Sunday, October 2, 2016

Eco Dyeing when you don't really know what you are doing

I have a couple of friends who went away for what sounds like a fabulous time with India Flint last year. I think it was last year, it may have been this year. Time seems to be losing its meaning. No, I'm pretty sure it was about a year ago.

They came home with some stunning dresses, wraps and pieces of fabric. So we got together and made some dresses - well, I may never wear mine, it just doesn't look dress-shaped. But we cut and sewed and had a lovely time.
They got their act together and dyed theirs and have been wearing them - gorgeous.
I put mine in a plastic bag to protect it from the moths. After quite a few months, I took it to our get-together last week and actually wrapped it up into an eco-dyeing bundle.



I am not altogether sure what was in the bundle. I took some stuff that I had collected years ago for eco-dyeing. I even took some very old (withered) avocado pips, some very desiccated hollyhock flowers from at least a year ago and some dried up eucalyptus leaves.
I bundled it all up and, on the insistence of my friends and with their help, put in some old pieces of iron, then wrapped it around a copper pipe.




Into the water it went and it boiled for an hour or two, while we had a very good lunch, chat and generally pleasant time.

Then I brought it home and put it in the glasshouse, to keep doing whatever is it that is does. One of the ladies had also done a dress and sent us a pic of hers today. So I thought I had better look at mine. Lo and behold, there were mouldy bits! It could be lucky that I actually rinsed it out today.


It is presently drying in the high winds we are having  - gotta love spring.

It is remarkably square! I am still not convinced I will ever wear it but it does look very interesting. There are some purple spots in it, I think they are from the old hollyhock flowers rather than the avocado pits. Those hollyhocks are well worth the effort.



There will no NO pictures of me wearing the dress. But it is lovely fabric. Merino-silk.

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