Dyepot and bundle experiments

My new studio. The lighting needs serious improvement, but other than that it is a much better use for this space. The aluminum foil draped over my weaving keeps the cats away from it – they are terrified of the sound of aluminum foil for some reason. Maybe it sounds like some predator coming for them.

Saturday I pulled out some ornamental grapevines that are invasive in my yard and decided to try a dyepot with the leaves. Then I remembered the frozen avocado pits and peels my friend Leslie saved for me, and I decided to do two more dyepots – a crockpot with just the pits and a stainless steel pot with just the peels. I decided to overdye some of the silk and wool fabrics that I dyed in India’s class (ones which did not come out so great), and I had a bag of cotton fabrics that I had previously mordanted with alum and dried.

This square was one of the earliest bundles from India’s class and it didn’t take up a lot of dye then. I stitched on it with silk thread, but I was never satisfied with it. I rolled it up with these plants from my front yard, which include crepe myrtle blossoms, plantain leaves, and yarrow. I didn’t include the maple or cherry leaf in the photo. The bottom bundle was an undyed strip of wool wrapped around a stick with grape leaves rolled inside. The grape and plantain leaves did not print, but the dyepot was a success. I got a very rich olive brown color with no mordants. The spots are from the crepe myrtle blossoms. I tossed several bundles into this grape leaf pot.

A tiny silk bundle folded over yoshina cherry leaves and dyed in the grape leaf pot gave me delicate but definite prints.

One of the squares that I did in India’s class was wool with a silk fabric stitched onto it, and for some reason it didn’t take up much dye. I cut it into quarters. One small bundle wrapped with silk thread and a yellow maple leaf on the wool side went into each dyepot, with one left out for comparison. Below are the pieces dyed in the avocado pit and avocado peel dyes. The pits produced a lighter, peachier color than the peels. I loved the silk thread color that came from the pits.

What I learned: use a different variety of maple leaf, but in general this wool was not good for leaf prints.

Here are some unbundled cotton fabrics mordanted with alum that I dyed in the avocado pots. The white on the bottom is the original fabric, shown for comparison. The peels produced a grayer color. I tossed a good-sized splash of white vinegar in the pots after I turned off the heat.

Okay, that’s enough for now!