ECO COLOURS - 4

Back on July 31st I started three jars of sun dyeing as per India Flint's instructions - put fabric in jar, add plant material and fluid, seal and leave alone!

After two weeks of very hot weather I was seeing lots of action in the jars and decided to open them.

Jar 1 contained (1) a silk chiffon scarf wrapped around eucalyptus leaves and (2) a rayon scarf wrapped around dried cedar branches and leaves. Dill pickle brine was poured over and it was sealed.

Jar 2 contained (1) a silk rayon devore scarf scattered with dried red rose petals, rolled and folded, and (2) a wool fabric bit rolled with dried cotoneaster branches + dried red rose petals + a chain of rusty metal bells. Again dill pickle brine filled the jar and sealed.

Jar 3 contained (1) a pre-printed piece of linen rolled around a cotoneaster branch, and (2) wool wrapped around more cotoneaster branches and leaves. This time cold coffee was poured over top to cover and sealed.

Here is a shot of 5 of the 6 fabrics once they were taken out of the jars but left to dry in a green pail during a thunderstorm. In vertical rows they are: one of the first jar, the second pickle jar, and to the left, the coffee jar.

Rinsed and opened up they looked like this...

Silk chiffon with eucalyptus in pickle brine... (not much, as I afterwards learnt that wool takes the eucalyptus leaves better)

Silk devore and wool with the rose petals in the pickle brine...

Linen and wool from the coffee jar...

My favourite? The gorgeous rose petal printed silk devore scarf - luscious colours!