Experiments with new plants 新品種植物印染實驗

This is the new plants I found recently and impressed with the outcome. Really into it and can't help doing more and more.....

最近踩單車路經一園子，吸引我的黃花使我進園與屋主交談，很好客主人馮小姐還送我一些花、蘆薈、靑椒等。回家做了多樣品試驗外也吃到很健康的早餐與甜品。很高興我的踩單車運動在尋尋覓覓植物中認識了新朋友，也擴濶了可印染的題材。

 

With the bundle opened for table setting I'm quite pleased with the recent work.

 

This is how I came across such plants......

Last week I passed by a house with lots of flowers and chatted with the owner Ms F.  She's so nice to let me into her garden to view her organic produces and beautiful flowers. 

I spied the bright yellow flowers, family of Tagetes tenuifolia. I told her that I'm doing research with plants for natural prints. She's so nice to let me pick as much as I like and gave me some others plants as well aloe vera and lantern peppers.

 

With handful ediable and printable stuff home can't wait to do the experiments.

Here's the first.....

 Composition of plants on fabric........
I was expecting prints with yellow flowers and green leaves.

 

But.... outcome was all yellowish even the leaves. 

This is mirror prints on silk and viscose both with alum and iron mordant respectively.

Not too bad as it yells pigments of bold prints.

 For the following experiments I decided to do different mordants of alum, iron and tannin on silk, linen and viscose for the testing.

Leaves and petals prints on viscose with iron mordant are bold.

Background of grey is effect of iron and tannin.

 

Yellow leaves and flowers is effect of alum mordant silk

 

 I also used some of my home plants such as geranium on iron mordant viscose.
It's bold grey I like.

 

Ferns and bauhinia are not good prints but

no harm for the combination of shades and shapes on viscose.

 

 After the many testings I tended to keep clear background with simple alum and iron mordants - my basic motto.

 

Lots of panels made of the same plant ! 

 

I've to ask myself what to do with them. 

Just wrap with Mogi in the late spring days?

 

I love the flowers and the leaves so much. Have to dig out the proper name of the plants. Here are the images how they look like before printing.

 The tiny red flowers prints purple only with iron mordant.

 

The Artemisia vulgaris (crown daisy唐蒿) prints nice yellow.

 Layout of "before & after". Mirror prints of iron mordant viscose and alum mordant silk.

Onion skins are never wrong on natural printing.

 

Assorted ferns and flowers with iron and tannin mordant to make background grey.

  

 I love this part the most - "less is more" - clean and clear.

"Behave Mogi ! "
 He wanted to grasp a piece of the buckwheat bread I made. 

My healthy breakfast, "bird in the nest" with green pepper from Ms F, slices of avocado and brewed coffee.....what's more?

  

followed by dessert of aloe vera in honey with ginger and white fungus. 

 

Thought to do more about this prints but first to make use of the panels

 This is part of the outfit just made

Will show more after shots.  Stay tuned for the details.

Just to close it.... but the brat on my lap. 

He's so attached yet a good companion anyway.

Mother Nature's Gift 大自然的恩賜

 

Green from Mother Nature, green from tumeric + indigo, green from my hands.  Yes this is creation from Mother Nature after last bike ride.  

早兩天從騎單車途中撿拾風雨打下的桉樹葉，把布料印上及簡單剪裁做了一長裙。

 

Last Thursday I joined the bike team for a ride along Tolo Harbour. After lunch we departed but I went on riding up to Sha Lo Tung Village （沙螺洞）for another 16 km. 

From the photo above you see the white statue - Gwun Yam（觀音）that's the mountain I was heading to.

那日與單車隊友遊畢烏溪沙，午飯後我獨自繼續騎行上大埔半山沙螺洞，那長斜路段也頗吃力，就是不甘心要堅持體力，終扺達村莊，廢屋幾家但環繞青蔥、蟬鳴蛙叫、蝶舞青蜓飛......倦意全消，回家後已急不及待做印染做衣裳，又一夏日裙子。

My destination is another 2.7km steep route up to the mountain village.   This is only in the mid with down view of Tai Po.

 A break here before going on........

 I've been to the village before but by car and hiking only. Never rode on a bike on the steep road. It's tough and challenging. I almost exhausted but don't want to give up. On the way I haven't seen a person but just a car passed by. I know I was adventurous or dangerous for the solo ride. Just wanted to see how the village looks now and challenge own ability as I may have to lead another team next.

 

Finally I'm here but the ruin village. Still but sounds of frogs and cicadas feeling like orchestra of nature.

The old village amid the well preserved wetland is going to move soon.

 

I made my riding up in 20 minutes then down the road in a few minutes.

On my way back home I found some blown off eucalyptus of assorted species but I don't know which one yells orange or green.

No harm to experiment with mixed composition on the non mordant wool blend cotton (50/50).

 After an hour boiling, not quite to my expectation.

 Most are only brownish, only a few orange. Can't expect too much since fabric is half cotton and without mordant. Mogi looks not quite pleased too.
 Is Mother Nature not kind at times?  As eco dyers we appreciate whatever nature gives us and make use of it.

 

Immediately I cut and sewed with other panel done earlier before. I used the jacket template Tatiana Sheverda made me while I was in her workshop in Holland. That's the template flexible with easy adjustment.

 I'm lazy.  Just front and back with side zipper. That's it.

 Simple and easy sewing as well comfortable wearing.

 So a green dress of own made with tumeric + indigo dyed and eco prints with eucalyptus.  A new dress for summer wardrobe.

This is how it's composed of. The wool blend fabric dipped in weak indigo then tumeric for the yellow base. Placed a few euc, casaurina and Tabebuia chrysantha flowers (風鈴木) as resist.

A dress of front and back made mainly of euc, clean and clear.