Weeds prints from hiking 草葉印染

 

Today hiking in the north of our region Hong Kong. Up there we saw China in a stone's throw away. 

從遠足走進印染的實驗, 今天在新界北區 「 麻雀嶺」, 走上山崗, 沒有
麻雀聲, 極目遠眺是香港八仙嶺及近在咫尺中國的沙頭角. 行山之餘見些乾草, 取了回家作實驗, 也為下周在台灣的教學準備, 確保已購買的布料是清晰可印染, 實驗証明是不錯.

今日天氣良好, 上山後煙霞朦朧仍是美景.

 

We started the trail in a village "Sheung Ma Tseuk Leng"

 

A village of traditional buildings of a few decades old, indeed not too old.

   

 A strenuous trail up in the beginning with stunning views around

Down are the villages in the China boundary

 

After almost an hour hiking ......

  

I made it, the second one on the top of the mountain.

 A break and a breathtaking view of the region

 

Visible is the well developed town of China.

 

Today's hiking was not hard but only in the beginning we've to climb up the mountain.  We finished in about 3 hours with half way easy walking down.

 

Since today was a bit cool I've to put on a scarf.  Friends know me well I always have something in my purse or wore about my works of natural printing and wool felting as samples to show people whenever I'm asked what I am doing with.  Today the scarf I put on for head wrap in the windy hiking.

 

This is the scarf I put on today.  It's made with two panels.  One part of natural prints of  demo sample to the tertiary students while the other side is digital prints of my photo with natural flower prints done in the recent Canada workshop.

 

This is the actual prints on silk chiffon with the local yellow flowers.

 

I learned the skills of digital prints of the images on fabric then made the collage and sewed two panels together.

 

So here is a piece of scarf with the skills of digital prints I learnt and the natural prints I taught.

 

On the way down the mountain I saw some weeds and got a few for my experiments on fabrics which will be used in the upcoming workshops in Taiwan.  I have to make sure the fabric works well.  Back home I immediately done the simple testing.

 All works well, the prints and the fabric as well the plants.

 I know weeds are better as resist, thus a little piece of red eucalyptus is icing on the cake.

Sumac and Lagerstroemia speciosa are good prints.

I'm too addicted in natural printing.  Every time when I do hiking I spy some plants to do experiments.  Tomorrow I go biking I am not sure if I can resist any windfalls to play. 

Natural prints with weeds and flowers 花花草草的植物移印染

 

Recently I like to use weeds for my natural prints.  On the hill side there are lots of weeds look like miscanthus but I don't know the exact name. 

十一月初的今日已是立冬, 香港仍是和煦秋天, 在山上野草隨風搖曳, 撿一把做印染, 一片絲綢實驗, 縫著兩端成為圍巾.

 

I know this kind of grass may not have pigments but no harm to try the shape as resist.

 

Composition of a few weeds, wild daisy and sumac on silk with one end dyed in cochinael.

 

After an hour boiling,  those plants with no pigments left shapes

I've done another piece with different placement of flowers and weeds.

Same, those only left the shapes.

The other piece I placed a few eucalyptus  just to make a little orangish or yellish.

 A soft tone panel with the weeds and leaves is done

 

Officially we're into winter time but only a bit cool in the morning or evening.

 

I sewed one of the panels two-fold and the ends connected. Simply a cowl scarf for autumn or winter.

 

 This is technique learnt from my teacher Irit Dulman.  Anyone who learnt or knew the skills may know how to make it.  This is only my experiments of weeds prints to share.