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.

spicing up things a bit ...

... with a couple of handfuls of onion skins.

Sowing cress on natural dyed wool, a handful of wool fleece simmered with onion skins for a few minutes. No need to rinse the wool, perhaps it will make the cress taste a little more spicy ...

 I received a sack full of hand-me-downs for one of the kids. In the bag there was also a wool sweater, which apparently took a turn too many in the washing machine and ended up felted and unwanted. I cut off the sleeves and made a deeper neckline.Then cut a ribbon from a sleeve and dyed it with onion skins. Handstitched it to the neckline, stitched a raven silhouette on the front from a scrap of natural dyed linen (an offcut from an old curtain, originally) and made a couple of pleats. A new, warm vest for free. I'm planning on using it all up, the remains of the sweater could be transformed into a much needed camera wrap. There's a peculiar satisfaction to repurposing, restyling and using every little bit and bob of discarded stuff.

Special gifts & Japanese Indigo seeds

I've received a couple of gifts lately that made me really happy.  Maybe they were a bit unusual - there might be a woman or two out there who wouldn't feel the same glee as yours truly.  But honestly, I feel so fortunate to have a husband who really have a knack for gifting. How about this beauty?

I don't know the english word for it - or if there even is an english word for it - it's called a gruekedel in danish. An old fashioned laundry thingy, that boils large amounts of water. You get the point, hmm? I've really needed one for such a long time - and the other day my husband comes home carrying this dear monster. I picture myself dyeing in the garden this summer - huge amounts of fabric and yarn - while comfortably lolling in a hammock.

And this was a special gift too - a Hapalopilus Nidulans, found by my aunt who's a natural dyer herself. It was growing on a dead Sorbus Aucuparia, one of its favourite hosts. I'm going to shread it, before dyeing a lovely purple with it. When I got the courage ...

*****************************************

By the way; I have got more seeds from my japanese indigo than I'll be able to use. And they have to be sown this uear because they don't keep long. They are organically grown, a species with red stems, pointed leaves and pink flowers. If you'd like to try and grow some, please drop me a line and we'll work something out. I'm not going to charge anything for them. But if you have something to trade with, that could be fun.

burlap & eco dye fusion

There are all kind of weird ways to categorize people, one of them could be 1* people who pay their bills in time, never get late to a dinner party and always do as they plan. 2* people that don't. I for one belong in that second category. I don't feel that bad about it.

The 21th of July 2009 I bought this pattern, and only a few days ago I finally got around to make some. How about that? I had some eco dye fabric that was kind of insignificant, so I used it for the lining. The burlap is coffee sacks I got from my coffee pusher - Just Coffee - the best organic, fair trade coffee in the state of Denmark!

The coffee sacks comes from Mexico, my coffee pusher is american, the plants are local and so are the wool from which I spun the yarn in the bucket. It's kind of like the internet - it's a small world sometimes ...

Stitching & Mending

Ever so slowly, stitching and mending an old skirt back to life, using leftover and discarded scraps of silk fabric which has had a dip in the dye pot. Reusing. Repairing. Refashioning. Reviving.