Sunday, November 4, 2018

Eco-dyeing fabric


This is Day 4 of Art Every Day Month (AEDM), although I keep forgetting to mention it.

Today I'm trying something a bit different in my quest to learn more about eco-dyeing.   In the past I have used a piece of something rusty in which to wrap my fabric, but for this experiment, I am going with copper.

I brought in leaves from my back yard, ferns from my neighbor, and black raspberry leaves from my bush. 

I also added a few pennies, but some were new.  I'm soaking a few in vinegar in hopes they will acquire a green patina, but they aren't ready yet.


I thought I might need to iron the piece of bed sheet I was using for my fabric, but decided the steaming process would take care of that.

I got out my waxed linen thread and began encasing the fabric on both sides and the end opposite the  copper pipe.

I rolled the fabric and leaves around the copper pipe, then wrapped it in the waxed linen.  Next, although I fail to show it, I added water to the bottom of the pot, covered the pot and am steaming it on medium low heat for four hours.  Once it is thoroughly steamed, I will leave the piece in the pot overnight until it is completely cool. Then I will remove it from the pot tomorrow.


This is Day 4 of Art Every Day Month (AEDM) and I am eco-dyeing part of a bed sheet.

I want to reiterate, if you are on Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, or G +, I will visit, but I cannot leave a comment since I'm not a member of any of those platforms. 

25 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

Looks like a fun experiment, looking forward to seeing the results. Valerie

Dortesjs said...

waue exciting, cant wait to see the result. eco-dyeing sounds interesting for me.

johanna said...

you know i am curious:)))))

Meggymay said...

This looks a really interesting experiment. I am looking forward to seeing how it looks when you unroll the fabric.
Yvonne xx

Helen said...

interesting experiment.... look forward to the reveal although I am sceptical (hope to be proved wrong!) glad you enjoyed Kew (thought I had chosen more pics to include, but they were very similar to last week! not sure what the plants in the round bed are, didn't spot the names)

johanna said...

of course you can link my scrapsquare blog in your side bar... thank you ♥

kathyinozarks said...

anxious to see the results

froebelsternchen said...

I am looking forward to the result! Exciting!!!!! Happy Sunday!

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

I'm so excited to see the reveal Elizabeth, I can hardly wait!! Thank you for directing me over to AEDM, i'm trying to get my head around it all..
Hugs Tracey xx

TammyVitale said...

timely as I have a piece I'm working on that I want to do this to.

Where do you get waxed linen? and when you say you encase the material, what does that mean? just roll it or are you covering it with something? So exciting - I can't wait to see what happens! Thank you!

My name is Erika. said...

I am curious to see what happens. I don't know much about eco dyeing at all and so I am guessing that the pennies will leave and imprint like the leaves? Or perhaps they will leave copper to spread....hmm. Can't wait to see the results. Happy Sunday. Hugs-Erika

CJ Kennedy said...

The selection of leaves you have a beautiful. I can't wait to see how it turns out and if the copper will leave a green/blue tint.

Nancy said...

Your process is much less messy and cumbersome than some I've seen, so will be interested to see the results. Fun to experiment and you have a nice assortment of greens.

Nigel said...

Doing the rounds of AEDM and I see you still love to experiment with tying things up :)

I'll be back later to see what happens :)

craftytrog said...

Can't wait to see how this turns out! xx

Divers and Sundry said...

I've seen the colors on old pennies that have been wet so am looking forward to seeing how your cloth turns out. I like your plant arrangement. Cool!

Jeanie said...

Very clear, well done tutorial. I can't wait to see the finished piece!

Thanks for joining me on my travels at the Gypsy. Love your comments and I admire you packing skills. I did it -- but it wasn't easy!

Helen said...

ah yes, it is the grass between the beds lol!

Cindy McMath said...

looks like fun! I look forward to seeing the results. :)

Sandra Cox said...

Can't wait to see it!
How are you feeling?

Birgit said...

This will be fun to see what will happen..can’t wait to see

Lowcarb team member said...

Intriguing and interesting.
I am looking forward to seeing how it looks when you unroll the fabric.

All the best Jan

pearshapedcrafting said...

Looking forward to seeing the result! The colours here on their own are beautiful! Hugs, Chrisx

Rita said...

Anxious to see the results of your experiment! :)

Let's Art Journal said...

Wow, I can't wait to see what it came out like! The design you created with the leaves and coins was amazing 😁. It looked like a fun process too, thanks for sharing! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and wishing you a happy new week! J 😊 x