Category: Plant dye processes

12 Nov

Sumac Leaves and Flowers

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Sumac leaves (Autumn red)  -  Three samples steamed together

TOP: Ahimsa silk: Previously gold dyed produced Sumac light brown eco-print - 'Earth' side.  Small deep purple salvias steamed out very pale.  TWO ABOVE: Hesperanthe purple flowers printed on the habotai silk 'Sun' side.   BELOW: No print hardly. The silk was previously dyed blue with Hesperanthe, but it steamed out completely, leaving a 'shadow' of pink.

SUMAC jar of flower-seeds

Habotai silk soaked for a week produced strong deep gold (like eucalyptus bark). Sumac jar resulted in a deep orangey brown dye in jar in sunny window.  Silk and wool strands in amaranthe jar turned pale yellow. [needs correct modifier]

Wool scarf, knotted to get a variegated effect, soaking in Sumac flower seed dye liquid.

Fine Wool soaked in Sumac 48 hours.  Took on a peachy gold colour.  Knots made no difference to colour saturation when opened and washed.

Sumac dyed fine wool scarf was over eco-printed with large red Catalpa Bignonionides leaves.   A stronger violet-brown leaf result than Catalpa wool scarf 1; so Sumac tannin must have helped the leaf colour deepen; more so than previously over-dyed Comfrey wool scarf which stayed yellowish background.  [Both Sumac flowers and Catalpa Bignoniodes leaves are both ready in November, so a good choice to try again in 2025]

Lemon juice brings out the PINK-CRIMSON of Catalpa leaves.  It remains to be seen if it fades or not.

Catalpa Wool Scarf 2 continues HERE.

05 Nov

Crimson Vine Leaves Eco Prints Silk and Wool

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Catalpa Bignoniodes Tree - Crimson Vine type - Several experiments on Habotai silk and fine wool

Habotai (1):   Large leaves turn red and deeper red to black in October. By Nov 1 hardly any left on this tree. Also similar to Crimson Vine seen same month 2024 at Overbeck Gardens.  Tests to add more leaf prints to previously dyed habotai silk samples. Crimson vine dye bath gives pink silk in 2023, then oxidized to silver!  This year testing red leaves with eco printing, for better result of colour preservation.

Silk previously dyed in golds and with failed eco prints: to be augmented with more colour from red leaves, eucalyptus leaves, sprinkled Amaranthe and Black Knight Scabious.

Silk folded up from bottom and over top layout - for a mirrored print result.  Leaves area sponged with urine as experiment to retain red pigment. (previously dyed and eco printed silk has already been alum mordanted, which may help new prints)  Bundle prepared for steaming.

Secondary additional bundle steam with Red leaves Catalpa Bignoniodes on Hab (1) areas without strong colour.

Crimson leaves Catalpa Bignoniodes on Habotai (2)

Another two previously dyed gold silks with failed eco prints to be enhanced.  Red leaves with some eucalyptus and coreopsis.  Two pieces of habotai silk 8 sandwiched.

Crimson leaves experiment - (no added urine sponging).  Fresh red Sumac leaves dipped in a solution before placed with silk: Bucket solution: (water with used alum + dollop of rusty nail iron water + dollop of urine).  Hoped to give a stronger tone to Sumac leaves, due to previous prints being pale.

SECONDARY ADDITIONAL bundle steam with red Catalpa Biognoniodes leaves on Hab. (2)

Extra Sumac leaves dipped in mordant liquid [alum water + rusty nail iron water + 2 dst sp urine].  Coreopsis Gazebo Red laced between leaves.

ADDITIONAL LEAF AND COREOPSIS STEAMING - Pre-dyed gold silk Hab. (3) test

Another gold dyed sample with secondary purple-lilac leaf prints and grey Sumac leaf prints needs MORE enhanced colour...  One Catalpa crimson leaf and several Coreopsis Gazebo Red added.  Clingfilm laid and rollered over folded silk.  Bundle tied.  Steam 20 mins. [Note: Gazebo Red stated to produce sage green; but produced purple after alum + water mordant sprinkling, combined with tannins already in the previous dye colour.] 

Crimson Catalpa leaves - Experiment on Fine Wool scarf (1). Fine wool previously dyed in comfrey.  Red leaves and small petals from Coreopsis Roulette (result violet-black).

