Thursday, May 23, 2013

Slow living - Natural dyeing vol. 1 My pastel colors


by gretchen gretchen blog/Kreetta Järvenpää
here's my project


I thought Slow living can be my new post series. I hope I can fulfill the promise. I've been reading India Flint's book Eco Colour - botanical dyes for beautiful textiles and I'm so excited about my new found! I didn't find it by myself actually it was Fi Hocking from the blog livingcloth who told me about India - so thanks goes to her.

So let's begin. Following text is based on Flint's book but do remember that I'm making my interpretations of her writings. 


by gretchen gretchen blog/Kreetta Järvenpää
light green and light brown

When you are starting a new thing I think you have to start from very basic and with things that might even get there otherwise you might get frustrated and give up. This next test is fun and very easy to start with but before it I give you some useful tips by India Flint about natural dyeing.

Picking plants and flowers for your dyeing material:

Think locally - begin your backyard and garden. Remember "non-exploitive harvesting". You don't have to go very far to get plants, bark, leaves even your garbage can be your dye material. Yes, your garbage.


by gretchen gretchen blog/Kreetta Järvenpää
what you don't eat but you can use as natural dye material?

How to find dye material and what tells you the plant is good dye material?
 
1. smell

2. species name: tinctorum or tinctoria (the plant has traditionally used in dyeing) or officinale (medicine, contains aromatic, acid or alkaloid chemicals)

3. Remember the rule "no identification - no picking"

4. garbage and windfalls like onion skins, beetroot leaves, carrot tops, wilted spinach, red gabbage etc.

5. Rubbing a leaf between your finger and thumb - what happens? Remember also that plant can be a good dye material even though it doesn't show any visisble sign.

Ok, if you are still interested about natural dyeing - here is very simple and fun test that I made with few plants from our yard to see how they react to test. 


natural dye by gretchen gretchen photo by www.kreettajarvenpaa.com


India Flint's tea-test method

Crumble the material with boiling water into old white cup or glass. In ten minutes(maybe more) you see if liquid turns colored and how colored? If it does, there you have a potentional dye material. Simple isn't it. Try this method with fresh or dry leaves shredded bark,crushed seeds and squashed berries.

What colours you got?

I got pastel colors.


natural dye by gretchen gretchen photo by www.kreettajarvenpaa.com


natural dye by gretchen gretchen photo by www.kreettajarvenpaa.com


I recommend you to get to know India's writings here about natural dyeing if you are inspired!


natural dye by gretchen gretchen photo by www.kreettajarvenpaa.com

Ooh, what a lovely pastel pink. Yummy! Have you ever tried natural dyeing? Have you ever thought of it? Do you think we even might have a trend here?  This week also Lotta Helleberg blogged about natural dye. Great work!


xo
Kreetta 

ps. I made a blog page in Facebook - now you can like me there and tomorrow is the last day to take part in my beautiful plant GIVEAWAY. I CAN SEND THESE PLANTS ONLY IN EU COUNTRIES. Good luck and have a wonderful day!


12 comments:

  1. Hi Kreetta,
    Your post is lovely and your images are glorious (as always). I love your pastel colours. Thank you for the mention and may your dye pots never run dry!!! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Fi!
      Thank you so much for your kind words and oh yes this is a beginning of those dye pots!

      Delete
  2. i love the idea of your new post series, kreetta! and the pix are beautiful! great work!
    and a good inspiration since i haven`t done that much after blogboss..ohoh ;)

    thanx,

    andrea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andrea! You need only one hour or less to do this. Go for it!

      Delete
  3. I love your photography, I really do!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So lovely and I'm so happy that you do !!! Thank you Gudy.

      Delete
  4. Great pictures and color´s pallete

    ReplyDelete
  5. So beautiful photos and great idea with natural dyeing, that book sounds amazing. I have tried with beetroot and blueberries it's really fun. Thank you for such great photos you always knock my socks off!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mette!
      Great to hear that you have also tried it and thank you Mette!

      Delete
  6. lovely images...the other thing the tea test can give you clues about [as you become more familiar with how plants react to water] is what is dissolved in your water that you can't see

    ie

    you can test your water by putting a little shredded red cabbage in it. if alkaline, then liquid will be purple into blue
    if acide, then pink...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello India! What an honor you leaving me a comment. Thank you and thank you for your kind words.

      This new tip is so interesting. I didn't know that I'm going to need chemistry after the school...but here I am again. Like I was in the darkroom when studing photography and the darrkroom was quite magical palce. I have to try this. You have to all try this!

      Have a lovely weekeend!

      xo

      Kreetta

      Delete

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