesh used in stucco and plaster work. It almost looks reptilian.
The middle scarf is all maple leaves. This scarf barely showed any color or print at all until I dipped it in vinegar after dyeing. Then the leaf shapes and even some red color came up. The right scarf is maple and persimmon leaves folded into a long rectangle, then the rectangle was folded into triangles (like folding a flag) then clamped with steel binder clips on all edges before dyeing. These scarves were all simmered for an hour. They were placed in Ziplock bags immediately after removing from the pot and allowed to sit for 5 days. It is best to wait longer, but when using iron or steel metal parts, best to check after 3 days to make sure the reaction is not eating holes in your fabric. Five days seemed to be the max I would risk, so I took the bundles to a Natural Dye class I was teaching at the Pioneer Florida Museum, and I let the students open the bundles at the very beginning of class to show them where we were headed. They were thrilled, and I was very pleased with the results.
The middle scarf is all maple leaves. This scarf barely showed any color or print at all until I dipped it in vinegar after dyeing. Then the leaf shapes and even some red color came up. The right scarf is maple and persimmon leaves folded into a long rectangle, then the rectangle was folded into triangles (like folding a flag) then clamped with steel binder clips on all edges before dyeing. These scarves were all simmered for an hour. They were placed in Ziplock bags immediately after removing from the pot and allowed to sit for 5 days. It is best to wait longer, but when using iron or steel metal parts, best to check after 3 days to make sure the reaction is not eating holes in your fabric. Five days seemed to be the max I would risk, so I took the bundles to a Natural Dye class I was teaching at the Pioneer Florida Museum, and I let the students open the bundles at the very beginning of class to show them where we were headed. They were thrilled, and I was very pleased with the results.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Wonders of Nature!
There is a chill n the air, but the days are still dry and beautiful. I have seen some unusual Autumn sights this year. I wonder what they portend? At least they are giving me a wonderful selection of materials to dye with.
The wild cherry trees in my yard usually drop yellow leaves that turn brown quickly and only in small amounts. This year the treas have had brilliant yellow, orange and red leaves and have dropped most of their leaves over a three day period. This afforded me a great opportunity to gather some of each color to dye a silk scarf. I had gone to the river to renew my supply of river water heavy in tannic acid. While at the river, I found about 30 beer bottle caps in different states of rusting. I picked them up, brought them home and rinsed them. I put them in a cup of water with some vinegar to encourage more rusting overnight. The next morning I gathered a great selection of Wild Cherry leaves and along with the bottle caps, I wrapped them in a silk habotai scarf around a Jacaranda stick, bound them with rubber bands and put them in the rice cooker with 3 cups of water to steam for an hour. When they were steamed, I took them out and put the bundle in a ziplock bag and set it aside for 4 days. When I opened the bundle, hung it to dry and then photographed it. See photo on left. I called the scarf Cherry Liquer.
The wild cherry trees in my yard usually drop yellow leaves that turn brown quickly and only in small amounts. This year the treas have had brilliant yellow, orange and red leaves and have dropped most of their leaves over a three day period. This afforded me a great opportunity to gather some of each color to dye a silk scarf. I had gone to the river to renew my supply of river water heavy in tannic acid. While at the river, I found about 30 beer bottle caps in different states of rusting. I picked them up, brought them home and rinsed them. I put them in a cup of water with some vinegar to encourage more rusting overnight. The next morning I gathered a great selection of Wild Cherry leaves and along with the bottle caps, I wrapped them in a silk habotai scarf around a Jacaranda stick, bound them with rubber bands and put them in the rice cooker with 3 cups of water to steam for an hour. When they were steamed, I took them out and put the bundle in a ziplock bag and set it aside for 4 days. When I opened the bundle, hung it to dry and then photographed it. See photo on left. I called the scarf Cherry Liquer.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Autumn Bounty
It is a wonderful time of the year. Colors are changing, leaves are falling. There is a chill in the air that urges us to hurry before it is all gone. I have been gathering acorns, hickory nuts, goldenrod, beautifully colored leaves of Dogwood and Wild Cherry, a few Oak leaves and red maple.
I went out to the river again and found a bounty of bottle caps to use in rusting. I also found some beautiful red American Creeper Vine leaves.
I discovered there is quite a difference in the color achieved when dyeing with Goldenrod (Solidago) in different stages of maturity. The young fresh flowers gave me a beautiful brilliant yellow and the older more mature goldenrod after being dried for storage gave a deep gold. The same dyebath of young goldenrod when left to sit in the pot for 5 days, gave a lovely golden tan on silk that I had twisted and tied in a shibori fashion. I will post those photos so you can see the difference.
Don't forget to gather sumac and Beautyberries, and there is still time to gather a few sunflowers.
I went out to the river again and found a bounty of bottle caps to use in rusting. I also found some beautiful red American Creeper Vine leaves.
I discovered there is quite a difference in the color achieved when dyeing with Goldenrod (Solidago) in different stages of maturity. The young fresh flowers gave me a beautiful brilliant yellow and the older more mature goldenrod after being dried for storage gave a deep gold. The same dyebath of young goldenrod when left to sit in the pot for 5 days, gave a lovely golden tan on silk that I had twisted and tied in a shibori fashion. I will post those photos so you can see the difference.
