Beautiful table setting , enjoy your meal!

Time flies it's drawing to the close of 2014. This is my 402nd post since 2010. Thank you for following me and all the comments.  Your stopping-by means to me. I write about my cat Mogi to felt making then botanical prints.  All these generated your interest. My hats off to you.  Now that December is the month for family dinners. We'll have Solstice dinner and Christmas dinner as well.  Having a table setting with natural printed setting would be such a beautiful presentation on any occasions.  This set I used the bright red eucalyptus and a little eucalyptus tree barks intended to make it simple and clear.

 Table runner is 72" (184cm) long enough for a long table.

 I laid on the pure wool flannel. Mogi's such a good observer.

 Upon his approval I bundled and boiled it.

 Two kinds of euc, one round silver dollar and the other unknown species.

 

Before and after

 Tree barks and other ecu gave brownish.

 I sewed on the dark brown fabric made it a nice set.

 Mainly two parts of prints - upper one with a little casaurina pines, the bottom part of barks.

 Hang it with a tree branch it's a wall hanging.

 Though Mogi is more interested in the living plant, the botanical printed fabric, be it a wall hanging ........

  a table runner or a dresser runner, it's a pretty natural home decor.

 "Boy, behave !  Please wait to be seated."

The table runner is available in my ETSY shop here

The table placemats are available in my ETSY shop here

My friends, enjoy your meal and have a festive season !!

Happy Holiday !!

Make the days brighter 繽紛色彩

 

 I've been doing eco prints for the recent two years. I got some colorful natural dyeing and printings but It takes a few hours for the process to make prints.    Know that all come from nature - the natural leaves prints and the natural dyes.  The prints are bounty of nature, subtle and one-of-a-kind. Sometimes I feel daunting for outcomes not as expected.

Today I lined for the shots.  Mogi found it a shelter. Did he like my works? 

雖然我的天然印染也有豐富色彩, 有紅, 、 有紫、 有黃花、 有綠葉、有線條.....但製作過程需時, 效果有時未如意, 偶有失望. 我的貓兒在我的布料中, 有何感覺 ?

 

 Purple logwood shibori dye, heart-shaped and bold red euc.

 Casaurina (pines)

 Turmeric yellow

 Bold prints of camellia

All looks colorful already but I wanted to paint and get the immediate visual outcome.   Today I started the learning from basic. I like acrylic as it has the effect of watercolor and I'll apply the painting for my fabric art. 

貓兒好享受布料中的隱蔽

 My second class of painting this.  I enjoyed so much and it made my colorful day.   

今日我上課學塑膠彩繪, 也好享受繽紛色彩, 我會利用這彩繒技巧運用於布藝創新上.

Gold prints 金黃印染

Every time I got the prints - such bright prints from green leaves, I really appreciate mother nature gives some eucalyptus such beautiful color.

每一次的印染效果總有不同, 特別是桉樹的顏色明明是綠色何以出現金黃.....橙色甚至鮮紅 ?  

樹木的奧妙, 尤是桉樹, 怎不另人讚嘆 ! 最近以尼絨做了幾項實驗, 桉樹的鮮艷最為特出.

Thought to put aside the dye pot for a while due to our Chinese New Year is approaching and I'm busy in family gatherings.  I've to clear the fridge but can I throw away those euc leaves blew from strong winds.  No no no, every piece is from mother nature and must be used up properly.  That's why I made a few bundles with all sorts of leaves I have before the festival.

Here they are.......

Simply the euc leaves and little rose leaves dipped in vinegar, bundled and boiled for 2 hours.

Gorgeous gold to orange color.  I really love it.

This is so impressive

This piece with euc cinerea from florist, some maple and rose leaves. All with iron mordant.

I made a total of four pieces, the former three are with iron mordant thus with darker shades.

  Orange is bold and outlines are clear.

I know maples are not sharp or bold, so I put a few euc cinerea to bring the red.

 Maple and rose leaves.  Euc cinerea is outstanding.

Euc and rose leaves

Rose petals and leaves 

Maple, euc cinerea and rose leaves

Before and after for reference

Maple, rose leaves and euc cinerea

 

Maple, rose leaves and euc cinerea

Euc and rose petals on the bottom - a little purple

"Hmmmmm, gold is bold...."

 

Make it a runner......

or wrap around to keep me warm?

 

Each of different patterns, some with dark shades.

"Want to know  how to make shades?  Mum has tricks "

 "Tell you the secret, Mum uses iron mordant synthetic fabric to cover the leaves and bundle up so have dark outlines and shades. "

 

Mogi, "I don't know if it's that simple, I wanna out for a look is my simple request."

Indeed fabric is the key success.  The prints are done on "boiled wool" I bought from the shop.  

It's marvelous to do prints with.  No wonder my overseas friend asked me to mail her some more after her experiments. 

Happy printing !

Amazing prints 美極了!

Following the first natural imprints workshop on scarfs,  we continued to do on wool. So amazing prints on the 100% wool sweater.

This is how they made it with the method learnt. They laid assorted leaves incl. rose, oak, maple, onion skin.....

Oh, Janice requested if she could have all string marks in the front bottom. Can we? Yes we can do the bundling top down, the sleeves 2nd.

A bundle like this

After hours boiling in the yummy pot......

Wow, OMG......

Very strong, impressive imprints, the euc silver dollar prints on the bottom with string lines are amazing.

Rose leaves on sleeves with shades of purple to dark.

Outline of maple

Shades of silver dollar 

Golden onion, bright euc and tea leaves dots...... so organic.......All made the impressive imprints of these sweaters......  They're not from thrift shops, they're brand new 100% extra fine merino wool, no wonder! Such unique creation!

Thanks ladies. You're amazing!!

I'm very excited for the outcome of this using the method I taught. Who knows this is sleepless for me, in the midnight writing this?