Dyeing with Michigan leaves

Last weekend my husband and son went hunting, I was a "deer hunters widow". I filled my weekend with everything textile!  I began the weekend collecting maple, oak, purple plum and eucalyptus leaves.

Rolled them up in pre mordanted wool and steamed them for a couple of hours. I left them in the pot over night, the next morning I took the string off and loosened up the roll, lightly securing each roll with pins.

I brewed up a batch of madder root, then simmered the wool rolls in it a couple hours, pouring some of the dye down the middle of the roll.
Left it over night to soak.

 

                                                             
This is the results after washing. Looks just like "Autumn in Michigan".



I especially love this one, the eucalyptus leaves look like little pumpkins.
Can't wait to start hand stitching on it!

Purple plum leaves take center stage in this piece.

Red maple leaves give a beautiful blue/green.

I also played around with commercial Halloween fabrics, making some fun holiday table runners.
You start with 1 1/2 yards of boarder stripe fabric and cut a few 60 degree angles, then sew a few rows together and can end up 3 or more table runners. If you Google "60 degree boarder stripe table runner" there are videos to walk you through it. This fabric I bought after the "weekend" for next year:) Love the vintage look with the moons.

This years runner with fun funky witches boots with dancing cats.

Once it's cut its very easy to piece. I machine quilted it.

One for my daughter.

I started this table runner a couple of years ago, (commercial pattern). Wool pumpkins and stars on a black cotton pieced background. I machine quilted it, just have to finish the hand work on the binding.