After a certain amount of bundling, you start to look for signs...
any kind of indication that something is brewing inside.
That green there in the center?
That's a promise waiting to be exposed.
Silk organza,
a few square chips of copper sheeting, some sprigs of purple Salvia 'Caradonna'
and a handful of fresh salal leaves (Gaultheria shalon), wrapped around a small can
and simmered in a bath of red-leaved berberis for about an hour,
then left to air dry for - you guessed it - three weeks...
Do you see the imprint of the salal leaf there on the top half, about center?
Not one iota of color to be found!
Now, India says that everything gives color, one way or the other,
but so far (and after four tries) salal is my nemesis.
Known for its medicinal qualities, it can be prepared as a tincture or tea
and used as a poultice for insect bites & stings...
but as a dye plant...
meh.
What to try next...
perhaps soaking the leaves in vinegar first?
Sing them a lullaby? Beg on bended knee?
There might be a wee gift in it for anyone reading who can provide the secret...
not sure about the silk but you might try cotton and soak the cotton in a watered down soy milk for a day or so and then let it completely dry before bundling it. i've had good luck with that method but not sure about salal...don't really know that plant. you might also make your bundle around a tin can for the iron content.
ReplyDeletejust looked back at your previous post where you did use soy milk. so maybe you've already tried that.
ReplyDeleteYup, sure have, deanna, but thanks for helping to brainstorm. I'm quite smitten with soy as mordant and prefer the results to those with alum. Stay tuned ~ I'm not giving up yet!
DeleteUnless you enjoy singing to leaves on bended knees, I'd say move along to something else and let salal be what it's good at... ie. made into medicinal poultices, tinctures, and the like. I know first hand, however, the disappointment of bundled items leaving no trace of color whatsoever. Yep, there is something about it that brings out the battle cry.
ReplyDelete...think I might still be waging *war for color* with this one, Robin, although my singing isn't great standing on two legs, much less on bended knee ;>]] It probably won't be the only time that'll I'll encounter leathery leaves...I'd like to have some clues on how to deal with them. And if I learn in the process that they are best left as resists - or- best LEFT, okie dokie. Not gonna settle for that disappointment (at the moment anyway), will use it as fuel instead. But I hear ya!!!
Deleteif you knew the amount of leaves that didn't give me a print...Salal is used here for filling bouquets with green as dyed eucalyptus, yek.
ReplyDeleteyour piece is very very subtle thoug, the soft stripes the beautiful green squares...great stuff for wings!
Yek is right, yvette, not fond of those bouquets myself...
DeleteAs for wings, that sounds good to me!
firstly, your salal leaf impression makes me swoon.
ReplyDeletesecondly, not being a dye person. at. all. though in my defense I have attempted this sort of thing using rag paper and metal because rust makes me swoon, I'm thinking that the waxiness of leaves are protecting their colour. so maybe looking for something that degrades wax? might work on releasing leaf colour? hey. it's a start. ;)
Swooning is just fine, Jen, but dang it, swoon me some C.O.L.O.R. !!!
DeleteHave had a marvelous couple of suggestions from my dye-hard pal overseas that are right in sync with yours. She suggested soaking the leaves a long time before wrapping them in a bundle (overnight, for example). Or possibly *cook* them for a lot longer to break down the plant material. Either way I think I've got some color tests on my horizon....
I'd say that was pretty good guesswork for a non-dye person. Thank you. Popping over to your place now...what's closing??? It better not be your blog!
Just now had a thought ... I used to soak the paper in vinegar before wrapping up. Can't remember seeing that in your prep but maybe you did? that'd eat into the leaf fo' sho'.
DeleteAnd yep. Website/blog go bye-bye. :)
Thanks! Definitely going to try vinegar, Jen...the "to try" list is growing daily!
DeleteAnd wannnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh....NOOOOOOOOOOOO....I will miss your blog terribly, not to mention regular installments of the delightful Stella. E-me private, would ya....whus up???
I know nothing about dying but like Jen's thought. Depending on the size/shape of the leaves perhaps you could take a very light sandpaper and go over the leaves - something so that the dye would impregnate the leaf.
ReplyDeleteMy dear Penny, I wish I could say that I might be prone to try this,
Deletebut if I know me, I'd sooner end up on bended knee belting out some opera to them instead.
:>/
Oh boy! It's like the 12 days of Christmas over here!
ReplyDeleteHA! and here I was hoping that people weren't getting bored.
DeleteTHANKS, Susan...and if you think THIS feels like C'mas, can you imagine what it feels like to have a tray of these babies waiting to be opened?!?!?
That is a gorgeous piece of cloth! I haven't gotten into the dye side yet - I want to but I am time challenged - but I wonder if a little visit with a mortar and pestle might be helpful. xo
ReplyDeleteAlso, that sandpaper suggestion is interesting and would not be so difficult if you tack your sandpaper to your work surface and then just swipe each leaf across it.
Delete