Making eco prints with students學生的植物印染製作

 I'd a class of "Making eco prints" for a group of more than 40 participants.  The yummy color brighten my day.

 植物印染工作坊在香港比較少有, 最近我為Thei 設計學院的40多位學生介紹葉子移印工作坊, 三小時內我們實習了三種技巧, 原是綠色的葉子經過熱力巧妙地變成鮮明橙紅印在絲質布料上,  何解? 且看學生們如何製作 .......

 I was invited to give a workshop of eco printing in the campus of Thei for the tertiary design students last Friday. 

   My silk and gorgett fabrics with leaves prints displayed. 

 Leaves used were mainly of eucalyptus.....

 Plus some maple leaves, rose leaves, cajuput leaves, banyan air roots and a little rose petals.

 After a brief intro and demo, students and teachers started the leaves laying.

 First piece was a square silk fabric.  We used eucalyptus cinerea leaf that gives bold print in a short time of boiling   

 After an hour of boiling,got the prints.

 This was the warm up for the first part of workshop.

 Followed by making a longer piece on gorgett.

 I provided a few iron pre-mordanted fabrics as base to make different turnout of prints.

   Rolled up with a hard paper core to make the bundle firm.

 Put all bundles in dyeing pots with euc leaves, stems and barks. Boiled for 1.5 hours and left over the weekend.

 Today we opened the bundles.  Looks they're tasting crabs !?  Is it yummy?

 Excited to see how they look.....

 All euc cinerea got bright orange,  green is rose leaves and brown are windfalls.

 Some got bold and sharp prints, but some loose as it's not tied tightly.

 String marks at the end.

 This subtle look is the effect of the base of iron mordanted fabric rolled up together. Iron react with tannin rich leaves.

 Cajuput leaves are not bright but with outlines, windfall of euc leave is brown.

 Soft look of green rose leaves, orange eucalyptus leaves and banyan air root marks. 

 

 After the 2nd bundle, I introduced the paper prints.

 Samples of paper prints with euc leaves, rose leaves and eco print book covers.

 Batches of drawing papers with some leaves.  Clamped with iron clips and iron mordanted fabric scraps.  Steamed for an hour. 

 Prints on papers are mostly yellow.  

  This sort of eco printing is new to students. 

 A subtle scarf is done in 3 hours. It's easy and environmental-friendly.  

Boys and girls, hope you enjoyed the experiments and there're lots to explore. Quite some informative sites for ref, to name a few.

DipandStain by James Dennison

Blog of India Flint

The Natural Surface by Kimberley Baxter Packwood

My first nuno felt garment student 我的第一位nuno felt 背心學生

 Making wool felt garment is not that simple.  Quite technical to do the right size, not to mention to teach students to make for their own.

Truly the cost of tutorial is quite steep. I have never offered to give a class.

Today my student WW has the honor (I'm too arrogant !!??) to follow me.

WW is interested so my pleasure to teach her individually in my yard.

做羊毛戟絨衣服要做到合適個人要有技巧, 有點難度, 學費及材料不便宜, 所以不曾應教學生, WW有熱誠想學, 今日就趁好天氣在我家露台利用一個星期天做了這件背心.

WW很聰敏, 她祗是第二次玩羊毛氈工藝便很好的掌握完成, 這個冬天暖暖啊 !

 

 We used the Wensleydale and Gotland fleece. I love the smell of raw fleece.

 Almost finished the fleece layering

 Wet it

 Quality control by Mogi

 Rock and roll for hundreds times.....

 

 Finished -  front look

 Back look

 Reverse side - front look

 Back look

 A reversible vest is done

 Steps of making

 WW, have a warm winter

I hope it's not too tired for a 5-hour making a vest.

Thanks WW for coming and well done. 

Fall's greetings from a binding book 秋之禮讚

Fall has fallen 
 

 Walk in the brush, pick some windfalls, do a little journal, give to someone who appreciates the footprints of autumn - the fallen leaves and the marks....... 

  踏著秋的步伐, 叢林中留下足跡, 花開花落, 樹木枯榮有序, 秋風輕拂, 落葉片片……
要給這個秋天留下爽朗的印記, 何不動手以拾回來的葉子做一小本子?
一本是作為本周植物印染課堂的樣品, 一本特別送給朋友Ada 的小禮物, 用心的製送給細緻的 “玫瑰皇后”…… 

I made some eco printed papers with the leaves and done two little binding books. . 

 One is a sample for the eco print workshop this week with some tertiary design students and one is dedicated to my friend Ada. Ada likes my eco print journal and wants to learn how to make it.  I said when time suits we can do together. Before that I made one specially for her. 

The two books are with leaf prints steamed on papers, then hand binded.  Each page has different marks.

 Eucalyptus leaves

 Cajuput leaves  

 Eucalyptus leaves with iron mordanted thus have the black outlines 

Some Cajuput leaves with brown dots.

 Intended to do some pages with light prints thus some room for writing

 Oh, I've no idea what kind of leaves are these.  They're windfalls near my  studio

   This is rose leave.  Ada loves roses.  Specially put the prints on the front.  

 The journal covers are of  my eco dyed cotton fabrics.

I dyed the cotton during my last workshop in Portugal.

While making these journals I recalled the memory of the lush village. 

 The cover is sewed with paper cards in between.

 Papers are binded in a few signatures.

A little book for my friend.
May it be a journal for her travels. 
Jot down......

 a walk in the beach.....

 flapping in the breeze....

 

listen to the wave ......

 Whatever purposes.... this is a book of friendship.

Ada, hope you love this little journal specially made for you.
Happy fall to all !
Linking with KatherinesCorner
Linking with CreativePrincess
Linking with finecraftguild