Dyeing the easy Way!

I know an odd title but life is busy and there doesn't seem to be enough time to do everything I want to do or even the continuously growing list. Last summer I started to experiment  with natural dyeing on a few different fibres. Except for the rust and goldenrod there was not much to get excited about. I made a few notes and pack the samples away planning on updating my notes this pass winter. That is still on the list do. But while I was cleaning out the broom closet a few weeks ago ( March 17th) I decided I really should do something about the over flowing collection of onion skins. I took a piece of kona cotton , layed out onion skins allover it, rolled it up and tucked in to a glass bottle pouring a cup of water and a cup of vinegar. The first 2 weeks the bottle sat in the laundry room ( dim lighting and coolish) for the last 2 weeks it has sat on the window sile ( very strong sometimes hot sunlight) in the now nearly empty lower studio.

 The colour so far is a rich amber but it is wet and I wonder if the colour will stay. I am not a patience person so it is a bit of a challenge tow wait till I have the time to open the bottle.
Below is the results of last summer "tree dyeing" that didn't work so now is / has been soaking in a weak of garden phlox solution . I didn't put any vinegar in the bottle so I am bit concern about what the smell will be.
My friend Lesely Turner has been documenting her experience with tree dyeing for the last few months with much better results then mine.
A few months ago I joined a site that list a varity of Canadians who work, play and or experiment with fibers. Its is an interesting place to check out to see what others are doing. It is called W.I.P The Needle and Thread Net work and I think my bottles of easy dyeing  qualifies for work in progress this week.

Comments

Regina said…
Seems I am not the only one with "crap" collections for dying.....unfortunately I'll loose patience and chuck my coffee grounds and onions skins etc. on the compost pile before I have enough.
Mary Ann Tate said…
I've only tried dying with tea or coffee so this is pretty interesting. Can't wait to see the results.
Cheryl Coville said…
The onion skin liquid is such a lovely colour right now.... lots of promise there. Fun to see your experiments.

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