Wednesday, July 08, 2020

~ Dyeing ~



I want to do this:

photo from Pinterest

{oh, wait....}
 lol I AM happy here! 
our farm is made of deep woods, open fields, creek-beds and blossoms ~
tall trees and ground lichen
moss & mushrooms
& everything wild in-between.

photo from Pinterest

 what do we 'farm' you ask?
the earth, and all that springs from it...
hay for our animals, vegetables for our bellies, herbs for our medicines
and flowers for our souls.

I also want to do this:

photo from Pinterest

photo from Pinterest

photo from Pinterest
...try my hand at doing more dyeing of my own textiles for use in my embroidery/needlework...
I would love to also make some of my own clothing from said textiles, or at least eco dye already finished garments for myself to wear ~
 
I am collecting leaves, both green and not-so.
 those below are dried Nadina leaves, dotted with fungi...



a few black walnut leaves, more nandina and a few hydrangea leaves ~ 
to add to the mix:


a rust/vinegar mordant is brewing in my old jars out in the sun ~
the rust will come from the many pins, needles & iron scraps found here at this old homeplace...
and the liquid will turn a beautiful shade and deepen with age,
then I will begin my process of laying leaves & petals, 
along with other botanicals on my prepared fabric ~
 


I am starting out small, using Osnaburg as my base fabric choice, 
which I will use for my embroidery ~ 
it is soaking inn a solution of clear dish-soap and salt,
to open the fibers to better take the dye...
 

...the seeds in the Osnaburg fabric 
will make for an interesting combo with the dyeing outcome ~
can't wait for the mordant to brew!


stay tuned for the results, I'm hoping a week of brewing will get me the right color.
{perhaps sooner if I am not patient enough!}

~ are any of my readers here dyers?
~ what are your favorite methods for natural dyeing {not using processed/commercial dyes}
~ how long have you been dyeing?

would love to hear your input....
 

Blessings from the Farm
 ~ Lori

18 comments:

Saundra said...

Can't wait to see the results. Loved that leaf dyed dress you found on Pinterest.

LoveThePrimLook said...

Can’t wait to see:)

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

if I can attempt to make anything that closely resembles a garment of any type...
lol
L

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

mee too!! lol
L

Anonymous said...

I love the natural look of nature too! I have used a hammer and folded a piece of material with a geranium flower and its leafs in between and pounded the color onto the fabric, turned out beautiful!

NMK said...

Can't wait to see how the fabric looks !!! Neat idea for a pretty dress !!!

Terri said...

Lori,take a look at Maria Muscarella's website ,ninjachickens.org. Maria is a fiber artist living the dream outside Asheville. She got me hooked on eco-dyeing and fiber fun. She's also on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube...

julieQ said...

I want to move there with you! I will be very interested in seeing your dyed cloth!

JustGail said...

No dyeing experience here, at least not since the Rit package used in my home ec class in mid-70s. I was fascinated to learn a couple of weeks ago that beets are a lousy dye as it fades to nothing fast. Yet it is frequently listed in beginner craft type tutorials. Maybe for a kids craft project where long lasting isn't really the goal, but safety, easy to find, easy to do, and cheap is priority?

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

I have hammered botanicals to cloth too, it is fun but I always feel bad for the plant LOL!

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

I love the clothing that has been dyed like this ~ so beautiful!

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

Thank you so much for the link my friend!!!

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

I am interested to see it too :) ~ come on over ;)

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

Hi! beet juice makes a beautiful dye ~ actually, any dye can be made to last longer by using the proper mordant to 'seal' the dye into the fabric :)

Dru Ann @ a Fine Farmhouse said...

Oh, my goodness ! I've been dreaming of learning this process for a couple of years ! I have a pinterest board saved of all sorts of inspiration for when I can find the time. I envy you and I know you will excel in this. Wishing I could be there with you and we could do it together!

TheCrankyCrow said...

Wishing you the best of luck on newest journey...I am sure you will be creatively successful. No help here from me though....The only natural dyes I've worked with are black walnuts...and onion skins, cabbage and tumeric for Easter eggs LOL. ~Robin~

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

wouldn't that be fun!!! <3

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

always enjoyed using naturals for the Easter eggs too :)