Wild Flowers Wild Color

I've been doing a bit of reading by Jenny Dean.  There are no more copies of Wild Color available at a reasonable price these days.... but I found one at the library.    

I also ordered a copy of Colours from Nature by her.  While I've been reading and processing,  several bloggers I follow have been doing some wonderful experiments and projects with natural dyes.  So, of course, I had to give it a go. 

I found some Goldenrod almost 5 feet tall where I was able to trim with abandon so I took a large bag and a knife and helped myself.  I came home with almost a pound of flowers and top stems.  I decided to simmer, soak over night then see what was revealed this morning.  It's a brownish yellow....not particularly enticing as the colors on the book covers....but I know how dye can change when it strikes onto fabric.  I took a big gulp and plunged in some perfectly white silk.
 

I'm going to try and leave it for a week...lol...me with no patience trying to teach myself not to lift, pinch, poke, twirl or otherwise mess with this for a week will be darn hard!




I also had ordered India Flint's new book: EcoColour: botanical dyes for beautiful textiles.  This was a pricey investment....but worth every penny.  The book is refreshing to read as she is very environmentally aware but encourages lots of experimentation.  There were ideas that have left me what iffing every time I open the book.  And the photos of her work are breathtaking.  Oh, to have access to eucalyptus leaves .... it's just not dry enough here in the East.  India will be visiting the US next year....and I plan to be at a dyeing class she is teaching. 

I have not neglected my felting project either!  I worked on Jack in the Pulpit.  I like it very much though the background brown faded a bit during the felting process and became a subtle grey.  So not two squares this weekend.....just one....as I go tomorrow to take down the What's Out Is In Guild show in New Bedford.  But here is my rendition of that green brown weed that grows in the shade of ferns in my yard.