The Plan was a test, to try and let the little bundles rest for 30 days before the big reveal.
silk with eucalyptus, hibiscus, rose petals, tin can-wrapped, steamed, left to rest for 11 days
The reality is, after 11 days, I noticed the first signs of “little fuzzies” starting to appear on the surface of the silk/wool blend scarves.
Ut-oh.
So, I started the unbundling.
And discovered once again
why I HAVE to make art.
THIS. yes. YES. i am thinking ART makes us.
Yes, it really does, doesn’t it? the alchemy of nature….
OH and you DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gorgeous Dahling!!!
Thanks Arlee, and so do YOU! 🙂
Wonderful and happy! Motivation “exploding” — this has been happening in all walks of your life! This latest “experiment” is most beautiful! congrats!
Thanks Mommasita, it’s all about playing and focusing on where we want to be.
well, these are nothing short of yummy. makes me want to go out to the falls (we live on a waterfall), find some rocks, wrap them with fabric-encased leaves and flowers and other what-nots from nature, and see what happens. can i ask a newbie question? when you wash them after unbundling, so you add any special ingredient(s) (like vinegar, for example) to the wash water? if that’s top secret, insider information, please excuse my boldness.
Thanks for asking – I am happy to answer questions, nothing’s top secret! When i wash after unbundling, I don’t add anything special to help “set” the color.
However, I do take other steps to help retain the color, either by 1. pre-mordanting (soaking)the fabric in a mordant like iron, alum, soy soln, OR, 2. co-mordanting by either wrapping the cloth/leaves around iron/copper/brass pipes before “cooking”, or “cooking” in a copper or iron pot. In either case, the mordants/metals help the natural plant colors/prints bond with the cloth. There are many substances (even plant extracts) that can act as mordants – India’s book “Eco Colour” is a great resource.
I also heat set the colors by ironing after unbundling, and wait for as long as possible before doing a wash out. (I have some eco-dyed cloths that are 2 years old and I haven’t washed them yet!) When I do wash them, I use warm water and synthrapol (mild soap).
If you are planning to wrap plant material in cloth around rocks, you could help the color retention by either including some bits of metal in the pot, or using a copper/iron pot, or using a pre-mordant (you can make mordants using rusty metal/vinegar, or copper/vinegar, too).
Good luck and have fun experimenting with it!