Hello from Up-State New York! It is 90 degrees and only a few buildings at the Conference Center have AC (plus the thermostats are set on 75-80) so, we are relying on box fans and damp rags to stay happy.
It is supposed to get cooler here tonight!
If you have signed up for one of my workshops, you know that my approach is less than precise. Instead of treating the process like Baking (using careful measurements in the style of Sarita Westrup) I tend to make Soup.
Experimenting is how I make things.
I am a big fan of solar dye projects because there is time to make adjustments in the recipe or, better yet, time to convince myself that any results are exactly what I was aiming for.
Therefore, when I was writing my proposal for my week at Silver Bay YMCA Conference Center (see previous post) I included eco-dyeing. I mean, why not? It could be fun! I just needed to devise something guaranteed to succeed.
On our road trip East we stayed with my college friend, Marsha, on her Ohio organic farm. She was delighted to join me in working out a simple, straight-forward recipe for successful eco-dyeing silk and cotton bandanas. We had a lot of fun but got mixed results. Some colors transferred, but nothing dramatic.
I relied on instructions from India Flint, because I like her experimental approach to eco-dyes. She emphasizes the importance of taking time with eco-dyeing: letting things soak, being slow to unwrap a bundle. Both are hard to do in a workshop setting. So Marsha and I set out to see if we could make nice colors in less than an hour.
We scooped tannin-rich pond water into a bucket to make a presoak bath for the cotton bandanas. We put bundles (silk and cotton) in the top of my old rice cooker to steam them. We got some color from the process but nothing exciting. Lots of pale yellow smudges and some darker blotches.
We made iron acetate by simmering old bolts in vinegar. When we simmered the bundles directly in a solution of water + iron acetate we got more drama but still no leaf prints. Marsha insisted on trying blackberries and cherries- both yielded bright blobs of color! The cotton looked promising until we rinsed and dried it.
I will be settling into the weaving studio tomorrow morning, hopefully I can try some new combinations with my New York students. I do have a few ounces of tannin powder and cochineal to supplement the plants we will forage at Silver Bay. And, while that project simmers I will be promoting frame loom weaving to all and sundry.
What are you all working on, besides staying cool?
Eco-dyeing is wonderful. Yes to a course, please.
Since is 105+ here most days. 90 sounds absolutely frigid.
I know you classes are wonderful. See you soon.
June- I love your adventures and how you write about them. I’m sculpting from live models right now with a beautiful and experienced guide: Glo Coalson! I have dyed cotton in beet juice in the past!