Botanical dyeing
I’ve been participating in a year long mixed media course called Wanderlust 2020. A lesson on botanical dyeing with Jeanne Oliver sent me down a creative “rabbit hole”. I’ve been having my very own COVID textile-science class this summer. It started simple enough with the berries on my mom’s Amur Cherry tree, then my raspberries. Pretty soon, I had a friend help me pick Sasktoons and then, wait, are those Choke Cherries behind the fence?
The color of the berry did not always reflect the color of the fabric in the end. The North Saskatchewan River Valley is a forager’s dream. Every week a new berry ripens offering a new opportunity to cook up prairie hues.
The word "terra" (latin for earth) floating in my mind when I see the final product. “Terroir” (a French term) is a concept that looks at the natural and unique conditions of an area; the soil. climate and region that impact how a product tastes, like wine. The term has "terra" and “terroir” have taken on a whole new meaning for me as I’ve watched the berries that I pick from the North Saskatchewan River Valley take on the most gorgeous shades of pink and grey as they move from my dyeing pot to my clothes line.
I’ve done a lot of reading on botanical dying this summer. I ended up soaking my cotton fabric in a soy milk mordant two times and then drying it completely in-between soakings.
I boiled my fabric in the berry dye for close to an hour after which I’d hang to dry again in the prairie sun. I would wait a couple days before hand washing it and adding a bit of essential oils to them before hanging them out to dry again.
I’ve experiment with mark making, using a soy milk mordant, prior to dyeing. It created wonderfully whimsical patterns once dyed.
Everyone keeps asking me what I’m going to do with my ribbon. I’ve had a few folks ask to buy it so I’m adding some of it to my shop. You can buy it here.
The dyed fabric is made into ribbon. It has been hand ripped in generous 2.5 cm strips. They vary in length from 43-46 cm (around 17 inches). Each batch of ribbons looks a little different from the next. For example, the Chokecherry produces two different shades of grey.
The production of these ribbons has been a journey of curiosity. It totally sparked my creative mojo. I’ve been using it on tags and cards. I love to use just bit and pieces and the strings to add depth to my mixed media and cards too.
