Thrilled …

So happy with last week’s eco dyeing!

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
     

 

This week!

The latest eco dyed clothes air dry in front of the gallery. 

My ginkgo biloba wears its new spring growth, while pansies peep over the edge of the hanging basket. 

 

Purples and greens with a dash of yellow. 

 

Cotton/elastase leggings (plus size by request), and a cotton/lace cardigan. Tasmanian blackwood and alum dye bath; bundles layered with different combinations of eucalyptus, rose, blackberry and peony leaves, plus nails (middle pair of leggings also wrapped around a rusty spring). 

 

Three silk tops. Bracken fern and alum dye bath; bundles layered with different combinations of eucalyptus, rose, blackberry and peony leaves, plus iron nails (top on left also wrapped around a rusty spring). 

 

Bundles after being removed from the crockpot (bracken fern and alum). 

 

Bundles after being removed from the electric urn (blackwood and alum).
 

My little dyeing corner on the verandah.

 

The yarn used to wrap the bundles takes the dye well too – I will use these for crochet. 

 

Pieces of old fence palings, bush sticks and rusty iron bits. Great for wrapping inside the bundles! 

 

[All of the garments were initially sprayed with a vinegar and water solution before layering.]

Fiesta on George

Great music and food were the order of the day, plus a market featuring Tasmanian handmade. Honoured to be a part of this! Very windy but I made some good sales …

It was a bit of a family day too – my sister Mary and our son Johno also had stalls at the handmade market, while husband Ian and daughter Heather were a great support team for me at Gone Rustic too.

We are not related to the stilt walkers but I just had to photograph them!

This week’s eco dyeing.

Washed (thank you Ian!), ironed, labelled and for sale.

 

Still wet, and wonderful.

The bundles have been unrolled and the results make me happy!  Dye pot 1 – bracken fern and alum (three items at left of photo); dye pot 2 – Tasmanian blackwood and alum (two items at right of photo).  Fabrics (left to right) – viscose, silk/cotton, silk, silk (front) and cotton (back), silk.  In the layers, various combinations of rose, blackberry and eucalyptus leaves. Two garments also included iron nails. Can you tell which ones? These bundles are already developing a lovely yellow hue after only half a morning in the crockpot – Tasmanian blackwood and 1 tspn of alum. Two silk garments and a belt tie. Bundles turning a gorgeous golden brown after only an hour – mature bracken fern and 2 tspns of alum. The two on the left are silk garments; on the right is viscose.