Playing with Natural Dyes - Part 1

The fall colors are winding down....... the colors have been so beautiful, I've been in a state of eyegasm for weeks....ahhhhhhhhhhh!

I wanted to capture some of the beauty, so I've been experimenting with dyeing

fabric and transferring color to fabric directly from the leaves. 

Today, I'm sharing some of the dyeing results with you.

Do you see the Oak leaves? 

I started out with Oak leaves, because I know that acorns have tannin and so I figured that the leaves would have some as well......... they transferred pretty well. 

I like the dark impressions from the outer layer of dye. I wrapped the cloth around sticks with the leaves sandwiched in the middle, and then dunked them into a crock pot that I have specifically for crafts. (Never use your crafts appliances for making foods, some of the chemistry may linger and be unhealthy) I'm going to look for some sticks of larger dimension to get more of the dark impressions throughout the cloth, although that will mean dyeing less fabric at a time. 
I've been letting them steep in the hot liquid for 1-2 days at a time, occasionally topping off the water level.

The fabric picks up somewhat different impressions on one side than the other, depending on the side of the leaf touching the fabric and how it's exposed to the dye solution.

The photo underneath is the reverse side of the photo above.

Here's one done on denim. This was a pre-mordanted fabric and picked up the leaf color well. 

I tried mordanted and non-mordanted pieces, but not of the same fabrics....... so much for the scientific approach! 

I'll have to try that out again with another batch. I'm so impatient to see them, I've been a bit resistant to slowing down and pre-mordanting them. Most of the white fabric is from an old comforter that I'm recycling. I figure it's  a bleached cotton and fairly receptive to coloring, but I should try some mordanted just to see if there's a difference.

Another front and back piece.....

The yellow was where the fabric was closest to the branch, so most likely the coloring is coming  from the branch itself. This is a tree in the back yard I haven't id'd yet. Have to ask the landlord if she knows what it is or id it.

This is a cotton gauze that was mordanted. The color mainly picked up just around the leaves.

A couple more pieces... I experimented with different materials to bind the fabric.... twine.... some old rusty wire. Rust is wonderful for dyeing.

The reverse of the above piece.......

I'm having so much fun with this that I'm trying out other leaves, so more photos in a following post. I've also collected a big bag of leaves, so that I can keep going even after the falling leaves are done. 

The bf is super-excited to have bags of leaves in the garage- hahaha

Pretty Bit

I found this unknown caterpillar cocooning on the lilac bush. If there had been more than one I would've  brought it in to put in a jar and find out what came out!

Mabon

Fall and Winter are a natural time of year to move from the Outer World to the Inner World. As the Earth shifts and we spend more time in darkness, we have time to spend in reflection. We shift to artificial light, an imitation of the Sun's light; but artificial light can go where the sun can't shine. Time to look at what lies beneath, when the World lies in Shadow and that which is hidden is revealed.

 What will we find in the basement of our Being? Do you dare to look? We fear looking at the hungry ghosts and howling monsters; but if we hide they come to find us, draining the light from our lives. If we dare to shine the light upon them, we often see that the shadows make them seem larger than they are. When illuminated, it is only a spider or a mouse; we either sweep them away or learn how to coexist with them or whatever action is most appropriate.

 Like the leaves of Fall that spend the Winter in decay; being transformed to nourish the seeds of the new Spring when the Sun returns; we, too, can complete this alchemy within to transform our demons, ghouls and bad habits into fertile ground for growth in the garden of our Souls.

 In Nature, the catalyzing ingredients for this alchemy are the fungi and bacteria that work to digest and break down organic matter. In our Beings, the catalyzing ingredient is our Will to shine the light of Consciousness on our own dark and stuck energies to absorb/accept, break down and integrate them into our Lives. This work can be done at any time of the year, but I find it more potent to work with the natural energies and seasons of the Earth.