Purple prints from strobilantes 馬藍的紫

 

A piece of the eco printed silk fabric done in the historic freezing weekend in our subtropical Hong Kong. My facebook friends asked what were our historic cold days. I said it's -3 in mountain top in 59 years.  Yes it's bitterly for me and for some plants.  

年前在港跟法國大師 Michel Garcia 學習藍草染, 綠田園給我馬藍 (板藍根)幼苗種植, 我後山的的一叢抵不著近日山上冰冷風霜, 但家中的一盆竟花兒盛放, 摘下幾片葉子做印染把色彩留下, 紫色的重疊效果與花兒一樣的柔和.

 Years ago when the French master Michel Garcia was performing a project in Hong Kong, I was one of the guests invited to join and learn from him. He made the indigo vat from the local strobilantes (last blog). The farm owner was so kind to give me a small plant to grow.   Because of the severe cold weather these days some of the strobilantes on the slope died but the one in my yard was embracing the freezing days even blooming.

 Can't resist to do an experiment again. I tried the leaves for contact prints before ( last blog ).  It works well on silk. So with other plants - the iron mordant casaurina, limonium, eucalyptus and mandarin leaves I made the simple placement

         A little limonium, casaurina and the leaves

 After 1.5 hours bundle boiling,  some overlapped purple and the main leaves direct on the fabric are darker that makes the shades while red is from eucalyptus.

 

The overlapped purple prints are just like the flowers colour.  The following images speak themselves.......

 The bigger one is strobilantes and the smaller green ones are mandarin leaves

 The overlapped purple prints and iron mordant limonium

 I'm happy with the prints so does Mogi !

   The fabric may be as a scarf or sewed into a dress, fingers crossed.  Anyway it's an experiment.
Instant download Tutorial for the ecoprinting is available in my ETSY
Linking party with Creative Princess

Delicate wrap up 2015 細緻總結 2015

 Time to wrap up my 2015. Facebook reminded me I've visited 7 countries and 11 cities in 2015.  Looking back the days abroad half was wool felting and half was natural-printing. For the natural-printing it's more challenging since outcome depends very much on plants used.  Fortunately every time was so impressive. 

Recently I got some floral leftover from flower arrangement, I did experiments with it.  I made two pieces to wrap up my 2015 with more delicate and vivid color.

 Here the plants used on wool are casaurina with cones (馬尾松), almost dried eucalyptus  silver dollar (桉樹), Grevillea Robusta (銀華), Limonium (彩星) and Brunia Nodiflora (青銀小足球)

 Placed the delicate layout

 Curious Mogi is always my good company

 Another one with casaurina, eucalyptus, Lagerstroemia Indica (紫薇) and Loropetalum Chinense (紅彩木)

                 After 1.5 hours bundle boiling the outcome is more khaki green to orange brownish due to iron mordant leaves

    

  Very strong imprints but not as expected with euc bright orange

 

This one placed with a few almost dried euc silver dollar and other leaves with iron mordant

 Outcome is vivid with bright as wanted

 The dark round ones with dots are from iron mordant casaurina cones

 I'm quite pleased with this one, vivid color and strong imprints

 The "before & after" of the two layouts

The longer and stronger casaurina are bold prints

 

Purple of Loropetalum Chinense 

2015 is closed with color and I wish 2016 will be fabulous !

"Dressed" the plant, walked in the bush 穿著叢林中

   

The wool flannel I printed last is now turned into a vest - reversible with 2-sided prints. External is wool flannel with botanical imprints while the lining is blended cotton/silk prints and dyed in cochineal which I'm not quite pleased with. 

一次又一次的植物印染實驗, 做出來的布料就是我的成衣製作.

雨後一天穿著.......走進在我山後叢林中, 發拙可有什麼葉子試驗?

 

It's a Friday I used to do hiking but it's raining and gloomy thus skipped it. Instead "dressed in plants" I walked in the abundant house with bush behind my area. 

I've a passion of plants, whenever I walked in the bush I would think if those plants give prints?  That's why I can't help stop doing experiments.  Have done so so many swatches! The only way is to make them into wearable. 

           Eucalyptus Cinerea is always my fav for bold prints.

 The outsider piece I don't have large enough wool fabric thus connected both sides with silk prints

 

The lining is fine with one whole piece

 

 

The upper part is Loropetalum Chinense (purple) and  Limonium

  

 I'm not by profession a fashion designer. That's the simple vest I can do with the template measured and given by Tatiana Sheverda in her workshop.  

 

If it's not tuned into garment, may be leave it as a hanging, anyway.