wearing leaves

All dyed exclusively with local plants, mud and rusty nails. Scarf undyed, but made exclusively by my hands from extremely local sheep. Even the shoes are natural dyed/tanned (not local, though).

*extremely local sheep*

foxy sock soup

 stinging nettles, onion skins, socks & undies

 Onion skin wool tights - better than zebra/leopard nylon tights, no?

More calmness, less craziness, on cotton (onion skin and celandine)

common alder et le gris

We're making a clearing in our small woods, in order to make room for a couple of beehives.
Some common alder trees was cut down, and I went in search of cones for the dye pot. To my surprise there wasn't any. Considering the fact, that you can dye with leaves, as well as bark and cones, I figured he-flowers and stems would work too. And it did. It's funny, how cutting down a tree can lead to a 'new' coat.

Perhaps grey isn't the colour one long for the most, when it seems like the sky haven't had any other colour for the last six months or so. Yet I find natural dyed grey so much more interesting than the synthetic ditto. It accentuates and enhances all other natural dyed colours.

When the urge for grey suddenly hit me, there was snow up to my knees, so I had to dig into the stock of dried stuff and oddities. I found a bag of logwood - another surprise, since I prefer my dye stuff to be local, not imported - tossed it in a pot, also tossed in all sorts of things: woollen socks, a thrifted table runner, a pair of silk trousers, yarn and bits and bobs (unmordanted). Subsequently dipped in iron soup - et voila; le gris!

Makes my japanese indigo dyed yarn look just a bit more indigo!

more natural dyed deer skin

Leftover deer skin from the drum (stored in the deep freezer for later use) dyed with my own japanese indigo and willow leaves soaked in rusty nail soup.

the eco dyed shaman drum

 

Deer skin, ashwood, willow leaves, oak leaves, ash leaves, rose leaves, alder cones, stick from plum tree, ground madder root, ground rosehip, water and a full moon merges together and becomes a living shaman drum with a bit of help from my hands ...

happy conversations

While dyeing with japanese indigo today, I was wondering, what is is about dyeing that makes me so thrilled, happy and satisfied. It never ceases to wonder, all the different aspects about dyeing. The hidden secrets within the leaves, how to coax the colours in the gentlest way and the absolute pleasure of colours on wool and textiles. Maybe it's the conversation with Mother Nature that gives me this enriched sensation of beauty ... a conversation that can also be experienced when walking in the woods or by the sea, but still not quite the same though ...

I'll spare you for sharing every single thing I dye, but this top has an interesting twist, I think. It's made of silk chiffon with pieces of thin cotton sewn onto it. I dyed it with lots of onion skins (no mordant) whereupon I eco dyed the cotton parts with rose leaves. Makes you think there might be possibilities in more silk/cotton/leaves combos?

turning up the dyeing pot

It's been quiet in here, seems summer just isn't suited for blogging. The other day the air smelled different, an almost inaudible creak from the wheel of seasons indicating the wheel was turning a notch. A sudden need for steaming pots arose, and the world seemed instantly filled with leaves begging to be gathered ...

 Dyed (IKEA) curtains for the bedroom ...

Dyed a nuno felted top with various leaves (including some eucalypt from a swap with Monica)

Looks like tiny goldfish and bigger trouts in a strange sea ...

The inside is some kind of cotton gauze - perhaps it's IKEA curtains as well, I can't really remember. It's felted in one piece, seamed only under arms and sides. I like nuno felt edges, raw, but soft and natural looking.