February 2019

This month was the month I got my act together and achieved something in terms of plant dyeing!   In January, I had successfully produced my first four scarves using Vaccinnium myrtillus - the humble blueberry.   And February was the month when I tried my first attempt at overdyeing, again with more success.

I had previously dyed some cotton scarves with Curcuma longa - turmeric - but, because I hadn't done any of the necessary prep work with regards to scouring and mordanting, it didn't work.   However, as I had done everything by the book this time, I had a degree of success which was quite thrilling.

I needed to get two colours into the scarves so couldn't just pile them all into the pot in case the turmeric was too strong and completely crowded out the pale silver grey colour obtained from the blueberries.  So I decided on a sort of tie dye method - basically tying loads of knots, using string, etc, freestyling effectively!

Once all four scarves were tied - each one in a different sequence - then they all got thrown into the bubbling cauldron and each one taken out at ten minute intervals, to see if there was any difference in the colour concentration.  There was not!   So ten minutes, or forty minutes - it makes no difference whatsoever!

I am absolutely delighted with the way they've turned out - so much better than I could have hoped for.

Which makes this post quite difficult to write.  I have decided - even with the success that I've had - to not take it to the next level.   I had underestimated how much time, effort, money, space it would take to try and make this into a business opportunity - I'm really sad about it.   This was supposed to be the thing that would tide me over the winter months in terms of making an income, but the gardening just hasn't let up at all, so the need to make some money when I'm not gardening has evaporated.  Perhaps this is something I'll take up in future years when I don't feel able to physically garden so much.   I'm going to still do some plant dyeing, but for myself and my enjoyment.  And for that reason, I have decided not to document it here in this Horticolourist blog, but to include it - as and when I do it - in my normal Breath of Fresh Air blog.   I'm not ruling this out forever, but just for now. 

I'm just glad I've been able to finally make it work!


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