I've only finished the one coral bell piece. Now I'm expanding the 'Run Off' series and I'm going to try this hot, new idea for natural dyes.
As a child, I was taught how to dye wool yarn used for weaving with natural dyes. Tried and true natural (non-synthetic) dye materials might be osage orange root, black walnuts or onion skins. The chosen material was boiled to extract the dye and the wool was mordanted ( treated with alum or metal to hold the dye). Most vegetable products provided browns, dull greens, yellows and orange.
Today (2012) artists have found new ways to extract dye from natural materials by fermenting, using steam or cold processes. Colors have been created that were formerly lost with the high heat methods I used as a girl. I am excited to experiment with the cold bundling process, wrapping the plant materials with a piece of metal and /or a material with tannin, like wood or tea.
I don't have the room to start collecting plant material, but I was watching the sides of the road today to see what I could scavenge and try a bundle or two. I do have a project that would benefit from this technique. So---- I off and running in a new direction before I can finish my current projects. I must be crazy! I'm also working on a Seminole strip quilt and hoping to finish a gift quilt that is now overdue. I probably should not have admitted that, but, most readers know me and will not be surprised.
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