RESULT - Red leaves turn purple on silk and wool after washing out.   Acceptable - as in 2023 these leaves made silk a similar deep pink, then oxidized to silver.  At least they produced a print.   Some leaves partly faded lilac prints which gives an interesting 'ghostly' effect. (to be tried without background dye).  The iron and possibly the urine mordanting helped to give a stronger tone.  Coreopsis Roulette (dark violet spot) prints are darker than expected, as dried flower packet states 'Olive Green'.

If silk looks a bit dry when folding into bundle, leafs are used to dab liquid over.  This aids ghostly effects where dampness is unevenly spread.  When cling film is wrapped around folded silk, air is squeezed out with rolling pin either end of folded bundle.  Folding lengths to a 4inch-6inch flat bundle, enables wrapping around stick, or swiss-rolling into itself, secured with string/piping cord.

2nd Steam with extra oak leaves (dipped in soya wax resist) - No iron modifyer.  Oak leaves as resist didn't show any difference. Steaming will have melted out the wax.  Bundle was placed in jar of red water made from soaking the Catalpa leaves several days. The wool appeared to dye red, but on washing out after 24 hours, no colour.  Wool was slightly duller, needed to change the bright yellow from 1st steam.

Crimson Catalpa leaves - Experiment on Fine Wool scarf (2)

Eco print steaming 1hr 30mins.  More leaves were positioned on scarf, close together, than previous scarf 1. Amaranthe was included in spaces between leaves, but no result seen apart from more blurred purple.

MODIFYING the eco printed wool, to change the darkness of the dull aubergine prints.  PINK by painting on lemon juice and GREEN by painting on bicarbonate of soda.

28 Oct

Eucalpytus leaves

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

EUCALYPTUS ON FINE WOOL

First eucalyptus print results!

Long leaves down length of scarf.

Previously rose hip dyed wool (warm banana background).  Most long leaves steamed orange-brown; a few smaller leaves produced scarlet.   Centre of dahlia prints - dipped in iron water appeared slightly mauve.  Purple ends are a purple salvia.

EUCALYPTUS

Subtle leaves and background result on the gold Ahimsa silk

 

EUCALYPTUS

Eucalyptus leaves laid on grey silk - folded over for steam printing.

EUCALYPTUS + GERANIUM Experiment

Geranium leaves dipped in slight iron water, placed sky side down over eucalyptus leaves: all over previously golden dyed habotai silk, and splashed with water  that the eucalyptus leaves had been soaked in for two days; (jar with brown liquid).   I must have put another grey piece over this (half the base piece size) for the result below.  [Important to NOTE each step!]. Result on the larger gold habotai silk 'blanket' was hardly noticeable.  Ahimsa seems to take the dyestuff better.

 

EUCALYPTUS

Eucalyptus leaves laid on grey silk - folded over with gold silk - smoothed and rollered, for steam printing. Brown colour was spread by the action of rollering where silk had been splashed.

 

With folded piece, eucalyptus leaves design runs both OVER the geranium leaves and BEHIND them.  An idea to exploit again. Photo record above shows this is the earth side of the leaves; and gives a good detailed print.

28 Oct

Natural Dye Samples Autumn 2024

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Autumn 2024 - some small silk samples with current plant stuffs.

Mullein leaves dyed Habotai silk

Dyestuff collected from allotment Autumn 2024:

Soak dyestuff 24 - 48 hrs.  Boil up, simmer for an hour.  Add silk pieces when hand hot and leave for 2-4 days, checking for strength of colour.  Heat up the slow cooker or pot each day to below boiling point, then leave silk to soak further.  Silk will dye in cool liquid.  Mullein took 4 days to reach golden. These samples were dyed with the dyestuff in the pots, which I don't normally do; to obtain ongoing release of pigment.

Extra samples tested with iron: either rusty nail 'iron water' or powder ferrous sulphate.  Colours can be mixed by adding any dye+iron water to any plant/bark dye bath.

This year the rosehip dye result was not very strong, (previously has been peach or salmon pink); but did enable a faux 'alkanet' colour with a little iron added.

A further soak in  rosehip with a good measure of iron water from dark rosemary+iron dye bath (which appeared black), produced a dull gold; the rosemary yellow being much stronger than the rosehip peach.

Blue-mauve originally dyed with Hesperanthe (lavender tone):  made stronger tone with additional 2 day soaking in discarded flowers of magenta Amaranthe. (from failed eco print)

01 Oct

Black Knight Scabious

Amelia Hoskins / Eco Prints, Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Black Knight Scabious is a strong dye flower.  First test results were easy to obtain with steam bundle dyeing process.  Two silk pieces: one previously dyed with iron modified blackberry (lavender) and one previously tan dyed from leaves with small orange eucalyptus prints.

