but trying to focus on something of interest. at christmastime i bought two pomegranates. they're not little, but they got overlooked on the counter until yesterday, when i decided to cut them open (dry but a little nice flavor left) and use them on some cotton cloth for direct dyeing. i spread them on a steel cookie sheet loosely bundled. i poured a bit of water on it to soak it and mushed the fruit a bit. then i emptied the water plus all the mineral gunk from the water reservoir on the woodstove. a little yucky, but using india flint as my mentor, i'm mixing the chemistry from my well water with poms grown somewhere way too far away.
that was yesterday. today it looks like this. more darks, more ochre.
wondering where it will go. just observing and letting it be. about all i can muster today since i'm still sick.
i'm home for the celebration and remembrance of the life of martin luther king, jr. nice to have a day off, better to have his life an exemplar for our culture. best if he'd lived a full life.
lokks delicious in a non eating kind of way...sorry you are still sick... at least you have an extra day off!
ReplyDeleteluckily, my dentist fixed my tooth, and i went to yoga numb, but happy, so i'm far less miserable than i was this morning.
ReplyDeletereminds me of tie dying in my art class.....ever try a natural dye from onion skins?...it works well.....nice brown shades...
ReplyDeleteglad you are off today.........i had inservice.....
on mlk day? terrible. yes, i've done it, even dyed eggs by wrapping them in skins and cheesecloth. india flint is the master of this, however, wrapping eggs first in small ferns or leaves, then onion skins, then cloth and boiling. amazing results.
ReplyDeleteThe cloth will be lovely. I stopped by my yoga studio today and picked up a schedule. After 14 months, I think my leg is strong enough to start back. Hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeletewhen ben's mom bought pomegranates, not having ever encountered them, she left them out in a basket and they dried up. i was SO tempted to take them home to dry completely and then boil to dye like i did back w/my teacher in korea. but i didn't want to seem too kooky on my first visit.
ReplyDeleteget better soon!!
this looks good.like a corn rhubarb compote.
ReplyDeleteVelma, I have just visited your blog for the first time and want to compliment you on it. It is so interesting. I love what you do with hand made books, hand made paper and natural dyes. Thank you for making my day.
ReplyDeletethanks, judy. i appreciate so much hearing those words today! (been a doozy of a day, here)
ReplyDeletelove your description of your color from the poms. my experient with poms turned out pink, I would soo much love to get ochre color. have tried a ritz dye recipe found in an art quilt mag. but didn't turn out at all. do you have any natural dye material(s) suggestions ?? hope you feel better and better soon - yoga helps lots : )
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Sandra in AZ
sandra, the ochre is from the minerals in the water...who knows what will happen when i rinse this cloth out. rita buchanan's a weaver's garden and a dyer's garden are good primers for natural dying. read them, you don't have to be a gardener to use the wonderful info.
ReplyDeletethanks soo much for the info : ) I do have rita buchanan's book on a dyer's garden, loved it the first time I read it but now I'll be reading it from a re-freshed perspective in dyeing. thanks again for your reply : )
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Sandra in AZ
Hi Velma
ReplyDeleteI love the colours you are getting from the pomgranate. I tried it a week ago, and the silk started with pink and it became a golden brown colour, very beautiful. I didn't know about the different effect of water. Thanks, for that's probably the reason why it turned into this colour.
Sandra (from the Netherlands)
i'll be posting the final piece, which is very different. and writing a little about my thoughts on dyeing.
ReplyDelete