Monday 20 October 2014

The dyeing time of year

 I haven't posted for a while as I am quietly working on pieces for an exhibition next year which I can't really show but now autumn has arrived and the leaves are turning. Unfortunately it is also wet and windy so we may not have them for long.

These are dyed with Sumac leaves, which just happened to belong to a branch lying by the side of the road. I would liked to have been able to collect more but I could sense I wasn't very popular with other road users.

The colour is slightly brighter than these pictures but I haven't washed them yet.

I also have a bag of oak leaves which my mum and aunt collected for me and I am hoping to do some prints on paper with rose leaves.

4 comments:

  1. Very fine sumac leaf prints here Debbie. Sumac, crab apple leaves and oak leaves when I lived in Tennessee were some of my favorite dye materials. I've never dyed with rose petals or dyed paper but I imagine that they would impart a lovely scent.. What is funny is that while I do not wash my dyed cloths because I like the earthy smell from the dye materials, I do iron my cloths...!

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    1. Hi Marti, I haven't tried crab apple but have one in my garden so must give it a go. I love the smell of the dyed fabric as well but as I am trying to sell my work feel that I have to wash it to make sure there is not going to be to much colour loss.

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  2. good to see you back in bloglandia, don't know anything about oak as they don't do well here in Sydney but rose leaves & petals worked a treat back in March with a bit of iron thrown into the mix. I was hoping for a deliciously rose scented book after reading India Flint's post about making one-
    http://prophet-of-bloom.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/roses-roses-all-way.html?showComment=1337720837139
    but the whole thing smelled like compost! had to rub Jurlique rose scented hand cream into the little books & pages to get the effect I dreamed of
    http://itscrowtime.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/results-of-the-alchemical-rose-experiment/

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    1. I have dyed fabric with rose petals but haven't managed to retain any scent. I am hoping to have a go at a rose book, thought I might see if I can get any colour from the hips as well. I will check both your links thanks for those, way before my time in blogland.

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