I had the brainwave of seeing if I could do some natural dyeing with them while they boiled.
I looked on the internet and couldn't find any information - maybe I'm just not a good researcher.
I tried what I had done previously with the eucalyptus bark, just plonk some fabric in and see what happens. Very scientific.
After about 24 hours - I was busy doing other things - I drained the olives out, collected the dye bath in case I can do something else with it, and rinsed out the fabric.
As I suspected, the polyester did not colour very much at all, it is now a pinkish white.
The two pictures are with flash and without flash, showing the different intensities of the colours on different fabrics.
The silk took the colour quite well and the velvet has two different colours, so part is silk and the other part may be viscose. Strangely enough, there is a slight greenish tint to the nap of the velvet - olive green perhaps?I have washed them with detergent and they seem to have retained the colour. I am not sure if it will be colourfast though. I will have to do more research.
I am hoping to use the dyebath and see if using mordants will make much difference.
Ahh, holidays, time to play.
14 comments:
How exciting, I love seeing new dyes. I wonder how it would work on handspun wool. The pictures make it look quite reddish with the flash, and much darker brown/green without. Can you explain what colour you would describe them as?
I've always wondered about that expression 'an olive complexion', because olives are black. Maybe the color of your cloth is origin of this expression.
Parlance, I used to read the Flinx books by Alan Dean Foster and he was described as having red hair and an olive complexion. I used to wonder if he had green skin (it was a science fiction series about someone who had been genetically changed, if I remember correctly) or if he had dark brownish/purplish skin. But now I hear people described as having an olive complexion and I assume it is brownish. Not sure really.
therigatha (not I have spelt it correctly for once). The colour is similar to when dyeing with passionfruit (not that I have done it but someone in my class last year did). It is not nearly as dark as the olives. It is a lovely purplish/pink colour, depending on the fabric.
I am still amazed by the greenish tinge on the velvet.
My mom always said she had an olive complexion. She’s very white in her old age, but younger, she could get a nice tan with very little effort and she rarely if ever burned. Her skin was walkway white, with an underlying tan-ish like brown/green to it, unlike mine that is a more yellow undertones white or my husband who is more pink white....think blond Italians you may know; they have the classic olive skin complexion. Hope that helps..better (10 years)later than never!
I used to love a series of books by Joan D Vinge. Science fiction. The main character was described as having olive skin. Because it was science fiction, I often wondered if he had green skin! But the covers of the books didn't encourage me to think that for very long.
The actual reason the phrase "Olive Complexion" is used relates to the color black olives are when made the traditional way; which is a very odd light brownish color, most certainly the color olive.
Canned black olives are treated with lye; but naturally brined olives are rinsed and then brined, making them lose much of their color and become more brownish.
I`d be very interested to know whether the colors fade in sunlight or in water. Perhaps you`d post those findings?
I did this a long time ago. I was studying a textile course and one of the teachers did a test for me and said it was colourfast but would fade eventually.
I have had pieces for that time but they are not exposed to sunlight very often, so I can't say definitively.
Sorry I can't give you any more exact information than that.
From memory, I think she said 90 hours of direct sunlight would be ok - but, obviously, I would not put textiles in that much sunlight if I could help it.
Thanks for experimenting, you have answered my question! I will try this when I strain the first water from my Kalamata olives tomorrow
Thx, will try this tomorrow
Your project looks beautiful! I dyed two cotton dish towels in a black olive bath, and it looked like yours. Then I rinsed it in hot water and half the color came out! Darn! I still have the olives and wonder if I should have set it in vinegar first. Advice appreciated!
I am no expert! I have re-read the post, seeing it was so long ago. I still have some silk scarves that have retained the colour.
I think that I usually soak my silk in vinegar first, it usually helps silk to take dyes. But protein fabric will take plant based dyes, usually.
The colours are usually muted though,
I have seen some historic tapestry weavings that have amazing colours on the back, where the light has not shone. Natural dyeing tends to fade.
Hope this helps, as I said, I am not expert, I just like to play.
Post a Comment