 

FIRST steam print with Black Knight Scabious flowers

Result of Scabious steaming is seen as strong deep violet bleeding of dye colour at one edge, which must have been an open part around an end of the stick.  Other flowers seem dry with barely a full print.  Silk is very dry, so got too hot in pan, inside a tight parcel.  Edge would have remained damp, hence the colour collected there.  Pattern print not at all covering whole area, so decision made to re-dye with similar distribution of flowers, together with another silk (previously dyed with blackberry modified with weak iron dip).

Stick wrap-around method chosen for 2nd attempt with two silks.  First parcel became too dry inside.  Additional silk is Habotai previously dyed with blackberry (but had iron dip modifier), so grey-lavender background.

20 minute steam in pan

RESULT!  A good evenly dyed print design

A good dye take up from the Scabious flowers, which had. been positioned over flat silk, similarly as first attempt; and with added sprinkling of individual Scabious tiny petals.  These can be used with other steam dyes as a 'spot sprinkling' background with other eco prints.

Scabious Black Knight dried flowers on ecru Shetland wool

Top sample          Dye pot (2b). GREEN:  Modifed with Bicarbonate of Soda.

Second sample   Dye pot (2a). Airforce BLUE:  Twice as many dried flowers boiled up several times in a non stick coated pan, and rested a day or two.  Wool added after reheating; left to soak around 3 days.

Third sample       Dye pot (1a):  GREY: First dye pot but flowers had been used in a bundle steam first. Not many flowers used, not boiled, flowers placed in boiled water soaked for 7 days.

Fourth sample    Dye pot (1b):  Had same process but boiled up again after in a dye pan.   (Possibly had tannin residue from a bundle dye)

 

 

09 Sep

Scarlet Lilies blue echo print

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Ahimsa silk - previously bundle dyed with bright pinks and lilacs of clematis and bougainvilea, produced only a weak colour result, so a new arrangement of flowers was done, but including Hesperantha Coccinea Major (scarlet lilies) and Coreopsis.

Hesperantha Coccinea Major, Heliotrope, Coreopsis, Cotinus leaf (Smoke Bush) and Dahlia.  Flowers laid on one half of silk length only, allowing for folding over during steam.  Two sided result provides two side shapes for a garment.

Scarlet lilies make violet blue!

Of the various petals for second attempt, Hesperantha and Heliotrope are successful; giving a good violet blue, adding firm flower shapes to the previously weak prints.  Indoor light after steaming.

More importantly this was steamed only for 20-30 mins.  Other petals; dahlia and bougainvillea made no print.

Mirrored Pattern - Ahimsa Silk

Flowers arranged on only half of length, to produce mirrored pattern of imprints.  One half folded over, then clingfilm wrapped, before tying to stick for steaming.  Wrapped fairly tight, but not strenuously, pushing fabric flat around before wrapping with string or cord. Initially use rubber bands to hold in place, prior to string wrapping.

Background silk shows previous steaming with pink and lilac petals, as blurs, which were oversteamed.  Cotinus leaves work well, but paler than Hesperantha lilies.  Some Heliotrope also turned blue-violet.    Silks with failed steaming can always be oversteamed again with better performing flowers.

Ready for a garment

Dried length folded - Hesperantha lilies, Scarlet to Blue prints.

Will be used in a kimono front; one piece each of mirrored prints each side.

More design details can be added by hand overpainted, dependant on other fabric prints inspiration used in the garment.

MORE  HESPERANTHA  STEAM  PRINTS on pre dyed silks

With a number of previously gold dyed silks; some steam prints over were weak and so the next step is to OVERPRINT to create more interesting designs.  Strength of Hesperantha pigment allows for a purple print on existing dyed silk which is influenced by tannin.  Clamps used to see if they make the prints firmer, by excluding some steam. Flower prints were good, regardless.  Small purple flowers are salvia prints and along with other print marks are from a previous steam.

04 Sep

Bougainvillea Test Bundle

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Test bundle steam: bougainvillea petals, antirrhinums, linaria marjoram, dahlia leaves

Interesting result with orange from bougainvillea.  Navy from crimson antirrhinums.  Folded carefully into strip then wrapped around stick and steamed on trivet.  Closed pan.  Clingfilm barrier helps highlight single petals, without over bleeding.  Possibly 1hr steamed (no note made); probably too long, causing dulling and blurring, especially brown of majoram.

