Chasing Shiny Objects

Like a dog who hears the word "squirrel" I am

often, too often, chasing after new and different

things.  I just have an insatiable curiosity where "making" is

concerned.  As rationalization, I have convinced myself

that every new experience only informs and 

enhances whatever I paint.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So this week I am off at a retreat learning from the masterful Pam Brewer how to make a mosaic garden totem....which everyone needs.

Let me share an ongoing project that I somehow backed into...natural dyes.
I got very interested in eco-dyeing but will save that for a later post.  Following research on that topic took me to the possibility of making dye from flowers, nuts, spices and leaves.
I had to try.

Needless to say I have a very patient husband who was a bit surprised when, expecting dinner, he saw this instead.

I won't even begin to share with you all of the steps as there are many, many tutorials on-line.  So many, in fact, that after a while they start contradicting each other and one decides to just go balls to the wall and experiment with abandon.

Two things to remember:
1- Natural fabrics/products are the only ones that dye well and these are divided into two very different categories: protein (wool, silk and such) and cellulose (cotton, bamboo, hemp) and both are treated uniquely.  Make note of which you are dying.  Don't mix them and expect similar results.
2- Almost all fabric (and most paper) needs to be treated with a "mordant" before dying; that is a "chemical" wash (which could include vinegar, alum, soda ash, cream of tarter...) that will help the fibers bind to the color.

Now for the fun:

pokeberry

That gorgeous crimson in the pot above was my fav color and biggest disappointment!  After tediously preparing pokeberry potion and watching the color emerge I nearly cried when it all washed away upon rinsing.  And I tried every recommended trick known to the on-line dye world.  Boo.

 tumeric

The absolutely most satisfying experience was using

tumeric from the spice cabinet.  Beautiful yellows on cotton did not wash out (altho the inside of my dryer is now golden due to my enthusiasm in "heat setting" the color.  It was a winner.

walnut bark

Promising but disappointing was a huge vat of walnut bark a woodworking friend offered when he learned what I was trying.  He had made a liquor based in ammonia and it was ready to go.  It made a lovely deep brown which also rinsed out to a (hard to photograph) a tea-colored stain.  Again on cotton:

I did have some fun however putting the walnut on top of some tumeric and then hitting it with bleach.  

black beans

After a so-so run with dye from black beans (blue or purple on cotton) I decided I was ready to move to silk and wool. Now I am busy looking into new formulas which will include walnut hulls, red cabbage, avocado pits with skins and some goldenrod.  I can't wait.  Not that I have anything in mind for these sample pieces but just imagine if I can properly dye wool and knit a scarf from naturally made dyes.  Cool, right?

This blouse (from my get-rid-of stash) is my favorite piece from this venture.  

I'll share my next results...I really enjoy seeing what colors are produced by the strange chemistry of nature.  It makes you wonder how folks first stumbled on these processes and how they tweak them for permanent results.  It also makes me think hard about how I might use these swatches (and failed experiments) in some artistic piece down the road.

WISHING YOU A COLOR FULL DAY,

Cindy