Eco-Dyeing and me.

Last Summer I discovered the joy of Eco-Dyeing.

I'm not really sure how it all began, one day I was dyeing with tea bags and the next Eco-dyeing. I started to make friends on facebook with lovely kind people who have become great friends, always so willing to offer support and advice.

I bought India Flint's book 

Then I started to experiment, at first I had no success but this only made me keener to achieve a print. There was a lot to learn about mordants, the word mordant means to bite. I learnt this was important.......I read and read as much as I could and everyday practiced, this was not difficult as Eco-dyeing is such a joy the excitement and anticipation of untying  a bundle has to be experienced.

I started off like this

I soaked overnight in an old aluminium saucepan some cotton fabric......this was an old sheet cut up, the solution was white vinegar and water.

At this time I did not know printing on silk and wool gives better results :-)

Then I gathered together some small twigs

and leaves from the garden.

Then I started to roll out

Then secured with bands....at first I did not know that the better and tighter you secure your bundle the better contact to print.

Then I placed in my aluminum saucepan of onion skin dye, my wrapped bundles and boiled for 1 hour. I left to cool until the next day.

Here is a selection of prints from last summers experiments

Leaves on silk

On cotton

On Cotton

These prints on cotton were boiled in an aluminum saucepan with a Rhubarb mordant

These are a selection of prints that I stitched into, I made 4 separate collages with them.

 These are prints on card

I printed on gift tags

I used my prints on Rice paper to make a cover for a book

 Water colour paper print with stitch and pressed flowers

Thanks for reading my blog post and give Eco-Dyeing a go it will bring such joy to your creative life.

Love Marilyn xx