Steamed result

Cerise bougainvillea created 'day-glo' orange.  Dahlia leaves create pale green.  Marjoram dried flowers only brown. Antirrhinums violet until modified to navy.  Result was too yellow, so soaked peice in bowl with previously used weakened rusty nail water (iron) and raspberry juice to dull off; just enough.

Bougainvillea orange can probably be modified brighter in another test.  Antirrhinums very promising navy; grow more!  [tests for 2025]

This silk result is still bright, or brighter, and more promising than originally thought. It matches very well to a piece of privet dyed silk [for dress design]

03 Sep

Privet leaves yellow

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Privet from privet bush

Privet leaves give a crisp cool yellow on Habotai silk, and a vibrant yellow on Ahimsa silk.  Both colours can appear the same in light.  Both silks were soaked 24hrs in the dyebath; not boiled. The privet was boiled and soaked over 2 days.

BRIGHT result from soaking in Privet dyebath:

More colours obtained by modifying with iron and blackberry. (Featured image above shows the olive change when part dipped in modified privet.  Iron modified dye bath turns silk olive green, (darker if longer);  then further soaked in blackberry dye water, turns purple. Eco print between yellows is Bougainvillea and antirrhinum.

Silk in further iron modified blackberry subsequently turns duller; more violet.

Striated lines between yellow-olive-purple are created by wrapping rubber band at dip point level.  The folds created also give a lined effect from olive into the purple; a quick easy way to create definition of interest.  Habotai privet yellow is a good match for some fabrics already started in a garment.

Dress photo to be added when completed.

Privet to Purple

Used Privet leaves and dye bath were simmered in a slow cooker over a day, combined with a few avocado pits and some skins.  Dyebath darkened to dull brown.  Small amount tipped into remaining half exhausted purple blackberry dye bath.  Habotai silk result lavender (paler than pure blackberry).

 

Privet to Purple

Ahimsa sample piece turned light beige in avocado modified dye bath.  Then coiled in fresh blackberry to test if purple is redder after the soaking.  Quick result of crimson.

 

23 Aug

Experiments silk bundle dyes

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

4 BUNDLE DYE SESSIONS overlaying different plant material

2024: My first experiments with bundle dye and eco printing.  The mystery of natural plant dyes is intriguing and fun to try many plants to see what happens.  Even white rose petals can produce some shape outline.  Images of multiple steaming into Ahimsa silk which is thicker than Habotai, a bit like cotton. [Ahimsa - peace silk where the silkworm is not boiled].

Flowers arranged on Ahimsa silk:   Mallow - Linaria lilac - Gladioli purple - Bronze Fennel

Parcel covered with clingfilm for steaming. Foil covered, wrapped around large rose tree root which rests over steam pan.  I vary processes: open steaming 2-3 hrs or closed lid in a trivet for an 1.5hr

Linaria was disappointingly brown, as had previously dyed blue on golden Habotai. Possibly a light vinegar spray caused browning.

[One piece mordanted in alum powder; one piece in soya milk.  Soya produced nothing so subsequently washed and soaked in alum for Sessions 2-4]

SESSION 2:  More plant material

Dahlia leaves - Mallow dried and fresh - sprinkled Linaria - Woad seeds - Geranium petals - Gladioli purpurea - 3 Antirrhinums, -1 Nasturtium - white rose petals - 2 Queen Anne's lace - Bronze fennel

Two silk layers [previously mordanted with alum] were sprayed with white vinegar before folding into a parcel. Sometimes I roll fabric up, sometimes I fold; all experimental.  Parcel wrapped tightly around the steaming stick.

Washed dried mediocre result

Washed dried result

Antirrhinums worked the best, and probably too strong a vinegar spray turned them brown, as they have come out violet before.  Gladioli DOES print, if feintly.  All the material left some mark: even the woad seeds were quite dark. Dahlia leaves were surprisingly pure green, not browned ! and well defined: worth pursuing again with an iron modifier.

Small piece of Habotai silk added in the sandwich, to test on thinner silk.

The bronze fennel leaf is promising, as a print or all over texture background: Brown on alum mordanted Ahimsa silk.  On Habotai mordanted silk - turned bright green AFTER washing with soda ash. Useful as an all over landscape texture.

