Eco-dyeing - a magical absorbing art!

Who would have thought that playing around with leaves on bits of cloth and paper was so addictive? I guess thousands of people around the world would agree if you can go by the number of people who enjoy the art of eco-dyeing and printing. 

The first time I tried this art was at a summer school workshop  in January 2016 at the Stirling Street Art Centre with Jane Flower from Folios and Fibre. I loved it from that very moment, but in truth it took me about a year before I actually started to experiment at home. 

Since then I have played, experimented, read, researched, done a couple of workshops, joined a couple of groups on Facebook, learned, and generally had fun. It is an absorbing and addictive art! I love the serendipity of it - there is only so much control you have over the final product.  You can choose and place the leaves, you can bundle them up, you can simmer or steam them, but in the end it is the dye pot, the heat and the leaves that make the magic. You never know exactly what you are going to get. Sometimes you are disappointed, but other times you do a happy dance when it all works out as you expected or with luck better than you hoped! 

I shared with you some of my work a few weeks ago when I had a market stall at the Tree Street Art Safari. 

I won't pretend to be an expert, or give you the hows and how too's here. I am still learning. There are lots of great resources on line, but here is a quick look.

First select and lay out your leaves. They can be fresh or leaf fall.  There are many variables, including time of year and the water and fabric you use. I am lucky to be using mostly eucalyptus which print very well. Check that you know what the leaves are, you don't want to be using poisonous leaves. 

Make notes of what you did, what you used, and the results. This is invaluable, although you can never get a repeat of something. Each piece is truly unique and individual.

Roll it and wrap it up tight, or squish it between something flat ie tiles work well

Put leaves and water into the pot and simmer your bundles in the water or steam on a steaming rack. Use a dye-dedicated pot, not a pot you are going to cook your dinner up in. And do the cooking outside in a well ventilated area. I try and use rain water I have collected as household water might have other "additives". I have also found bore water works well if you have a bore.  Protect your hands with gloves. Some long handled tongs are very useful too.

Once they are done take them out.  The time depends on what you are cooking - I do paper for about half an hour simmering, and then leave in the pot for an hour, and silk scarves I steam for about 2 hours. People have different ideas about time needed. If I am doing cloth I leave in the pot overnight, and then leave it bundled up for at least a couple of days before unbundling. I unbundle paper the next day as you don't want it to dry out before yo do. 

Hopefully, enjoy the results!  I made some cushions on linen-cotton blend, which I then embroidered around the edges of the leaf prints.

 I recently went to a workshop to learn how to make paint from leaves. This has lead to a whole new dimension and exploration to my work! 

  Overpainted with marri bark ink and outlined with calligraphy pen. 

 I am also doing an on-line course with India Flint - who is considered one of the greats of eco-dyeing and conducts workshops all over the world. 

And I have joined a world-wide collaboration "How Far Does the Hand Reach" with Maria from Botanical Being in England who is completing her final Master Project for her Degree in Textile Design. 103 women from around the world have joined her for this project. She has sent us each two pieces of material - one silk and one cotton, which we will print with leaves from our local area and then send back to her.  These will be curated into a patchwork piece and a book showcasing botanical prints from around the world.   Of the 109 contributors we have 19 eco-sisters from across Australia. We are communicating in a private Facebook group as the project goes along.
I am so thrilled to be a part of this global project.  As Maria says:
 "Sisters we are creating something completely new and unique with a hundred and three global sisters!"

 I also belong to a couple a Facebook sharing pages where I find lots of help and inspiration, although sometimes it can be a little confusing as different methods work for different people.

Eco-dyeing with Friends
Printing with Botanicals
Eco-printing, dyeing and painting on paper

There are lots of other groups.  You might also like to check out Gumnut Magic.

I am lucky to have a little bush block near where I live where I can go and gather leaf fall for my projects and some private land where I have access to a range of eucalypts. 

Or just wander along the bush-land path and let the the eucalypt dreams fall where they may...

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions

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