Ecodye explorations and stitching experiments....

So, heylo folks! Have been pretty quiet of late on blogging front, for all my massive following, hee hee. There are several reasons. My beloved is now a Cancer survivor and that whole journey has required much of us. Blessings on his healing recovery....

Creatively, I have been immersed in my botanical dyeing, and making along these lines. So much to share! Mostly, with the dyeing, or 'bundling' I have learned, I have been experimenting with the scribbly gums that grow locally. They give a blue /black/ purple coloration depending on fabric thickness, and mordants. I work mostly with op shop finds, cottons and linens generally. Now the word is spreading, and requests, and clothes are coming.

 These trousers were for a friend, JC, who once I offered to dye her something, appeared with two pair!

The above was a fine cotton mini skirt, (not very me) with two layers of fabric, which I cut the waistband off, and then hand stitched the two pieces together to form a longer skirt (more me). Added a new elastic, a la abundant belly, waistband and now I'm happy :). My wardrobe is an evolving thang it seems, not many synthetics left anymore.

I also needs be share this wee singlet for Miles granddaughter, Grace, just cos its so leetle! Noting as I look at that pic, I'm developing rather interesting fingernails with all this ecodye!

I made a shirt n dress for my dear Mum, and frock for my Aunt Marian (first pic) which included a florists bunch of what is increasingly hard to get heart shaped leaf Eucalyptus which isn't the one where the leaf is directly connected to the main stem. Some 'reality' tv show featured them as a wedding bouquet, and they're nigh impossible to source now, combine that and the drought! Who'd a thought rare gum leaves!

The above frock, I think because of the strong browns of the mordant appears as if some ancient ceremonial or ritual robe from times gone by. I did enjoy the look of the separate leaves round the neckline!

Oh and I mustn't forget my making chair, (scuse the very unstyled power cordage spaghetti!) which I've begun reupholstering in a very ad lib fashion, with bits n bobs from my learning curve with all these marvelous processes! Gawd I have been rather immersed!

Its been a wonderful journey of discovery! Guided by my enrolling in India Flints 'Conscious Clothing' course some months back now. She is an inspiration! Very down to earth, and encouraging of going slowly. Love a bit o humble pie in amazingly talented folks. Are we not all gifted in eachs own ways?

Well, thats probably enough said and shared for now! Ha! Have a wonderful day!

Blessings and good vibes, ChloeOpal

Scribbly gums, scar tissue and beauty therein...

A few days ago, my beloved and I set out on foot, basket and secateurs in hand, to gather Eucalyptus leaves for my fledgling experiments with 'eco dyeing'. These words coming from the title of a book on plant dyeing I recently borrowed from the local library, by the inspiring India Flint. Specificly on colouring fabric using plants and minimal toxic mordants (fixatives). Eucalyptus species, especially those with leaves o a blueish tint, she discovered work pretty good without 'mordants' on protein fibres, like wool and silk. Of course, I chose to work with cotton! That'd be right. Ha! The tale of preparing cellulose fibre is mayhaps for another time, but began with me swimming in the ocean with 3 metres of unbleached cotton and numerous doilies from the op shop 3 weeks earlier...

Back to ambling with a basket in hand towards local bushlands. We were heading along a path into a deeper part of the Scribbly Gum forest, (so called because of the 'writing' created by small grubs under and upon the bark). I began to notice that those blueish tint leaves, were all way up high in the canopy, beyond reach. However, I recalled a patch nearby, who's form was a more scrambling nature. So we reversed, and made our wending way towards the area. We entered what is a relatively close to suburban realms place. Here the trees have had their cores burnt by bush fire several times, yet regrown around these wounds, and continued to live. In one of the holes created in a trunk by this scarring, we were greeted by a special sight....

A cluster of orchids! Beings who had found their niche, literally amid scar tissue. In a world where for us people, life requires navigating challenges, these Cryptostylis erecta, otherwise less formally known as 'Bonnet Orchids' or 'Tartan Toungue Orchids' had discovered their groove. Sprouting where ants had carried a kind of fine saw dusty soil and moisture collected, upon the dead tissue. It felt like an affirmation, a gift. Keep going you two, you never know what you'll find, or where the trail will lead!

Merrily, I collected my fresh gum leaves, some with nuts, and dried windfall from the ground. I took them home and proceeded to boil n steam up my first pieces of bundled cotton fabric, wrapped upon copper pipe. The results were fairly pale greens and browns, darker where copper touched, but I love them, because they are a start! It's a learning curve. I have some idea's of how to deepen the colours, mayhaps even get some clear leaf prints furthur along. I have rusty iron bits n bobs brewing in white vinegar in a glass jar as I type. An ' iron mordant' said to help with these processes. I am definitely on my L plates, but what delightful diversions along the journey! Seems we stumbled upon both surprise orchids, and for me, another way of engaging with the magic of plants!