secondSister

Todays job was preparing for Solar Dyeing.
At first this this seems an odd job to be doing at this time of year. Surely summer would be the best time to harness the heat of the sun, I hear you say!
Well, yes, the sun sure is hot in summer, and the solar dyeing goes very quickly when it is hot.
But you will be pleased to know, that you do not need to put away your jars as the weather cools.

 
Calico in bucket of walnut dye.


Throughout the year i have big plastic buckets which sit outside.
They are filled with materials such as walnuts - the green outside part, eucalyptus branches, tea leaves, leaves and nuts and red wine.
These work away for me quietly, just as the happy jars on my window also do.
These tannin rich materials require no mordant to keep the dye, and so are perfect for dyeing cotton.
It's really a  case of topping up dye materials, and adding more material.



Walnut dye just topped up with water, nice and stinky!




Tannin rick bucket filled with eucalyptus leaves, branches and gum nuts.




Like an old drunk, this bucket is filled with red wine (old and donnated)

My jars, all collected over the years from op-shops and friends, need a autumn clean out too.
The sun may shine for a shorter time, and the heat less from now until spring, but there is more than enough to extract dye.



Glass jar filled with onion skins for solar dyeing

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Solar steamed silk scarf with onion skins




Paper dress competition winner made with Pam Thorne. Top of dress handmade paper dyed with tea.



Use of solar dyed sisal string in  my basket with rusted handle

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Selection of solar dyes sisal, ready to be made into balls

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Silk solar dyeing with raspberries

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My happy window sill

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Solar dyeing is a slow process, without electricity or gas as your power source, you are relying on nature to heat the water and dye materials enough to release and then set the dye.
This all happens within a few days behind glass, on a window sill, inside a sealed glass jar - amazing i know!
With the shorter days and lower temps., it will now take weeks rather than days, and is still a successful way to dye. 
Best of all, you can get on with all the other jobs you have on hand.

 

Solar dyed raspberries on silk scarf

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Bundles of silk with onion skins ready to solar steam

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Finished piece - 'sack'. Made with solar dyed silk and onion skins, cemetery rubbing, old letter, buttons, lace and patterns. Has a chain with collected treasures at top, hand-sewn with blanket stitch.


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This is a lovely project to do with children, as there is no risk of them burning themselves from direct heat. The worst they will come across is the smell, but some kids are wrapt with this stinky mixture they have created.
It is also a great way to experiment with a small amount of material.

You can take a small glass jar, put in your experimental material with water, seal and place in the window sill. Sit back and watch and record the results.

In summer. i would advise regular checking of the jar, as the heat causes pressure to build up, and does require occasional realease. This doesn't seem to be a problem at this time of year.

Otherwise grab a bucket and fill it with tannin rich material and water, place with lid on in sunny spot and wait. You can place in material as the dye forms, or after it is good and stinky.

Materials to dye with in the tannin buckets include any natural materials - wool, silk, cotton.
The glass jar inside i usually have dyes including - onion skins, raspberries, passionfruit, protea leaves.

I have chosen to work with a low water and electricity method of dyeing. I am interested in how we can create beautiful and functional items that do not create waste and pollution. 

I choose not to work with metals in my dyeing process. I understand that i could have a greater range of colours in my pallete. If you are interested in this idea, there are many fantastic books to read on dyeing using metals such as aluminimum, copper and rust.

I am really happy with my soft pallette of dye colour. Lovely people older than me have admired the colours of my silk scarves, as reminiscent of the dyes their grandmothers made. Perhaps they were solar dyeing too!

They certainly didn't have the commercial dyes we lean on today. 



Glass jar clean and ready for dye material.



Protea flower and leaves.





Protea leaves. {our family story is that the fairies party hard and wear out their wings. They come to our garden to get a new pair. Lucky we have a never ending supply under our Protea tree.xx}



Onions skins + water + glass = ready to solar dye.





Stacked full of Protea leaves.





Happy dyeing and experimenting.x