Friday, June 12, 2009

yeah yeah yeah

some of the fleeces have been rinsed and are dryingnow I have to find combing and carding equipmentIlove the colours on this onethe first water was indescribably smelly and dirty, now I know what they use for dyeing leather in morocco. I saved a bucket for smelly vat no4 from Liles- also found references from many sources that the first water from rinsing a fleece was saved in many areas of Greece for indigo dyeing (but nothing on the process)
it is now covered, in the sun, with bits of fleece in it and indigo from lebanon- probably synthetic- but I beleive in beginners luck. if it doesn't make bubbles in a couple of days i'll try reducing with yeast etc just to see what happens
something is definitely going to happen, there is so much goo, gunk, gloop, organic matter, oily stuff, excrement, and other unnamable ingredients in there that it will probably give birth to previously unseen organisms
and now for some crowing:onion skins on silk -yeah!
eucalyptus on silk -yeah! this is the pyjama thingy prepared with lye water and yoghurt
double yeah!!

it was bundled up with eucalyptus leaves and rusty nails soaked in water from rose leaves for many days, left to dry a bit all in the hot sun


Thank you india for a wonderful book (scroll down to find eco colour)

:-) :-)) :-)))
the washing of fleece and the preparation of cloth is very hard work
the results are satisfying
and, as for the fleece, I already feel I know those fibers intimately
my fingers, hands have already been touching, stroking, holding, coaxing, cleaning, picking
in one word feeling
mmmmm
I have decided not to use soap since there will be lots when they are going to become felt, except to scour bits that I will dye with more delicate dyes
I am sure the oils protect the fibres
these have been rinsed in a lot of water in tubs standing in the sun, the last water stayed reasonably clear
















5 comments:

Ladka said...

Your onion skins on silk are beautiful. Was it also wrapped and soaked in rose petals water in the sun? Lucky you to have hot sun already in June.
Your description of the first rinsing water: "... and other unnamable ingredients in there that it will probably give birth to previously unseen organisms" made me laugh and admire your eloquency!

Manya Maratou said...

hello Ladka, thanks! yes, the onion skins were soaked for a while in water, I dripped some vinegar on them and bundled everything up very tightly. it stood for about a week in water made from rose leaves, not petals- it gives me yellow- a bit brownish but very fast, a sample (cotton) was washed in the washing mashine, with my laundry, and the colour did not fade. the onion skins are very dark red, almost purple, the supermarket people say ihey are from Egypt.the silk was prepared by simmering for a short while whith baking soda (less than a teaspoon in a 5 lt pan) because it was stiff
the sun is very hot, too hot actually, more than 33-35 in the shade. I am being dyed pink, but ubfortunately it is a fugitive colour!

t said...

hello manya, I love your eco dyed silk and your pajama thingy looks fantastic. The last fleece that I washed really stunk, and the first water was very dark. I used it as fertiliser on my vegi garden.

was looking for your photos of weedy rosettes too..... Hmmmm.
xt

Yvette said...

wow...you become one of us little whitches

Manya Maratou said...

hello T next post up for you
hello too yvette-
;-)

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