HYACINTH VARIABLES - LILAC - MAUVE Unmordanted - PURPLE - BLUE Alum mordanted

Experiments on thick and thin silk: unmordanted (lilacs) and alum mordanted (blues).  The smaller fabric samples with many flowers gives a high proportion of dyestuff:WOF.  Larger silk pieces therefore paler: less ratio Dyestuff:WOF.  (I don't yet weigh).  Pond water used. Steel pans.  The blue is clearly created by metal mordant.  The mauve is more the natural result!

• Hyacinth flowers were heated after plucking, hand hot, left to soak, heated again on second day.  Silk was added when hand hot only; in all cases either unmordanted or mordanted.
• First soak produced pale lilac and pale blue only, without mordanting.  The small pot with purple samples shows how deep the dye can go with about 8 flowers of 'Midnight Mystic' hyacinth variety deep purple, without mordanting.
• Other strong blue hyacinth flowers added to Midnight Mystic dye bath for the larger silk pieces.  One double flowered variety was a strong blue; several flowers added to original bath.  The two photographs of lilac and turquoise blue are result of 48hrs soaking. Flowers need time to soak out the dye.
• Paler normal blue flowers did not give much dye colour.
• Habotai silk mordanted, shows result in a paler dye bath, of only the blue flowers: produces a lovely pale turquoise very usable. So normal blue hyacinths can be used for this next year.