Eco Dyeing with Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ Berries
Part I
http://materialisticvisions.blogspot.com/2014/10/autumn.html
Pyracantha - is listed as an evergreen
shrub - it has very sharp thorns.
This is a follow up with more
experimentation. This time with the
leaves.
Only this time I used a stainless
steel pot instead of the anodized
aluminum that I used previously.
I started with the leaves
(maybe about 2 cups) I then added water
(this time I used my tap water)
just enough to cover the leaves. I
heated the water, just one boil and
lowered the heat and left it cooking
for about one hour. I added nothing
to this liquid. Turned off the heat
and left it soaking for about 24 hours.
I then strained it -
ooh lala - see the paper towel! I have
high hopes for this one!
The fabric I used is 100% cotton
(fat quarter size) that
I boiled and then added 1 teaspoon
of alum.
I then put all of this in a jar...
I left it on the window sill for
about one week.
Took the fabric out of the jar
and rinsed it in warm water. I then
used woolite to wash.
Now I'm even more excited because
the color is NOT washing out! Yeah!
Here is the fabric hanging on my
curtain rod drying. Looks good!
color but in each photo the color
looks different.
I think I would call it a pumpkin
orange leaning to the brown side.
And here it is ironed - the color
stayed the same. With some other
experiments I had the color change
as soon as the iron hit it.
The only other test I would like to
do with this piece is a light test -
by exposing a square to the sunlight
and enclosing the rest of the fabric
with two card board pieces. I will
leave it in the sunlight for a couple
of days and see what happens. Hopefully
it will pass the test.
I am very happy with the results!
It will be interesting to do this
experiment again in the spring just
to see if there is a difference in
color. In the spring the Pyracantha
has white flowers - the berries come
out in the fall.
My next post will be about the
berries that were on this vine -
I'm redoing the experiment again.
I'm loving your experiments with Pyracantha and Cleome. You learned quite a lot with the Cleome. The color is really affected by acids or alkalis and also heat. You did get some lovely colors, and the early pioneers would have taken advantage of this for holiday decorations or party dresses. I call these coors "one-offs" because you only get the original color once, before something starts changing it. Please continue to document your work, it is important in our field. Much of the history of natural dyeing was never recorded and has been lost. Your writing style is great and easy to follow. You will be a great benefit to the continuing story of natural dyeing and printing.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim! Well this is a coincidence - I just found your wonderful blog the other day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments - they are an inspiration to me!
Can't wait to go through your blog more thoroughly this weekend - the photos
are encouraging - I'm still new to eco dyeing and printing. Looking forward to learning more.