Don't forget to gather sumac and Beautyberries, and there is still time to gather a few sunflowers.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wabi Sabi
Sometimes we are presented a gift that takes your breath away. Today I was a fortunate recipient of such a gift. As I walked along the pathway of our local wilderness park. A gentle breeze ruffled the trees and a solitary leaf fell and landed in the grass along the trail. At that moment a cloud moved and the sunlight poured through, accenting the Autumn colors in the leaf. What a beautiful sight! I was so fortunate to have brought my camera and was able to capture that image just at that moment. The photo on the right entitled Wabi Sabi is the result.
The silent fall
To rest on strands of green,
The light a lovely accent,
My heart sang.
Natural dyeing is more that taking plant color and transferring it to fabric. It is also appreciating the Art that is in Nature.
The silent fall
To rest on strands of green,
The light a lovely accent,
My heart sang.
Natural dyeing is more that taking plant color and transferring it to fabric. It is also appreciating the Art that is in Nature.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Rust Dyeing 101
One of my dyeing friends asked about rusting. I will try to explain the method I use. It is by no means the only method, but it has been successful for me.
First a word of warning. Dry rust can cause problems for some people. It can mess up your hemoglobin if you handle it to much with your bare hands. Be safe, wear gloves when handling rusty objects. Wet pieces do not seem to cause this problem, but play it safe anyway.
I usually start by laying down a piece of plastic. I place a piece of fabric that has been well-soaked in vinegar on the plastic and arrange my pieces of metal on top in a design that pleases me. Then I take a spray bottle of water and spritz over the entire piece to thoroughly wet the metal. You can either place another piece of vinegar soaked fabric on top or just lay another piece of plastic over your design. The fabric will pick up a mirrored image of your design if you place a little weight on top. The top of the pile is always another piece of plastic. This piece of plastic is there to slow the evaporation of the moisture in the pile. Air must be able to enter in order for rust to form, so do not try to make it airtight. Leave for 24 hrs, then remove the plastic and check your design. If it needs more moisture, spritz again with water and recover for a few more hours.
First a word of warning. Dry rust can cause problems for some people. It can mess up your hemoglobin if you handle it to much with your bare hands. Be safe, wear gloves when handling rusty objects. Wet pieces do not seem to cause this problem, but play it safe anyway.
I usually start by laying down a piece of plastic. I place a piece of fabric that has been well-soaked in vinegar on the plastic and arrange my pieces of metal on top in a design that pleases me. Then I take a spray bottle of water and spritz over the entire piece to thoroughly wet the metal. You can either place another piece of vinegar soaked fabric on top or just lay another piece of plastic over your design. The fabric will pick up a mirrored image of your design if you place a little weight on top. The top of the pile is always another piece of plastic. This piece of plastic is there to slow the evaporation of the moisture in the pile. Air must be able to enter in order for rust to form, so do not try to make it airtight. Leave for 24 hrs, then remove the plastic and check your design. If it needs more moisture, spritz again with water and recover for a few more hours.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A Change is Coming!
I walked outside this morning and immediately felt the change in the air. The weather was cool and crisp. A dense fog hovered just above the ground in the field. The sun had that lovely glow that only an early fall morning can reveal. I saw several wild cherry leaves on the ground as I stepped off the back porch. Bright yellow and some were spattered with red or brown. Somewhere in the neighborhood some one was burning leaves and wood. The faintest whisper of smoke was on the air. Even the dog notices the change. It will not last long. By nine it will be in the 80's or higher, and summer will continue.
I have been gathering acorns all week. I have separated the caps from the nuts. Yesterday I made my first acorn dyes. I made one from 4 ounces of caps and a half-gallon of tap water. The other one was 4 ounces of the nuts in their hulls and also in a half-gallon of tap water. Each were boiled for 1/2 hour in an aluminum pot. The dye bath made from caps only looked dark brown. The dye bath made from the whole nuts looked almost black. I simmered bleached cotton in the dye baths for 20 minutes. The results may be seen in the photo Nuts! on this page.
The results were surprising. I expected much darker color from both. I added another piece of muslin with a RR spike rolled up inside the cloth and added it to the pot of dye made from caps only. After 20 minutes, I could see a change in the color of the bath and some black peeking through the fabric. The acid and the tannins reacted with the iron and created the gray-black.
I have been gathering acorns all week. I have separated the caps from the nuts. Yesterday I made my first acorn dyes. I made one from 4 ounces of caps and a half-gallon of tap water. The other one was 4 ounces of the nuts in their hulls and also in a half-gallon of tap water. Each were boiled for 1/2 hour in an aluminum pot. The dye bath made from caps only looked dark brown. The dye bath made from the whole nuts looked almost black. I simmered bleached cotton in the dye baths for 20 minutes. The results may be seen in the photo Nuts! on this page.
The results were surprising. I expected much darker color from both. I added another piece of muslin with a RR spike rolled up inside the cloth and added it to the pot of dye made from caps only. After 20 minutes, I could see a change in the color of the bath and some black peeking through the fabric. The acid and the tannins reacted with the iron and created the gray-black.
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