Frozen Pokeberries & Oak Galls
January 1, 2011
Its a bit cold, and as you can see from this picture.. it’s dark too! The winter has moved many dye processes inside. As it started to rain a few moments ago, I pulled everything off the dry line and moved into the studio/garage. The wool has just come from a dye bath of vinegar and my frozen pokeberry harvest. (My gorgeous 7 ft. tall plant, was dripping with berries this last autumn), I froze them and was waiting for the perfect wool to dye them in. These skeins are from Reba, a lovely merino sheep who lives in Mendocino County, CA.
The letter K is a screen print that my brother and I created for my mother (Kerry), for Christmas. I made a glorious ink with galls from a very manganese rich soil. This ink has become a silk screen dream. I am very happy with the outcome. It can undergo all kinds of washing and still hold a solid slate gray tone.
As you can see here the pokeberry wasn’t the only dye color I used. As I began to exhaust the bath, the pink turned lighter and lighter, so I quickly dipped a few of these into my indigo vat– giving a modeled and violet hue to the wool. I can’t wait to see this wool turn into the designer dress that its being created for! More on that later..
January 1, 2011 at 11:38 pm
beautiful wools, in hues luscious enough to eat, especially the mottled ones! would you consider discussing the making of ink for printing on textiles?
January 2, 2011 at 9:08 pm
I’m combining ancient recipes, not yet quite ready to publish, but I can say the experiment so far is going well.. For your own investigation I highly recommend Leonardo Da Vinci.. he worked with this type of ink. ( I never do anything new!! it’s all old knowledge)
January 2, 2011 at 5:28 am
Yes, I would love to know how the ink was processed “:)
January 3, 2011 at 12:14 am
oh, i see that it’s a gall ink…missed that before.