Note:  Fennel may make a good green dye bath with soda ash.

Fennel print comparison Ahimsa or Habotai

SESSION 3:  More plant material overlay experiment

Mallow - Woad Seeds - Bougainvillea - Himalayan Honeysuckle Leycesteria Formosa

Plant material placed over ahimsa pieces

Cling film over both pieces enclosing plants

Rolling up two silks with clingfilm

Ahimsa roll tied up losley in trivet

Variations of steam processes to see if any way works better.  Parcel wrapped in aluminium foil OR clingfilm -

Wrapped, tied on stick in open pan OR tied in a round with steamer lid on.  Silk has previously been burnt slightly when using foil, so still experimenting.

Ahimsa silks after steaming, washed, pressed:  Both pieces are identical.  Pieces will eventually be used in a garment, but not colourful enough at this stage, only interesting as layer on layer experiment.  Identifying multiple colour marks from photo of plant placements.  New blue-violet effects at top (possible from woad seeds); orangey lower blotches from crimson Himalayan honeysuckle.  Bougainvillea show as identifiable triangular grey-brown shapes; so worth pursuing again on pure white, and modify with iron.  Dahlia green prints faded a bit this time.

SESSION 4:  To get some colour!

Hawthorne leaves - Privet - Honeysuckle crimson sepals - White Rose petals - Blackberries.

Blackberries were placed on the rose petals.  Second Ahimsa piece laid over.  Then pastry roller used to squash the dye out.  Due to strength of colour, it could have done several pieces at once.   Rolling out in pattern directions is also an idea, with small rollers, or pre folding fabric to form geometric mirroring.  Much purple dye lost to the backing cloth.

Sponge dabbing spasmodically of water, from woad seed soaking, with added sprinkling of iron sulphate.

Blackberry stains between two Ahimsa silks: sponged with iron water

Rolled with clingfilm tied with twine

Rolled parcel to coil, tie and suspend over trivet in steaming pan. Coil sits on two pieces of Fuscia branch, to prevent metal heat stains. Branches were scraped of bark which was added to the plant material above.

Rolled coiled parcel suspended in trivet in pan

Unrolling silks after steaming

Unrolled steamed silks extensive blackberry dyed

Two Ahimsa silk pieces. Identical dried results with purple where iron water sponged.

Two Ahimsa silk pieces, upside down to each other.  To break up the iron dulled areas, and add interest, circle designs brush drawn-over with lemon juice show discharged LIGHT effect through 'greyed' (iron) background. Lemon brightens blackberry-pink and discharges greyed background to cream.  Silks were previously dyed a light golden colour, so the iron may have interacted with that too.

Close up of one piece with lemon juice discharged circles

Embroidery Resolution

To give some form to the blackberry dyed blotches; triskele design shapes were painted in lemon juice to embroider over.  Abstracted rose petal shapes embroidered over colours.  Overall effect is 'antique'.  This will work with a kimono lining already in stock; with pink colours similar.  Enough for batwing sleeves.  Purple silk can be added, along with other stock prints with pinks.  With the two pieces of ahimsa, enough for each side.  Useful to dye two pieces together if garment making.

21 Jul

Bundle Dyed Backgrounds

Amelia Hoskins / Eco Prints, Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Experimental reds steam bundle dyeing for background texture

1.  Red onions - red antirrhinum - red ivy dried - red ragged robin leaves - red new St. John Word bush leaves - purple marjoram dried flower heads sprinkled
2. Ferns added - made it browner

Making steaming parcel

Carefully folding silk over from edge and corners to enclose dye stuff.  Folding method: 'Side over', 'Corners over to centre', : repeatedly.

Otherwise spread only on half of fabric, to fold over easily.

Parcel preparation

Spraying with vinegar and using baking roller to flatten.

Experimental parcel other than rolling around a stick.

Ferns added

Although a few textured results were acceptable, I wanted to change the brown/white contrast.

Extra steaming with ferns produced browner overall dyed.   The brown fuzzy seeds on reverse of ferns I believe cause this.

The bundle can be flat, and not always tied around a stick.

A bit too brown for me...

One piece can be continually experimented on.  Maybe lemon juice will bleach lighter some of the background, as painted shapes?  Maybe blackberry, or woad blue, or logwood pigment dyes can be used as design shapes over the brown?

Adaptations to be continued...

Images copyright Amelia Jane Hoskins Please email for use permission.