Over the weekend I started dyeing again, after a long break.
Above is blanket weight white wool with the centres of coneflowers laid in a grid of dots
I was inspired by
woodland quilter's use of an "iron blanket". I used cotton flannel yardage that I had soaked in solution of old nails, vinegar and water for 3 weeks but I suggest you click on link to see
Kathy's post for further instructions.
The two fabrics are carefully bundled together and then steamed.
Nature holds a secret to harmony
(Terry Tempest Williams)
unwrapped and hung to dry before rinsing, my dotty cloths are shown below with sun spots through the leaves
left is cotton (the iron blanket) and right is wool (both fabrics were originally white)
For a beautiful gray colour, I put tea bags into the remaining rusty water to steep.
What lies under stillness?
Disorder.
(Terry Tempest Williams)
remembering to experience each moment as something new
8 comments:
Cone flowers are Echinacea..."Echinacea is one of the most widely known herbal medicines in American folk herbalism. Used extensively by traditional herbalists and Native Americans alike in North America for generations, echinacea eventually gained popularity in Europe in the 1900's. One of its main uses is to support healthy immune function, although many of its historical uses were related to topical applications. It is now one of the most available dietary supplements in health food stores and continues to be a subject of many scientific studies investigating its immune support properties." Just to say these may be healing cloths.
The two you show are outstanding.
''tis the season to be dyeing ... fa la la la la
Beautiful results and thanks for the link to Kathy's blog
Beautiful! As I mentioned to Liz A, I NEED to learn how to dye fabric.
I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog, I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Ethnic Wear For Girls
Michelle - I did know that about echinacea - but your idea of these being healing cloths I had not come to yet. Wow and thank you. xoxo
You have a poet’s soul, Judy, and those are beautiful pieces of cloth! Healing cloth really resonates. I imagine it would be restorative just to be in the vicinity of a quilt made out of healing cloth!
Wow. Cool blues from echinacea! This looks like the start of something wonderful.
For me, someone whose passion resides in the alchemy of naturally dyeing cloth, these cloths Judy are filled with that natural primordial magic that makes me want to wrap myself in their beauty and dance around a bonfire...for they are that powerfully tactile on my laptop screen!
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