The daffodils were in full bloom last week, I bought this beautiful bunch (with wonderful orange centers) at the Weaver's guild meeting, I put them in a vase for a couple of days then.....
into jars to soak for 3 days getting them ready for the dye pot.
While they were curing I soaked 4 yards cotton fabric and 10 old linen napkins (Thank-you Sandy) in tannin water to begin the mordanting process.
I then simmered them using this type of Alum and water, it's recommended for cotton and linen. I'm very excited to see how they take the dyes, it's very difficult to get a good color on plant fabrics.
The linen (on the left) took the dye beautifully, a nice butter yellow, the cotton was OK, not great. By the end of the summer I should have a 10 beautiful linen napkins all dyed a different natural color.
Next, since we have such a good crop of dandelions in our yard I tried them with the cotton. When I first took it out of the dye and hung it on the line to cure it looked a very pale dirty white, when I washed it with our city water and gentle soap it turned a nice yellow. With wool the dandelion dye is usually a greeny yellow, which I don't care for.
My good friend passed away about 18 years ago when her daughter Vicky was 13, I taught them both how to quilt when Vicky was about 6 years old. Now that Vicky's grown into a wonderful young women (putting herself through college, getting her master degree) she wants to finish up some of her mothers quilt tops. Last Saturday she came over and we set up her new sewing machine. She hadn't sewn on one in years so she decided to begin by making her nephews new "camping" pillow cases.
She bought 4 nice size travel pillows to put in them.
Two ready for camping.
1 comment:
I want to cry looking at Vicki!
Must be from just loosing my Dad.
The yellows are nice. Have you tried rolling the dandilions up whole, on the fabric? Just wondering how that would turn out.
Things are starting to green here. Maybe I can start playing with plants & fabric too!
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