Natural dye seems to be having a bit of a moment and I'm really pleased about it!
When I first started macrame I had a go at dip dying my work with Dylon which is great, but as I delve into the world of fiber art I find myself craving more natural materials, colours and textures.
Welcome natural dye!
My first experience was one Sunday afternoon when I decided to use the left over water from the red cabbage we'd had with our Sunday lunch. It was so much fun seeing the cord turn a different colour and best of all it didn't stink of chemicals.
The results were a soft grey/blue colour and I was very happy!
I used that cord to make a pretty mini macrame...
Unfortunately she never made it too a new home. I hung her up in my work-space and after a couple of weeks she had faded to a really dull grey.
I realized there was more to natural dye than putting your material into some cabbage water! I needed to find a way to make the colour stick!
This prompted me to look into natural dye further and that's when I found Rebecca Desnos on Instagram. Her Instagram feed is an absolute joy to scroll and she is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to natural dye.
I proceeded to purchase her book 'Botanical Colour at your Fingertips' and can highly recommend it.
She uses a brilliant method with soya milk (crazy right!?) to keep the colour from fading.
My first go at avocado dye using the new book and method was a great success!
I had a go with a few different types of fabric and cord - I used 100% recycled cotton cord, some strips of a muslin burp cloth and strips of an old silk scarf my mum no longer wanted just to see how they would react.
I love the way you can take something that is destined for the bin and by using the power of nature, some time and love you can turn into something completely different.
As expected all the materials reacted slightly differently which was wonderful. I love the natural effect they give and the way the natural cord picked up the colour stronger in different places.
This is an image I used for my instagram page, i'd also collected some pine cones and conkers to have a go with too. It's amazing what you can use!
Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and I never got round to trying those, so that is something on my list once autumn arrives.
I would say that natural dye has definitely influenced a change in my work style.
Firstly I used the cord to make some lovely mini macrame wall hangings a couple of which are still available in my Etsy shop. (like this one on the left)
Later I used the muslin cloth and silk pieces and incorporated them into this beautiful macrame/ woven rainbow. I love the different textures you can achieve with such simple materials.
This piece is inspired by the sunset.
More recently I have been searching for earthy tones to compliment my latest work. To achieve this I had a go at dying with tea leaves and used tea bags!
It's such a simple way to start with natural dye because the colour is achieved with very little effort.
In the video to the right I have simply added used teabags and some tea leaves to a pan of hot water.
Simply heat on the stove for at least 15 minutes or until you get a lovely deep colour.
Once I'd strained the teabags and tea leaves I added the dye back to the pan and added my pre-treated fabric.
The process was so quick and the results have given me the beautiful earthy tone that I desired, shown below on my latest piece!
I have used tea dyed silk and muslin cloth on the left, and on the right the dusky pink is some muslin cloth I previously dyed.
I will be writing another blog post all about my latest work and more about who and what has inspired it. If you'd like to follow my journey though the world of natural dye and fiber art, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
Rebecca's book has given me such a good starting point and I'm excited to explore the world of colour that is all around us.
Charlotte
x
*Throughout the post I have included links to my Instagram and Facebook page, and also included the link to Rebecca's Instagram and her shop you can buy her book. You can also check out her blog here for more information and uses for natural dye.
I have, in no way been asked or paid to write this post, I simply wanted to share Rebecca's wonderful book because it has brought me so much joy.*
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