Natural prints and lac dyes 花葉印染

 

This is knit silk jersey with natural prints of eucalyptus, flowers and dyed in lac (Laccifer Lacca - kind of insert).  Plants gathered on my way of biking last week.

日前騎單車撿拾花葉印染布料, 滿以為利用原有印上葉子的針織絲料再浸染紫膠 (介殼蟲染物)成為深紅底色, 然後再加些花葉做層次感印染, 誰料破壞了原意, 弄出太深沉底色, 可能是鐡的媒染劑太重之故, 花葉色調不見得明顯, 怎也好, 都是嘗試.

 

A short ride in suburb just wanted to get some more flowers for my natural printing.  Hibiscus tiliaceus by the seashore still blooming but getting less. 

   

 Lagerstroemia speciosa is at the end.  I was lucky to pick up some on the ground after strong wind. Also some Hibiscus on the grass after worker's pruning.

A day out biking was to energize myself and get inspired from nature. 

 

 With handful of fragile petals and leaves home I endeavored to redo the yardage of knit silk jersey already printed with eucalyptus and rose leaves.  The yardage is tube width I printed both front and back in plain.  I wanted to make another dress with some more flowers then make it with simple nuno felt technique.  Know that the "remake" may ruin the whole piece but keen on trying.  So it's dyed in lac pot overnight.

 

 I intended to dye it in lac to make the same red as this done last year.

 

Composition like this .......

 

After 1.5 hours boiling it came out too dark out of my expectation.  It's almost brown that the prints are not quite outstanding.  I thought the iron carrier may be too strong.

 

Anyway, the prints seems fine but only the background is bit dark.  A closer look can find the flowers prints well.

  

It's tube width with prints on both-side, I can put on either way or even upside down before actually decided the style.

 

Be it a dress or a wrap the only side I like is "less is more". 

This natural printing is kind of "discharge" technique learnt from Irit Dulman.  Anyone who has learnt or know the skills may find my outcome as reference only.