Eco printed autumn themed scarfs 秋意盎然植物印染絲巾

 We're into hot summer but a light scarf is still a fashion accessory in air-con office. To have a crispy summer day, I made the fall themed scarfs with mixed colors.

The two scarfs,  above and below of different patterns.

 This one with few strokes of pine prints as tree branches and a few rose leaves,  some eucalyptus cinerea for the bright orange / reddish.

 The "before and after" of leaves laying - casaurina pines, assorted euc, rose leaves and maples

 Shades of color are due to iron mordant and assorted euc.

 After 1.5 hours boiling came the bold prints

 

"Hearts" of euc cinerea

 

 Rose leaves with iron mordant

 Rose leaf without direct iron mordant but "immersed" by the nearby leaves.

 Maple leaves with iron mordant

 

Silk scarf with mixed windfalls

Quite some people asked me about eco printing, lots enquiries from local, Argentina, Chile, US......even Uruguay.  Well, I'm happy to share with like-minded.

If you're the first time to make a silk scarf with this prints without any mordant, are you happy?  That's done by my student's first time under my guidance.

 For beginners if they can do prints of orange / reddish shades from eucalyptus with simple process I suppose would be pleased. Some people said that they'd never got bright color, sharp prints, dark shades...... I said eco printing is quite regionalism.  Plants, water, soil, temperature, process and methods of making are factors of outcome.  Here in Hong Kong I rarely have purple, blue or yellow direct prints from leaves.or flowers.  

 With more experiments I can make shades.  Mogi is happy in the shade!

 

  

 This scarf is on my ETSY shop

 

  

Also this one on my ETSY shop 

 

Linking with CreativePrincess
Have a good day !

Students' scarfs prints 學生絲巾印染

This week I'd groups of students done natural prints on scarfs and wool felt flowers.  Each of them done two pieces of scarfs with two styles of prints. Quite nice to go with a scarf !

近日為新團體辦的植物印染絲巾,  祗用了兩種不同的桉樹葉 (尤加利) 及玫瑰葉,  ,  經過兩個多小時的扎作煲熱,  每人的製作不一樣, 有豐富鮮艷, 有簡約清晰, 他們都是第一次接觸這方式的天然植物印染, 感到奇妙新鮮.

這輕柔的雪紡絲巾四季皆宜, 扣上羊毛襟花是秋日的好配飾.

Natural printing on fabric with leaves was new to the groups.  Made it simple and easy I just used two species of eucalyptus leaves and rose leaves only some with iron mordant to give shades.

I showed them individual leaf prints, overlapped prints, folding methods, tying lines, bundling......

After 90-min boiling in dye pots with vinegar, iron water and leaves,  two pieces  of different styles of scarfs unveiled........  

(Before and after picture)

Clear individual leaves prints of euc leaves and rose leaves 

 Different pieces ...... 

The overlapped prints with tie lines are rich and some of the marks look funny 

This piece is with all euc leaves (silver dollar) so looks bright 

Dark and strong red are of iron mordant 

Funny faces and marks.....

This looks grasses and flowers 

Each of different layout and different outcome 

Soft scarfs of natural prints made by my students.  They are soft and unique.  Isn't it?

Rust dye chiffon scarf 鏽染絲巾

Accidentally I found the easier way of iron mordant.  This is not my discovery.  Experts may already known and used it. 

 很偶然我的鐵鏽媒染有新發現, 可能專家們覺得我小兒科, 這鐵鏽媒染對我而言是簡單、快捷及不會太濃黑。且看做法.......

This is the way I make the iron mordant by wrapping the chiffon around a rusty pipe, clamp it with rusty clips.  Pour vinegar diluted water over the bundle.  Let it soaked, set aside in open area for some hours.  For me 8-hour is fine to get fabric rusted.  I've made two pieces.

This is one of it.  Indeed rust prints are almost good enough.  

My thought was to wrap with euc leaves to get bright orange color over brown rust marks.  I bundled and boiled in clear water with some vinegar .  After opening some brown rust marks got dark after boiling.

Rose leaves and euc silver dollars leaves are dark with some tie marks.

Though not as expected to have orange prints, I noted the brown rust "penetrated" fabric so most part got iron mordant to dark color in the boiling pot.

The chiffon scarf with both ends some rust marks while the middle part has soft grey. 

This one is longer

This one is wider with some bold euc leaves prints and a little purple.

I like the shades of dark and the tie marks.

I used to wrap with rusty objects and boil for some hours but it's too dark or fabric "rotten" by the iron objects.  After this experiment I'll do my way to get fabric iron mordant so it would not be too dark.

Before I do not like much dark scarf but this gradation of colors even with a little purple in the middle.  Loving it ........Thanks for Sandy D who taught me the way to do rust marks while we're in Spain.