Various botanical natural prints experiments 多樣化的植物印染

 

 Just done a piece of leather prints with the flowers I grown and the mulberry leaves picked from the farmhouse.  

  

 Recently I tried to do more experiments on leather printing with seasonal flowers.  Most are  Israel yellow daisy grown in my rural studio.

 This is combination of the flowers and oxalis as well mulberry leaves on the dark shaded surface.

最近特別多作的植物染當然是自己栽種的以色列小黃菊，這片羊仔皮印上小黃菊及桑子葉都是昨天鄕郊工作室採回的實驗 

I told myself to have a break of botanical printing as leaving soon to Uruguay but how can I resist when I saw my own grown Israel yellow daisies are blooming.  

That day I was biking in my area............

  

 

 Neighbour's sun flowers are blooming............

 

 Rosella and mulberry are eye catching.  Sign of summer is around the corner.....

 

 Farmer's pond has lots of the pistia stratiotes (water lettuce)

 

 I am home with handful of flowers, bunch of mulberry and some water lettuce for printing and decoration.

 I made prints on linen with passion fruit leaf, oxalis and Israel yellow daisy.  Then cut three sets for the purse sewing.

 

 Who knows I was making prints in the midnight.  Yes Mogi knows as he's my workmate.

 

 The three pieces of purse printed with own grown Israel wild daisy are for my friends.  Just like to share the bounty of nature, natural prints from plants particularly the flowers I grown from the seeds my master instructor Irit Dulman gave me.  Honor to share with good friends.

 Prints of mulberry leaves and yellow daisies are impressive.  Oxalis as discharge are clear.  This is printed on lamb skin, very thin leather.

 "Before & After" of the leather prints

 The sample prints of the leather is for future reference.  

The old pottery pot is no longer used.  Good to put the water lettuce as decoration.

 

 The mulberry leaves are still fresh for printing

 

 Done another leather prints with it.

 "Before & After" of the leather prints.

 

 Already made it into a purse

 Both sides of prints with onion skins placed as flowers.

 

 The recent experiments of leather prints are mainly with flowers.

Since I will be off to South American for a month of workshops and travelling with Irit, I wouldn't be seeing the full blooming of the Israel yellow daisy in my rural studio.  I left them with my friends' care so that flowers are thriving.  Hope they also like the species of exotic flower - dyer's favour.

All those handmade flowers printed purses 手工植物印染包包

 

 So far I've done numerous experiments of botanical imprints on fabrics like wool, silk, viscose and all other cellulose materials.  But now keen on leather printing.  This is the one just done with all the flowers and leaves gathered around my area even the yellow flowers of Israel wild chrysanthemums that the seeds my master instructor Irit Dulman gave me to grow in Hong Kong.

這些日子做了很多不同物料的植物印染，最為喜愛的是印在羊仔皮上再製作成皮革小包包。最感自滿的是從以色列老師 Irit Dulman 給我當地野黃菊種子，我自行種植現在盛放的小黃菊印製而成的花兒印染。做了那麼多的試驗，縫製了很多小包包，有些自用，有些已送給知音朋友，我愛我的土地種出繁花錦簇 。

 

 The Israel typical chrysanthemums are blooming and insects love them.

   

 I will have hundreds of this flower to do my favourite prints.

 

There're other wild flowers on the path. Can't resist !

 To make use the swatches of prints, I sewed into something functional.  Here are the purses of linen, cotton, wool flannel and leather....... all with natural pigments of botanical imprints.

  

This is the prints on linen with own grown yellow flowers and other picked foliages.

 

Here's the lamb skin, leather prints "Before & After".

 

 Close up of the prints of cosmos, Chinese willows and others.

  My favourite part of the prints of different flowers and the leaf of passion fruit.

 

Batch of all leather prints with botanical imprints.

  

Batch of fabric prints with assorted leaves and indigo dyed, The black ones are of iron and pomegrate mordant.

These are wool flannel, grey background is reaction of tannin.  Small purses of assorted eucalyptus without any mordant.

 The strong and bold prints of eucalyptus are Mogi's fav?  

The soft lamb skin printed with leaves of morning glory and cosmos.  Both sides of leather, the other side of grey blue I left it as it is.

The purses I have made so far are not intented for selling but mostly for friends who appreciate my work.  Honestly my sewing skills are not that good.  This one alredy in my friend's hands.

  

This is the wool flanel printed in Irit Dulman's workshop in Israel.

This is linen just done the mordant testing with the Israel yellow flowers I grown myself.  It works !

The tote bag lined with the old table cloth my mother used before.  

 

My mother passed away for two years.  I got the vintage table cloth my family used to have meals when we visited her.  I done prints then made it for the tote bag lining. 

 This is reversible.

Tote bag with lining of vintage table cloth is way of upcycling and keepsake for loved family.

 

This will definitely for my own use.

 

Mogi, "mum what to do with this?  Smells something of animal?"

The lambskin leather prints with the flowers I got from friend's house plus my own grown ones is made into a purse and in the hands of my friend.The making is first mordant the leather, it's already very soft and thin like fabric. Then rolled as bundle to steam in low heat for only 45 min. I smooth the surface by ironing then cut the purse pattern with a clear transparent sheet over it.  Sewed the zipper with lining.  That's it.

  

Just like to experiment and hope to explore the alchemy of botanical imprints

  

The other leather purse with the prints of the flowers.

 

 Video of the printing then the purses

 How I love my area where I can do biking and get inspired.  This is rural of Hong Kong.